CNA Staff, Aug 19, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
A federal district court has ordered that a California school district must grant a Christian children’s club equal access to school facilities, arguing that the denial of that access violates the club’s free speech rights.
The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) will be required to provide “equal access to available spaces and benefits” to the group Child Evangelism Fellowship of NorCal, District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. said in an Aug. 15 ruling.
The court order found that the school district apparently engaged in “viewpoint discrimination” in violation of the U.S. Constitution when it barred the group from after-school use of campus facilities.
The district had argued that the Christian group did not meet the administrative requirements to be allowed access to school space and that allowing the group on campus could constitute a violation of the Constitution’s establishment clause, which forbids government favoring of religion.
The school district’s arguments were “remarkably short on caselaw,” Gilliam noted, while court precedent “clearly favor[s]” the Christian group’s position.
The court order said the district was forbidden from enforcing rules “in any manner that denies [the Christian group] access to OUSD facilities on an equal basis to the access provided to similarly situated nonprofit organizations.”
The evangelical organization was represented in its bid by the legal group Liberty Counsel. Group founder Mat Staver described the decision as a “great victory.”
“Child Evangelism Fellowship gives children a biblically-based education that includes moral and character development,” he said. “Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school.”
Gilliam in his order directed the school district and the Christian group to present a jointly-agreed-upon plan to implement the ruling by Sept. 16.
The judge said the court would determine “what if any additional language is needed” to ensure the ruling is carried out.
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Until my late husband and I (and our two daughters and son-in-law!) converted to Catholicism, we were all Evangelical Protestant. I loved and still love Child Evangelism Fellowship, and when I was involved with it (mainly by hosting Good News Clubs in my home), it didn’t criticize Catholicism or any other religion. It was all about introducing children to Jesus and His Love for us!
Quite a few Catholic children and other children who didn’t even attend church would come to the neighborhood Good News Club at my house to hear the Bible stories, the “real-life” stories about children and families (these are really good), to sing the fun children’s gospel music songs (CEF songs are great for kids and grownups, too!), to play games and do crafts, and to be with their friends.
I still have several of the large song boards that CEF used to teach children songs. These work so well with children who are not necessarily proficient readers and even if they are, the well-done pictures on the big song boards keep the children engaged with learning the song. I still use this technique if I am teaching children a song (I make my own poster boards), and I still use some of those song boards from CEF!
Parents were always welcome to attend Good News Club meetings, too.
When she was in first grade, my older daughter signed up to do a CEF Bible study that would be delivered to her through the mail. For several years, she worked on the lessons and mailed them in without any nagging from me (they were fun to do!)-and each month, she would receive a little gift (mainly little story books), a personal note from one of the CEF staff people, and a new lesson to do! It took her several years to finish the entire course of Bible studies, but she did finish–and received a nice book as a prize!
The CEF people truly love God and LOVE and UNDERSTAND children and how to engage them in learning about God in a way that appeals and sticks! I’m so pleased they won this misguided lawsuit!