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Colorado District 20 Allows Religious Art on Senior Parking Spots After Free Speech Challenge

The policy change lets students repaint under content‑neutral rules following a demand letter from First Liberty Institute.

Overview

  • Rampart High senior Sophia Shumaker was initially denied a design featuring a Bible verse and Christian imagery under a prohibition on religious content.
  • First Liberty Institute sent a demand letter arguing the denial was unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and cited other District 20 examples with religious artwork.
  • Within a week, Academy School District 20 updated its guidelines to permit religious‑themed designs and confirmed students may request to repaint for the remainder of the year.
  • The revised rules allow student artwork that excludes offensive language or symbols, gang‑style tagging, drug, alcohol or weapon references, trademarked images, and other students’ names.
  • District 20 says the senior parking‑spot program is school‑sponsored and still requires approval, and Shumaker plans to resubmit her original Christian design to repaint her space.