Teen speaks out after First Amendment win over parking spot Bible verse

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High school senior wins battle with school to display Bible verses on parking spot

Sabrina Steffans, a senior at Grand Island High School in New York, joins 'Fox & Friends First' with First Liberty Institute senior counsel Keisha Russell to discuss the First Amendment case.

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A New York high school student has won the right to display Bible verses on her senior parking spot after a battle over free speech and religious expression came to a close. 

Grand Island High School initially rejected Sabrina Steffans’ designs because they included Christian imagery and Scripture, but after intervention from the First Liberty Institute — a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to defending religious liberty — the school reversed its decision, citing constitutional principles.

"The first [design], I wasn't very surprised that they turned that down because I do run a Bible club, and they turned down a lot of stuff in the Bible club," Steffans told Fox News on Tuesday.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WINS FIGHT TO DISPLAY BIBLE VERSES IN PARKING SPOT AFTER SCHOOL FACES LEGAL PRESSURE

Sabrina Steffans, a New York high school senior, poses with the religious artwork on her school parking space. Steffans has won the right to display religious imagery on the space after involvement from the First Liberty Institute. (Courtesy: Sabrina Steffans)

"I was kind of surprised [they turned down the second design] because it was only a Bible verse, so that's when we kind of decided to take charge and move forward with this [legal action]," she added.

Steffans told "Fox & Friends First" co-host Todd Piro her initial design was a picture of Salvation Mountain, a brightly-colored art installation located in the California desert, featuring murals, Bible verses and other Christian symbols.

A drawing of her proposed design also included a heart which encased a reference to John 14:6: "God is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes through the Father except through me."

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New York high school senior Sabrina Steffans' drawing of California's Salvation Mountain. The mountain, full of religious imagery, was the subject of her initial parking space design proposal. (Courtesy: Sabrina Steffans)

"They [the school] denied that completely," Steffans shared. 

"And then there was a second design that just had a Bible verse on it with the Bible verse reference that they turned down as well. They didn't turn down the last one when it finally didn't have any religious symbols or religious references at all."

First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Keisha Russell told Fox News that the "separation of church and state" argument raised by critics "fails" because "the Constitution doubly protects religious speech under the free speech clause and the free exercise clause."

"The Supreme Court reiterated that truth back in the Kennedy v. Bremerton case a couple of years ago, and that was a football coach who was fired for praying on the football field," she said.

"We have a lot of work to do in our public schools right now. We're so grateful for this win for Sabrina, but there's a lot of work to be done."

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