For two years, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) has tried to obtain permission for its Good News Clubs to meet on Providence Public School campuses after school, but Liberty Counsel attorney Daniel Schmid says the district's consistent refusal was both unfair and unconstitutional.
"The district there allows many non-religious organizations, such as the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts and Girls on the Run, to use the district facilities," he points out. "For two years, CEF attempted to obtain equal access, but they were denied at every turn."
Schmid says that, "of course," is viewpoint discrimination.
"Since 2001, the Supreme Court has said if you allow non-religious organizations to host after school programs, it is viewpoint discrimination to prohibit religious organizations such as Child Evangelism Fellowship," the attorney reports. "This is not a hard question. It's been decided for over 20 years."
So in March, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit to educate the educators on the U.S. Constitution.
Earlier this week, a federal district court approved a consent decree that prevents the school district from discriminating against CEF, declaring the Christian clubs are entitled to equal access "on the same terms" as other after school clubs.
That means the Good News Clubs are now free to hold after school Bible clubs.
