Student Sues in Quest to Form Christian Group

A 16-year-old youth sued Saddleback Valley Unified School District officials on Tuesday alleging they violated his constitutional rights by not allowing the formation of a Christian athletes club on campus.

In the suit filed in Orange County Superior Court, attorneys for Justin Vanschoick said officials at Mission Viejo High School and the district denied the student’s request that a Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club be created and allowed to meet at school during “noninstructional time.”

District Supt. Peter A. Hartman said on Tuesday that the school turned down Vanschoick’s request because he had wanted the proposed club to meet during school hours. Hartman also said he felt the district would be vindicated in court, based on a Supreme Court ruling in 1988 in a similar lawsuit filed by students against the district.

In the 1988 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a state court ruling that prevented students at Mission Viejo and El Toro high schools from promoting or advertising religious oriented clubs on campus.

Attorneys for Vanschoick could not be reached for comment.

According to the suit, Vanschoick wanted to form a student group that would “share their experiences as youths, sing songs, study the Bible, and . . . perform various charitable acts within the community to help persons in need of financial assistance and other needs.”

By denying him the right to form the club, the lawsuit said, school officials violate Vanschoick’s constitutional rights to freedom of religion and assembly and the Equal Access Act.