High School Bans Bible Verses, Forces Christian Club to Strip Faith Content
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – A high school student in New York has become the latest battleground in the fight for religious liberty as school officials face allegations of extreme religious censorship in violation of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has issued a legal demand to the Carmel Central School District on behalf of Jenna, a ninth-grade student at Carmel High School, after the teen’s Christian beliefs were repeatedly targeted by administrators. Jenna’s attempts to lead a student Bible club were met with systematic obstruction, including the removal of posters, bans on Bible verses, and even censorship of the group’s name.
Jenna’s club, originally called the “Good News Club,” was approved only after months of persistence. But according to the ACLJ, the approval was effectively meaningless: school officials removed her posters from hallways, citing “too many Bible verses” and prohibiting the use of a cross or any Scripture references. They also barred the use of the club’s name, despite its being the subject of a landmark 2001 Supreme Court case — Good News Club v. Milford Central School — that upheld students’ rights to form such groups.
“This is viewpoint discrimination in its purest form – and it’s unlawful,” the ACLJ stated. “Her posters were censored because they were Christian.”
Despite complying with every restriction, Jenna faced further retaliation. When her club planned to show a faith-based video series meant to encourage students struggling with mental and spiritual challenges, school administrators tore down her revised posters again and banned the entire video series, citing unspecified “complaints.”
Even more disturbing, according to the ACLJ, the school “took over” the student club, dictating what religious materials could be used and monitoring promotional content for being “too religious.” These actions, the legal team argues, violate both the First Amendment and the federal Equal Access Act (EAA), which mandates that student religious groups be treated equally to secular ones.
“Students do not forfeit their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate,” the ACLJ emphasized, referencing the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court ruling. “School officials cannot act as censors of religious content simply because of disagreement or discomfort.”
The ACLJ’s demand letter calls on Carmel Central School District to immediately halt its censorship and issue written assurances that Jenna’s club will be treated equally and allowed to function without interference. If not, the organization is prepared to take legal action.
This isn’t the first case of its kind. The ACLJ recently secured a victory in Texas on behalf of a fifth-grade student with special needs who was told she couldn’t hand out slips of paper with Bible verses. “We fought and won in Texas, and we plan to fight and win in New York,” the group said.
At the heart of the case is a question of basic rights: whether public schools can silence Christian students simply because their message is rooted in faith. For Jenna and her defenders, the answer is clear.
“The freedom to live out your faith is not limited to adults or to Sunday mornings,” said the ACLJ. “It belongs to our children – at school, at home, and everywhere in between.”
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