Denver ? The parents of an elementary school student who was told not to distribute invitations asking classmates to join a Bible club sued the school district in federal court Wednesday, claiming their right to religious freedom had been violated.

The lawsuit says the Gilpin County RE-1 School District violated constitutional rights protecting free speech and religion. Robert and Patricia Unruh say the school barred their daughter from distributing the invitations based solely on their religious content.

The suit said Gilpin Elementary School Principal Deb Benitez told the Unruhs she had received several complaints from parents and that the invitations had caused a disturbance.

Reached Wednesday, Benitez said she could not comment on the lawsuit.

Supt. Ken Ladouceur, who like Benitez is named in the lawsuit, said he had not seen the suit and did not know details about the case. But he said principals were authorized to make decisions to avoid disturbances in their schools.

“The principal’s responsible for the peaceful environment of the school, so yes, it is the principal’s call,” Ladouceur said.

The lawsuit also accuses the school of discriminating against Patricia Unruh by repeatedly denying her requests to advertise a summer Bible camp that is separate from the club. Patricia Unruh asked to distribute fliers for students to take home to their parents.

Other groups, such as the Girl Scouts and Little League, are allowed to advertise in such a way, the suit says.

The superintendent said that while he didn’t know details of this specific case, district policy would allow fliers for an extracurricular Bible school to be distributed along with material about other activities.

“The policy was crafted to ensure all groups are treated the same way, religious or otherwise,” he said.

The suit seeks unspecified damages and asks a federal judge to force the school to reverse its decisions concerning Patricia Unruh and her fifth-grade daughter. The girl’s father is a newsman for The Associated Press in Denver.