Omaha, NE - In response to a demand letter from Liberty Counsel, the Millard School District has agreed to allow Child Evangelism Fellowship of Omaha (CEF) to use school facilities to hold Good News Clubs on the same basis as secular clubs that meet in the schools. Liberty Counsel wrote a letter to the district advising the board that the First Amendment requires equal access to school facilities for religiously based, nonprofit youth groups such as Good News Clubs. Equal access means that religious groups are given access on the same terms and conditions as secular groups.

In August, the district informed Jackie Weiss, director of CEF of Omaha, that CEF would start being charged to use local school facilities to hold Good News Clubs. CEF had been using school facilities without charge in past years, just like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and similar groups, until the district decided that CEF would not be entitled to the free use provided to other non-profit groups serving children because CEF was religious.

Good News Club meetings are designed for elementary-age students. Children attend the after-school clubs with consent of their parents for one hour per week to learn moral values, character qualities, and respect for authority from a biblical perspective.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "The Courts have spoken loudly and clearly about equal access. School districts may not charge discriminatory fees to Good News Clubs for using school facilities just because they have a religious affiliation. Equal access under the First Amendment means equal treatment across the board."