
A high school student in New York is threatening legal action after her design for a custom parking space was denied. The problem? The design made references to the Bible.
School administrators told Grand Island Senior High School student Sabrina Steffans that her design for her personalized senior parking space was rejected because it was simply too religious. School, they argued, is a secular space – even the parking lot.
Now, Steffans’ lawyers are urging the district to allow her to use the faith-based design, and reverse what they say is a clear violation of her First Amendment rights.
Third Time’s the Charm
Two years ago, Grand Island instituted a policy allowing seniors to pay a $50 fee to personalize their parking spaces for the school year. Designs have to first be approved by school administrators, and Steffans – a devout Christian and head of the school’s Christian club – wanted to represent her faith in her parking space.
She initially submitted a design featuring a cross, heart, and the Bible verse John 14:6.

A (Satanic) Can of Worms?
In a meeting with the school’s principal and assistant principal, Steffans was told her design was unacceptable because it could open a can of worms school administrators didn’t want opened.
Allowing her to use her Christian design, they said, would mean students could use Satanic imagery in their parking spaces – “and I wouldn’t want to attend a school like that,” one of the administrators stated. They advised her to drop the scripture and hide the cross as a lower-case "t" if she wanted the design approved.
Steffans submitted a second design with the words ‘Jeremiah 29:11’, though devoid of the actual contents of the scripture. As instructed, she disguised the cross as a ‘t’ in the words “Let Your Light Shine” – a quotation from the Sermon on the Mount. Again, school administrators denied the design, arguing it was still too religious.
Finally, a third design was approved after she removed overt references to God and scripture.
Anti-Christian Discrimination?
“Viewpoint discrimination” is how First Liberty Institute senior counsel Keisha Russell described the school’s rejection of Steffans’ faith-based design. "Just merely rejecting a very benign, religious message is going to be problematic for [the school] in court," explained Russell, who was listed on the letter sent to the school urging them to reverse their decision, lest they face legal action.
Steffans’ lawyers say that the parking space itself constitutes a public forum, meaning any designs on it are actually private speech which cannot be discriminated against on the basis of faith.
They argue that the school has leeway to censor objectionable or hate-filled designs, but that refusing a Christian design just because it is religious in nature is a “textbook” violation of First Amendment rights.
School Backs Down
Days after being threatened with a lawsuit, the school has reversed course and decided to approve Steffans' original design.
Superintendent Bill Graham released a statement, saying:
“We take seriously our responsibility to uphold constitutional principles, including the First Amendment. While we strongly dispute any assertion that our policies or decisions violated the rights of any student, the Board of Education and District leadership, after careful consultation with legal counsel, have decided that the student in question will be permitted to proceed with her original senior parking space design.”
What do you think of the decision? When it comes to displays of faith on school grounds, where should the line be drawn?
I see the Constitution is no longer in effect… Separation of church and state appears to have gone down the tubes. Shame, really. And totally preventable. How pathetic!