An East Aurora woman is taking the Orchard Park School District to court after her children were barred from the classroom because they don't have required vaccinations — but she says those vaccines are against her religion.

Marina Williams' daughters, ages 13 and 15, haven't been allowed in school since November 30, after the district denied a request for a religious exemption to the New York State public health law immunization requirements.

"This is her faith, this is her children's faith. It's her faith that has gone back several generations prior," said Williams' attorney, Frank Housh.

In court documents, Williams says her family belongs to the Temple of the Inner Flame, and putting foreign substances such as excessive alcohol, recreational drugs or vaccines in the body is against the faith.

"She takes as a matter of her religious faith that she and her children cannot be vaccinated,” said Housh.

Housh says the children went to school in the West Seneca District for the previous 10 years with a religious exemption from those vaccination requirements. After they moved into the Orchard Park District last October and attended school for two months, the district denied their exemption and they banned them from the school. The state board of education also denied a stay to allow the teens to attend classes.

Housh says Williams' daughters are falling behind in their studies.

"They have refused to give them any tutoring, any homework or any contact whatsoever," Housh said. "They have basically told these children, ‘You're on your own.’"

Housh argues that is religious discrimination and against education laws. He'll ask a state Supreme Court judge to either allow the religious exemption, or force the district to make an alternative education plan. He says an appeal to the state board of education could take months or years.

In court documents, their mother says district officials threatened to call Child Protective Services to have the girls pulled from her custody. Williams' attorney says she's not part of the anti-vaccination movement and this case is solely about religious beliefs.

"People are lumping my client in with that group of anti-vaxxers and attacking her for being a part of that group and endangering the larger public health. That's just simply not the case," Housh said.

Court papers indicate the girls have had blood testing to determine if they've developed natural immunities.

The Orchard Park School District responded with a statement:

"A school district has no duty more important than protecting the health, safety, and welfare of its students and staff. Ensuring that the immunization requirements under state law have been met is critical to carrying out this duty. The New York State Commissioner of Education has denied a request to allow unimmunized students living in the District to attend school while they seek an exemption to the State Public Health Law requirements. Because this matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate to comment any further."

The case is scheduled for state Supreme Court on Friday at 2 p.m.