A high school student has filed suit against the Everett, Wash., school district, claiming that the administrators of Everett High School unfairly suspended for proselytizing to his classmates. Michael Leal has retained the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a Religious Right legal outfit, to defend his case.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Leal believes school officials subjected him to religious discrimination by forbidding him from passing out tracts and preaching during class time and at official school events. Leal received three suspensions total for his actions on the basis that his behavior disrupted school activities.

He also claims that Everett’s principal, Cathy Woods, informed him that it would be illegal for the school to permit him to express his religious views. In his complaint, he reported asking Woods, “If you allow me to hand out tracts and to talk about Jesus, then you would be breaking the law?” only to be told definitively that the answer is “yes.”

“It has been well established by court precedent that students do not leave their free speech rights at the schoolhouse door,” said attorney Conrad Reynoldson, who’s representing Leal alongside PJI. “Unfortunately certain officials at the school have a disagreement on this matter which is why it has become necessary to file this lawsuit.”

But Everett officials say there’s more to the story than PJI or Leal have been willing to admit. In a letter, the school district’s attorney, Michael Patterson, rejected Leal’s characterization of events and noted that the district has policies that cover matters like this. Patterson stated that Leal is allowed to pray and to discuss his beliefs with his classmates in a non-disruptive manner.

More: Slowly Back Away From the Microphone: Wash. Student Penalized for Disruptions, Not Preaching