Reuters 
 
 The American Center for Law and Justice is suing a Maryland community college after a student was denied admittance into a program because he said God is the most important thing in his life. 
 
 Brandon Jenkins, a prospective student in the radiation therapy program at the Community College of Baltimore County, exceeded the minimum requirements for entry into the program, but after completing his exam and interview process, he received a notice informing him that he was not selected for the fall 2013 term. 
 
 When Jenkins followed up with members of the CCBC staff to find out why he was not being admitted into the program because he wanted to reapply the next term, he was told that among the reasons why he was not selected is because his chosen field is "not the place for religion." 
 
 During his interview process with a five-person panel, Jenkins was asked: "What is the most important thing to you?" And he replied, "My God." 
 
 But according to ACLJ, a Washington, D.C.â€“based organization that focuses on defending constitutional and human rights laws worldwide, this was the only time Jenkins commented on his belief in God. The ACLJ also noted that he only did so because he was responding to a question asked by one of the CCBC representatives. 
 
 A federal lawsuit was filed Monday on Jenkins' behalf by the ACLJ, which is asking that Jenkins be granted admission into the program, and that he be awarded damages related to the delay in his admission. 
 
 After Jenkins requested feedback from the CCBC about his being denied admittance into the program, Adrienne Dougherty, director and coordinator of radiation therapy, told Jenkins: "I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion." 
 
 She continued, "We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing at all. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process." 
 
 ACLJ Senior Counsel David French told The Christian Post Wednesday that Dougherty's statement to Jenkins is not only "flatly illegal, but also bigoted." He also noted that the "college's own lawyer said that he (Jenkins) shouldn't wear his faith on his sleeve." 
 
 "Under what circumstance would answering that God is the most important thing in his life mean that he would be unable to treat people from other religions or from no religion?" French asked. "That was an assumption on the college's part and had no basis on anything Jenkins said at any point during the interview process." 
 
 French told CP that in all the years he's been litigating religious liberty cases, he's never seen one like Jenkins,' where the university specified an applicant's religion as being one of the reasons for denying admission. 
 
 "I've been working on cases involving religious liberty on campus for a long time, and I can honestly say, I've never seen it as blatant in the admissions process as you have here," he said. 
 
 "The problem is that you have a guy who is qualified in all areas, and in the rejection letter, they single out his faith as a reason for his rejection. That's just flatly unlawful," French asserted. "It's every bit as unlawful as singling out his race, or singling out his gender. To single out his religion is just as unlawful, and it violates the Constitution." 
 
 French described Jenkins as a "high-character individual," and noted that before he applied to the radiation therapy program, he was helping to run a halfway house, which is work that he continues to do today. 
 
 "He's a model citizen," he added. "He's exactly the kind of student that community colleges exist to serve. Someone who's a productive member of society who wants to broaden their career skills." 
 
 French also emphasized his belief that the question posed to Jenkins â€“ "What is most important in your life" â€“ is not an academic question. "It's not related to the radiation therapy program. They asked a question that went far beyond the bounds of the academic program itself, and they got an honest answer, from a Christian, about what's most important to him; and then they discriminated against him on that basis. It's absurd." 
 
 In the lawsuit that was filed in federal court earlier this week, the ACLJ is asking for an injunction against the university, for Jenkins to be admitted into the program, and for him to be paid damages for the unplanned expenses he incurred because he thought he was going to be a full-time student, but instead had to restart his business after learning his was denied admittance into the physical therapy program. 
 
 French told CP that ACLJ sent a letter to the CCBC in an attempt to avoid a lawsuit, but instead, they "doubled down" on Jenkins' Christianity being a disqualifier for admittance into the program. 
 
 "We didn't want to sue the college. We wanted the college to do the right thing and consider his application without reference to his faith. Not only did they reaffirm their decision to not admit him, but they doubled down on discussing his faith," he said. 
 
 The other reasons Dougherty provided to Jenkins for denying his admission into the program included his 3.2 GPA being lower than other applicants; his statement that he preferred to work in Maryland as a radiation therapist instead of relocating to a different state; and one criminal charge on his record from 10 years ago, which they said could make it difficult for him to find employment. ||||| Brandon Jenkins is suing the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) because he was allegedly not accepted into a program based on his religious views. 
 
 Jenkins had applied to the school's radiation therapy program for the Fall 2013 term. When he was interviewed at CCBC, Jenkins was asked: "What is the most important thing to you?" He answered, "My God." 
 
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 The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is representing Jenkins, says the interview was the only time Jenkins mentioned God. 
 
 According to the ACLJ, Jenkins was later told by Adrienne Dougherty, director and coordinator of the radiation therapy program, "I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion." 
 
 "We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing at all. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process," Dougherty reportedly said. 
 
 
 
 The ACLJ filed a lawsuit last Monday on behalf of Jenkins. The lawsuit is asking for Jenkins to be admitted into the program at CCBC and awarded damages. 
 
