(AgapePress) - A California school that has served its community for the past year has finally won the right to expand, despite stiff opposition from a handful of homeowners who attempted to block the school's plans.

Recently, Creekside Christian School in Orange asked city officials for permission to increase the size of its student body from 75 to 150. The school's quality and positive learning environment had attracted the interest of many parents in the community. Studies conducted by city officials showed the expansion would have little impact on the surrounding neighborhood, especially since private schools had used the location for many years and there was already a much larger public school next door to the Christian school.

However, a group of homeowners objected and mounted vigorous opposition to Creekside's proposal to expand. The school and city planners tried to work with the neighbors to resolve their concerns, but it became clear that the objecting homeowners simply did not want the school to have full use of the property.

Creekside Christian School's attorney contacted the Pacific Justice Institute for help. PJI president Brad Dacus says the legal organization was prepared to take legal action on the school's behalf and contacted the Orange City Council, urging that it allow the Christian school to grow and flourish rather than "listen to the discriminatory cries of a hatred against those with a Christian message."

Brad Dacus

Dacus insists that it is both illogical and illegal to discriminate against Christian schools like Creekside since they fulfill the vital role of educating and instilling religious values in the next generation. "We went ahead and sent a legal demand letter to the planning commission of the City Council to make it clear that this school is protected to be able to expand under the Religious Land Use Act," he explains. "Upon reading that, [the Council members] decided to agree with the law and agree with true tolerance."

After PJI threatened a lawsuit, the school received the requested permission to expand. Dacus points out that it is important for churches, Christian schools, and other faith-based organizations to know their rights under the law. "They have protection under this new federal statute that's relatively new -- the RLUIPA statute," he says.

Under that law, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, Christian schools and similar religious institutions "have actual federal civil rights protection to be able to expand their facilities," the PJI president states; but unfortunately, he add, "many of them don't know it."

If local communities are successful in stifling Christian schools growth, Dacus warns, then such communities are "going to continue to be a tremendous burden on these outreaches." Unless Christian schools know their rights under RLUIPA and fight for them, the attorney asserts, then opponents like those in Orange will succeed in hindering Christian schools' efforts "to help in the instruction of children who want something better than what public schools are offering."