(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Academy School District 20 (D20) in Colorado Springs may face legal action if it does not address accusations of restricting student free speech.

Sophia Shumaker, a senior at Rampart High School, had her request to paint a faith-inspired design on her parking space denied by school officials, citing district guidelines that prohibit religious imagery.

“The shepherd and the sheep, the 99 sheep basically represents the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to go find the lost one,” Shumaker explained, describing the significance of her proposed design.

Shumaker participates in several school activities, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and was eager to express her identity through the parking space tradition.

For $25, seniors at Rampart High School can reserve and paint their parking spaces with school-approved designs, but the district’s guidelines prohibit offensive, negative, rude, gang-related, political, religious, or trademarked images.

First Liberty Institute, representing Shumaker, provided photos showing other religious messages on parking spots throughout the district, challenging the school’s decision.

Keisha Russell, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute, stated, “We don’t want to give the impression that this kind of behavior is okay because all the students who are watching are going to walk away thinking that the Constitution requires public schools to censor religious speech, and that’s not true.”

The law firm has given the district until Oct. 31 to reverse the decision and correct its guidelines districtwide.

Academy District 20 is aware of an attorney letter regarding a Rampart High School student parking spot design. We do not comment on potential legal matters or individual student situations but confirm that we are reviewing the information provided. Although Academy District 20 was not contacted by a family or student about this concern and did not receive the attorney’s letter prior to Oct. 22, we can share that Rampart High School’s senior parking-spot program is a school-sponsored activity with content guidelines and a staff approval process.

Mark Belcher, Chief Communication Officer at Academy District 20

In response to the denial, Shumaker changed her design to a group of fish with one facing backward, symbolizing early Christian symbols used in Jerusalem.

The outcome of this dispute could impact how religious expression is handled in public schools, as Shumaker remains determined to express her beliefs despite the initial setback.

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