A California school district is being accused by a Christian religious rights law firm of unlawfully prohibiting a ministry from using the district’s public facilities to hold its after-school Good News Clubs.
The Maitland, Florida-based Liberty Counsel said Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, and the school board are discriminating against Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) NorCal East Bay by denying its elementary school Good News Clubs from using to its facilities on an equal basis with other similar non-religious organizations.
Since January 2023, CEF NorCal East Bay has requested to use public facilities to resume holding its after-school clubs on four elementary school campuses. But OUSD has violated state and federal laws by denying those requests, the nonprofit law firm said, noting the district has failed to respond to its second demand letter dated Dec. 8, 2023.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “The Oakland Unified School District must give the Good News Clubs equal treatment as the similarly situated non-religious groups on public school campuses. Equal access means equal treatment in terms of use of the facilities, including fee waivers, time of meetings, and announcements.”
The school district previously allowed CEF NorCal East Bay to
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