 "The problem is that you have a guy who is qualified in all areas, and in the rejection letter, they single out his faith as a reason for his rejection. That's just flatly unlawful," ACLJ Senior Counsel David French told The Christian Post. "It's every bit as unlawful as singling out his race, or singling out his gender. To single out his religion is just as unlawful, and it violates the Constitution." 
 
 
 
 The ACLJ claims that Dougherty also told Jenkins that his 3.2 GPA was lower than other potential students and that a 10-year-old criminal charge on Jenkins's record could make it difficult to find a job in this field. 
 
 Sources: The Christian Post and ACLJ ||||| Community college applicant alleges he was rejected because of religious beliefs 
 
 Lawsuit says Community College of Baltimore County official told him to leave beliefs out of interview 
 
 Shortly afterward, he was denied admission into the radiation therapy program, and he asked the program coordinator for an explanation in an email. 
 
 Brandon Jenkins, who is being represented by the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice, said in the lawsuit that when asked what was most important to him during an interview with CCBC officials as part of the application process last spring, he responded: "My God." 
 
 A prospective student at the Community College of Baltimore County sued school officials in federal court this week, contending that he was denied admission to an academic program based on an expression of his religious beliefs. 
 
 The program director, in an email included in the lawsuit's exhibits, wrote that other applicants had higher grade-point averages and that there were "other reasons" why he did not make it in. 
 
 "I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion," wrote program director Adrienne Dougherty. "We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process." 
 
 CCBC spokeswoman Hope Davis declined to comment on the pending litigation but said the college is committed to diversity. 
 
 "We have so many people from so many different backgrounds and so many different cultures," she said. "Just to think that we would discriminate based on religion ... it's just not something that we do." 
 
 A response from CCBC's attorney Peter S. Saucier, also included in the exhibits, said the school seeks applicants "motivated by an individual passion in the field" and that Jenkins' statement that he was pursuing the program at the behest of God or others "was not a good answer." 
 
 In the letter, CCBC's lawyer also pointed out that Jenkins has a criminal record that includes drug and theft charges. The lawyer said CCBC officials told Jenkins that he would have difficulty finding a job in Maryland because of his background. He had said during his interview that he wanted to stay in Maryland. 
 
 Davis said the two-year radiation therapy program is small, with about two dozen students. 
 
 The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Maryland because it claims a First Amendment violation, seeks unspecified damages and an injunction requiring that he be admitted into the program. 
 
 cwells@baltsun.com 
 
 twitter.com/cwellssun ||||| SOMERSWORTH, N.H. (AP) — A high school senior says the private Christian school in New Hampshire that he attended since kindergarten told him he was no longer welcome because of his gender identity and suggested he get counseling. 
 
 Stiles Zuschlag, of Lebanon, Maine, told Seacoast Media Group (http://bit.ly/2xPYU2b ) he had excelled academically and in sports and had many friends at Tri-City Christian Academy in Somersworth when he made it known in 2015 that he was transgender. 
 
 He was on track to be valedictorian at the school this year, he said, before he and his mother met with the school administrator in August to talk about Zuschlag's transition from female to male. 
 
 Zuschlag said the administrator, Paul Edgar, told him that he was no longer welcome at the school, that he was "going down the wrong path" and he should confess his sins and stop testosterone treatments. The teenager said he was told that he could not return to the school campus but could consider options, such as homeschooling and Christian counseling. 
 
 He decided then to transfer to Noble High School in North Berwick, Maine, where he said he now feels accepted. 
 
 He was nominated for "Prince of Homecoming" at his new school. And while he misses his old school, he is hopeful he can be who he is at Noble. 
 
 "It's a big loss, I mean they lost a big student," he said. But "I'll just bring my excellence here then. I'll just excel here." 
 
 Edgar declined to speak about the former student, citing privacy issues. 
 
 "To protect the privacy of our families, TCCA admissions decisions and any reasons for these various decisions, are not considered matters for public disclosure," Edgar said. 
 
 Lori Kincaid, a spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Department of Education, said Tri-City Christian Academy doesn't receive federal funds through the state office. 
 
 New Hampshire education attorney Andru Volinsky told Seacoast religious schools can legally ask a student to leave regardless of whether the school receives federal funding.
– A prospective student at a community college in Baltimore says his outspoken religious beliefs ruined his application—so he's suing the school and its president, Opposing Views reports. Brandon Jenkins interviewed for the Community College of Baltimore County's radiation therapy program, and was asked, "What is the most important thing to you?" His answer: "My God." According to his lawsuit, filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, the program's director later told him that his answer didn't help his application. "This field is not the place for religion," she allegedly said, and advised him against emphasizing religion in future applications because school patients come from various faiths or "believe in nothing at all." A senior counsel at ACLJ tells the Christian Post that Jenkins' rejection is "every bit as unlawful as singling out his race, or singling out his gender," but a school spokeswoman denies the accusations, the Baltimore Sun reports. A letter from the school's attorney, included in the lawsuit, says Jenkins' comment about God "was not a good answer" because the school seeks people driven by a "passion in the field"—but adds that Jenkins has a criminal record and would have struggled to find work in Maryland.