Copyright dailymail
A high school senior in Colorado who was banned from decorating her personal parking space with Christian imagery and messages has accused the school of violating her First Amendment right to free speech. Sophia Shumaker was barred by Rampart High School from painting her space with 'a shepherd on a hill, a staff and a sheep, along with a Bible verse,' according to a demand letter sent to the school on October 22. She was also later denied a request for a more subtle inclusion of an abbreviated verse, '1 Cor 13:4,' along with a new design that 'was otherwise not religious.' The Bible verse she wanted to reference is one of the most recognizable in the faith: 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.' In response to the denials, the senior enlisted the help of the First Liberty Institute, which is 'the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans,' according to the firm's website. On behalf of Shumaker, First Liberty sent a demand letter to Rampart High School and Academy School District 20 that asserted messages in senior parking spaces are private speech and therefore cannot be denied for being religious. The letter noted that the school's policy includes guidelines for senior parking spaces that 'prohibit messages that the district deems, “offensive, negative, rude, gang-related, political, religious, or trademarked images.”' It also highlighted the policy that if a student's first design is deemed 'unacceptable' by the school, the student has just one chance to change it before forfeiting their spot. First Liberty countered those guidelines by pointing out Academy School District 20's inconsistent policies across schools in the district. The demand letter said: 'While Rampart High School bans religious messages on the parking spots as a matter of policy and practice, several schools throughout Academy School District 20 allow religious messages. 'The district’s inconsistent policies demonstrate that the seniors’ messages on the parking spots in Academy School District 20, including those at Rampart, are private speech, not government speech. Therefore, the district cannot deny Ms. Shumaker’s private, religious speech without violating the First Amendment.' The claim that Shumaker's First Amendment right was violated began brewing in August, when the senior's first proposed religious design for her parking space was denied. In an attempt to amend the design and make it acceptable to school guidelines while still being in line with her religious values, Shumaker asked if she could just include an abbreviated verse in the parking spot along with a neutral design. She texted a teacher to ask if that would be allowed, and the teacher allegedly discouraged her, saying: 'Yeah, no abbreviated verse. Not sure if it would get approved. Let me ask.' The demand letter said Shumaker was afraid the second design would be rejected and she would forfeit her spot, so she told the teacher she would use a different one. She ultimately painted a group of fish with one swimming against the crowd, a design she said quietly represents her faith. The fish symbol was used by early members of the Christian faith as a way to discretely tell others they were believers, especially during periods of intense persecution under the Roman Empire. A statement from First Liberty Institute said Shumaker 'has every right to express her faith. What she displays on her parking spot is her private speech. 'Students don’t give up their First Amendment rights at school. A student’s private religious expression is constitutionally protected even when it occurs on school property.' The demand letter concluded by calling for the district to reverse Rampart High School's denial of Shumaker's religious designs and to permanently remove its 'unconstitutional policy.' The Daily Mail has reached out to Rampart High School for comment. Shumaker told KKTV 11 News, 'My identity, everything about me, is through Christ. I just wanted that to be represented in my parking space.' First Liberty Institute said Shumaker was inspired by another client, Sabrina Steffans, whom the firm represented in a similar case. Steffans, another high school senior, was allowed to paint her parking space with religious imagery after First Liberty represented her and was able to reverse the rejection of her designs at a school near Buffalo, New York. Shumaker said she hopes her story encourages other students to stand up for what they believe in.
