Gadsden, AL - The Gadsden City School District has reached a settlement agreement in a case filed by Liberty Counsel on behalf of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Alabama (CEF) and its director, Ed Solomon. The district has agreed to allow CEF to hold its Good News Club meetings in the district and pay attorney's fees for its unconstitutional actions. Good News Clubs are a free, nationwide, after-school program for elementary school children.

Liberty Counsel filed a federal lawsuit on August 2 against the district, after Superintendent Rob Russell refused to respond to requests for use of school facilities for Good News Clubs. The district allowed various secular groups, including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Junior Achievement, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Cub Scouts, to meet in school facilities. Liberty Counsel even sent two demand letters on behalf of CEF to Superintendent Russell and the school board members, but there was no response until the lawsuit was filed.

Liberty Counsel has been successful in helping CEF fight discrimination against Good News Clubs in many states. Most situations are solved without litigation, but Liberty Counsel does not hesitate to sue when school officials are unwilling to abide by the Constitution. Liberty Counsel is currently preparing lawsuits against other school districts which have refused to allow CEF equal access.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "Schools should embrace programs like Good News Clubs that teach children interpersonal skills, moral values, good citizenship and patriotism. Children who attend Good News Clubs are more respectful to their teachers, their peers and their parents. School administrators have nothing to lose and much to gain by allowing equal access to Child Evangelism Fellowship's after-school Good News Clubs."