LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - An Arkansas family says their son was denied admission into Little Rock Christian Academy because they are Mormon.

The private school is allowed to deny admission on the basis of religion because it does not accept federal funding. But the family of 4-year-old Samuel Duncan says they were caught off guard by the decision.

The decision was first reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Samuel's father, Braden, tells the newspaper (http://is.gd/IERjqz) that he views the decision as "fundamentally un-Christian."

School officials say it's always been their practice to exclude Mormons, but the ban wasn't always enforced. School director Gary Arnold says the Mormon faith doesn't align with the school's beliefs.

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