The complaint was filed on behalf of Child Evangelism Fellowship, in particular its Hawaii chapter, that had operated more than a dozen Good News Clubs in the island state’s public schools. The COVID pandemic forced those clubs to shut down when schools closed, and now CEF and First Liberty allege school officials are refusing to allow the clubs to resume despite requests to do so that now date back to 2022.
Other student clubs, meanwhile, are open and welcoming children again without any problems.
Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver tells AFN the public school officials “have denied every request, and there are many, to get CEF back on campus."
Staver further alleges some of the schools have responded they don’t want a Christian-based club on their campus. That might not be a surprise in religion-hating Hawaii but Staver says it is illegal. A 2001 Supreme Court ruling, Good News Club v. Milford Central School, sided with the religious group in a 7-2 decision.
"This is very clear,” Staver argues. “They're violating the Constitution by specifically discriminating against the Good News Clubs, because of their religious nature, while allowing other after-school secular clubs on campus."
In light of that, Staver predicts Hawaii’s stubborn school officials will lose in court just as other public schools have done in similar lawsuits filed by Liberty Counsel on behalf of CEF.
"We tried to educate them,” he tells AFN. “We've tried multiple times to no avail."
