A school district in Lehigh County is being sued in federal court over allegedly unconstitutional restrictions placed on a proposed student anti-abortion club.

The Chicago-based Thomas More Society sued Parkland School District, the high school and three administrators in support of Class of 2017 graduate Elizabeth Castro and rising senior Grace Schairer's push to start a Trojans for Life club, named for the school's mascot.

Castro and Schairer first tried forming the club in September and thought they met the school's requirements with their proposal submitted in March, the suit states. Instead, Assistant Principal Jude Sandt denied the application, calling the club too "political" and "controversial."

The students' goal with the club is "to educate their fellow students on the issue of abortion and to offer hope and resources to help in the cases of crisis pregnancies," the suit states; it would join existing Parkland High School clubs like the Gay Straight Alliance and political science club.

Thomas More Society -- a nonprofit law firm described as "dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family and religious liberty" -- sent Parkland school officials a letter May 17 demanding that Trojans for Life be approved as a student club.

The following day, counsel for the school district responded by phone with conditions the club would need to meet for approval. The offer, according to the suit, meant Castro and Schairer "giving up certain rights enjoyed by other clubs."

"Parkland's initial denial and later attempt to impose extra requirements on Liz and Grace's club are a far cry from the law's requirement that schools treat student clubs equally in every respect," Jocelyn Floyd, special counsel for Thomas More Society, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

"We hope that the court will quickly recognize the illegal and unconstitutional way the school has treated Liz and Grace and require Parkland High School to uphold their rights under both the First Amendment and Equal Access Act," Floyd continued.

Named in the suit along with Sandt, the district and high school are Parkland schools Superintendent Richard Sniscak and high school Principal James Moniz II.

C. Steven Miller, school district solicitor, said he was surprised by the suit, because he thought the May 18 phone conversation was a step in the discussion over the new club. The conditions placed on the club, he said, were "in accordance and consistent with all of our other clubs."

"We weren't necessarily saying, 'This is how it has to be,'" Miller said Tuesday. "We were saying, 'This is how we see it but get back to us and let us know,' and they chose not to get back to us until today."

According to the suit, the district required Castro and Schairer to amend their club proposal by:

rewriting their mission statement.

giving up the right to fundraise for religious entities.

abandoning certain proposed off-site activities, including conducting a "memorial service" outside an abortion clinic, citing concerns over potential dangers.

rewriting the club proposal and constitution "to restrict their activities, including their communications, to members of the club only, rather than their 'peers' at the school."

agreeing to seek school approval for some proposed activities, such as "volunteering at pregnancy resource centers."

The suit seeks declaratory relief from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, damages, costs and attorneys' fees for alleged violations under the federal Equal Access Act and First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

"The school is treating us like second-class citizens because we want to create a culture of life and be a positive influence to our peers," Schairer, the Class of 2018 student, said in a statement Tuesday. "We want to educate our fellow students about abortion and at the same time be a visible resource for our peers facing unplanned pregnancies.

"The school has made it clear that it will not allow us to have this type of club, so we decided to file the lawsuit. We are hoping for a quick resolution so Trojans for Life can hit the ground running at the start of the fall semester, along with all the other clubs at Parkland High School."

Miller, counsel for the school district, said he didn't want to litigate specific allegations in the press.

"I can tell you that generally what we want to do is avoid any potential for disruption of the educational process, and we also want to protect the safety, health and welfare of the student members as well as all students that are at the school," he said. "And some of the things that they had proposed caused us some concern about those two things, some serious concerns about those two things.

"And I think that's what was driving us from our end, not that we were opposed to the club, not that we were opposed to their viewpoint. I mean that, we wholeheartedly believe that students have a First Amendment right. We're not saying they don't.

"But all rights have limitations," Miller continued, "and one of the limitations is that if their activities are potentially going to cause a material disruption of the educational process or environment or cause harm or a safety issue to them or others, at that point the First Amendment rights can be curtailed or limited, not eliminated, but checked."

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.