Teen Scores Big Win After Christian Parking Spot Painting Reportedly Blocked by School

UPDATE:

A Christian high school student from Colorado has won her fight for religious freedom after she says her school district blocked her from expressing her beliefs. The conflict centered around the school's tradition of allowing seniors to "show their school spirit by painting their parking space."

Initially, the school had rejected her faith-based proposal, but now First Liberty Institute reports they've backed down.

EARLIER REPORT:

First Liberty, a non-profit faith-based legal group, had sent a letter on behalf of Sophia Shumaker to her school and the school district, Academy School District 20. The Rampart High School senior is a believer in Christ who enjoys showing her faith through her artwork. 

Her school, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, allows seniors, for a small fee, to reserve and decorate their school parking space as it "builds school spirit, beautifies [the] campus, and creates lasting memories," First Liberty explained in a press release. 

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And while the guidelines for the parking space outline that messaging cannot be "offensive, negative, rude, gang-related, political, religious, or trademarked images," there are several schools within the district that do allow religious messages.

In August, Shumaker requested to paint her space with a shepherd on a hill, a staff, and a sheep, along with a Bible verse. School officials denied her request based on the school's guidelines. She eventually asked to put only 1 Corinthians 13:4 on her space, but was told it would likely not be approved.

The letter explains that Shumaker came up with a third design because she was afraid her previous design "would be rejected and she would forfeit her spot."

"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," attorneys with First Liberty wrote in the letter.

"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," it continued. 

First Liberty contends that the district's denial of Shumaker's parking space submissions violates her First Amendment protections.

"It is unconstitutional for the school to reject Sophia's parking space design due to its religious imagery," said Keisha Russell, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. "The Constitution protects private, religious speech—even when it occurs on public school property. The school's policy violates both the Free Speech Clause and the Free Exercise Clause because it targets Sophia's speech because of its religious viewpoint."

First Liberty is demanding that staff at Rampart High School rescind the prohibition of the religious references by permitting her to "repaint her space with the shepherd, staff, and sheep, with the scripture reference '1 Corinthians 13:4' to her parking space and agree to fully rescind Rampart's unconstitutional policy" by October 31, 2025. 

Additionally, First Liberty is recommending that the district provide Rampart's staff with training on how the First Amendment applies in schools.

CBN News reached out to Academy School District 20 and Rampart High School for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.