CLEVELAND, OH - In a major victory for equal access, Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) has won a three-year lawsuit against the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). An Ohio federal district court has approved a Consent Order finding that CMSD violated CEF's constitutional rights, requiring CMSD to change its facility use policies, and ordering CMSD to pay $150,000 in damages and attorney's fees.
In 2013, Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of CEF, seeking equal access to CMSD's public school facilities for CEF's after-school, Christian character education Good News Clubs. CMSD was providing free after-school access to non-religious community groups, such as the Boy Scouts, but refused to treat CEF equally. Instead, CMSD imposed facility fees which CEF could not pay, resulting in the shutdown of the Good News Club.
