ACLJ Prepares Lawsuit After New York School Outrageously Tears Down Christian Student’s Bible Verse Posters and Forces Student Bible Club To Remove “Good News” From Its Name

The ACLJ is defending the constitutional rights of a high school student in New York whose Christian beliefs and religious expression have been repeatedly blocked by school officials – including tearing down posters in school hallways and determining the content of student-led meetings. It’s an outrageous violation of both the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act (EAA).

We are representing a family whose daughter, Jenna, a ninth-grade student at Carmel High School, was denied her right to express her Christian faith and conduct a student Bible club – something countless other students at the school are freely allowed to do. Jenna’s only “offense” was her desire to encourage her peers and share the hope of her faith. For that, school officials took extreme measures to silence her. 

After persistent efforts to gain approval for her faith-based group, Jenna finally received permission to form her club. But her constitutional struggle was far from over. To kick off the Bible club, she created simple posters that announced the club’s upcoming meeting. The posters included a welcoming message, a handful of well-known Bible verses, a cross, and an invitation for all students – something Jenna herself feels strongly about – to attend and be encouraged by the words of Jesus. Still, school officials removed the posters from the hallways.

When Jenna asked why, administrators told her the posters had “too many Bible verses” and insisted the club could not be called the “Good News Club.” She was forced to change the group’s name and strip her posters of any religious imagery, including a cross and even a single Scripture reference. In short, her posters were censored because they were Christian, and she had her religious messages removed. School officials went as far as insisting on reviewing her posters to determine whether they were too religious.

Even though her religious liberties were violated, she complied with every demand just so the club could continue meeting. Even then, the school doubled down on its unlawful discrimination. When her group decided to show a faith-based video seriesmeant to strengthen students in their personal battles of the mind and spirit – her new posters were again torn down. This time, administrators went even further, banning the entire video series from being shown, citing vague “complaints” about the religious content. The Bible club’s mission remained unchanged: All were welcome to the club. However, school officials took over and started running the club, insisting on what religious materials were and were not acceptable.

This is viewpoint discrimination in its purest form – and it’s unlawful.

That’s why we sent a demand letter on behalf of Jenna to the school district. As outlined in our demand, the school’s actions violate EAA, a federal law designed to prevent public schools from targeting and suppressing student religious expression. The Act requires that religious student clubs be granted the same rights and access as secular clubs, including the right to advertise, meet, and speak freely on campus. The ACLJ has been at the forefront of this battle from the beginning.

Thirty-five years ago, at the U.S. Supreme Court in Board of Education v. Mergens, the ACLJ argued and won on behalf of students’ rights to have Bible clubs on public school campuses and defended the constitutionality of the EAA. The Supreme Court overwhelmingly affirmed that schools cannot discriminate against students conducting a meeting based on the “religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings” under the EAA. The EAA further protects students from the influence of others on the content of voluntary, student-initiated meetings. It requires that religious clubs receive the same treatment as all other non-curricular student groups. Schools cannot single out religious groups for special restrictions or content censorship.

Making the school’s outlandish legal position even worse is the fact that Jenna’s Bible club was named the “Good News Club” – the very same name as the 2001 Supreme Court case, Good News Club v. Milford School District, which once again upheld the right of students to form Bible clubs. The irony is not lost on us, and it certainly won’t be lost on the courts.

The First Amendment provides even broader protections. Students do not forfeit their free speech and religious liberty rights when they enter the school building. This has been established law for decades, since Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. The law is clear: School officials cannot censor religious speech simply because others might disagree with it. The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that religious speech cannot be singled out and censored. Most importantly, the government – including school officials – may not act as supervisors and censors of religious speech. They cannot determine which religious activities are acceptable and which are not. That is precisely what happened here.

The ACLJ is demanding that Carmel Central School District immediately end its unconstitutional suppression of this student’s rights and provide written assurances that Jenna and her peers may meet and express their religious views without interference. If the district refuses, we are fully prepared to file a lawsuit.

This case is not just about one student – it’s about the constitutional rights of every student in America. The freedom to live out your faith is not limited to adults or to Sunday mornings. It belongs to our children – at school, at home, and everywhere in between. Your students may not go to Carmel High School, but this kind of action by school administrators and teachers is rampant. We recently defeated a Texas school district that attempted to ban a fifth-grade girl with special needs from passing out slips of paper with Bible verses to students in a non-disruptive manner. We fought and won in Texas, and we plan to fight and win in New York.

We will not allow public school officials to silence Christian students simply because their speech is rooted in faith. The ACLJ is proud to stand with Jenna and with every student who has the courage to stand for truth.

Stay tuned for updates – and please keep Jenna and her family in your prayers as we fight to protect her rights and defend religious freedom across the nation.

If you believe your religious liberties – or those of your child or someone you know – have been violated, please contact us at ACLJ.org/help.