A high school senior who claims she was banned from painting biblical messages on her student parking spot is fighting back.
Sabrina Steffens, a senior at Grand Island High School near Buffalo, New York, told CBN News that seniors at her school are allowed to personalize their paid parking spots. But when she attempted to have verses and Christian art painted on hers, the school reportedly refused.
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Now, Steffens and First Liberty attorney Keisha Russell are threatening to take legal action if the school district doesn’t reverse course.
“I put in three drawings that I did, and the first drawing was a drawing of this mountain called Salvation Mountain,” Steffens said. “And when I handed it in, they said … completely no to it because it had crosses, a Bible verse, and just a lot of religion that they said that wasn’t allowed.”
The student then submitted another drawing with a Bible verse on it, which was purportedly also rejected.
“They finally agreed to … the last one, which had no Bible verses, no crosses, or anything,” Steffens said.
The incoming high school senior said she wasn’t surprised by the first denial, as she runs the school’s Bible club and purports to have experienced times when the school turned down ads from her club.
Steffens alleged it took her months to get the club started and that poster designs with Bible verses were previously rejected. Thus, these turndowns weren’t total surprises, yet First Liberty said the parking space debacle isn’t legally permissible.
Russell said First Liberty decided to help after hearing Steffens’ story, as the conservative legal firm has fought — and won — similar battles.
“For some reason, I find [school districts] to be some of the most hostile actors when it comes to religious liberty, which is unfortunate,” she said. “Our case with Coach [Joe] Kennedy and how that played out, and I’m also representing a school teacher in Connecticut who’s been a veteran teacher for 32 years, and she was kicked out of the classroom because she keeps a crucifix by her desk.”
Kennedy, a former public school football coach, launched a case surrounding his battle to pray on the 50-yard line after games — a quest he won after a years-long struggle that concluded at the Supreme Court. Russell sees similarities between these past battles and Steffens’ quest to have a parking spot that reflects her faith and values.
“Sabrina is the only one who can’t choose for herself the message that she wants on that parking space,” she said. “And that’s just viewpoint discrimination. The Supreme Court has said repeatedly that religious speech is doubly protected by the Constitution under the Free Speech Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.”
The attorney said she’s on a mission to help Steffens ensure religious liberty is alive and well inside her school.
“We’re hoping that the school district will come around … and … will realize what they’re doing is wrong,” Russell said. “Otherwise, we’ll have to sue them in federal court.”
First Liberty has already sent a demand letter explaining the legal parameters and pushing Grand Island High School officials to permit private religious expression regarding Steffens’ parking space.
“What they’re doing to Sabrina is something they cannot do under the Constitution,” Russell said. “And so we gave them a deadline to respond by, which was last week; they asked for a little more time, and so we’re going to grant them some time to look things over.”
Russell believes Steffens’ first design should have been approved and that there was “nothing wrong” with the biblical messages and symbols present in the arkwork.
As for Steffens, she told CBN News why she has decided to stand up and fight rather than remain quiet or ignore her school’s denial of her parking space request.
“I think there gets to a point where it’s like … you should want to stand up because there has been a couple of things like the posters at Bible club where I’ve let them go,” she said. “And I didn’t really say anything about them … but then it took three times for them to finally approve my drawing, and that kind of really made me feel a little bit more angry.”
Steffens came to realize the issue isn’t just about her, but that it impacts others’ ability to express their faith as well.
“It’s not only just … for me, but it’s for other people in our school that are also believers in Christ and want to be able to spread that message,” she said.
Despite some negative comments online, Steffens said her friends and loved ones have offered a lot of support.
“It’s been really good and encouraging, especially with my church, and my friends, and my family,” she said.
CBN News reached out to the superintendent of Grand Island Central School District and will update the story if and when we receive comment or a statement.
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