A Lewis-Palmer High School student who was told she must apologize for mentioning Jesus in a valedictorian speech or not receive a diploma is appealing a federal court decision rejecting her request for an injunction against the school.
Erica Corder has filed an appeal with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals after a Denver district court judge dismissed her suit earlier this year.
Corder is seeking a declaration that the school violated her First Amendment rights and an injunction against the school preventing similar acts, said Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, which filed a federal suit against the school district in 2007.
A judge summarily dismissed her suit, finding that the district can limit what students say in a school setting, said Robin Adair, spokeswoman for the Lewis-Palmer School District.
“School sponsored speech has restrictions,” Adair said. “That’s what the judge upheld when he dismissed the suit.”
