A religious group which was denied equal access to the use of facilities at Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) has won a federal lawsuit that requires the school to ensure religious groups are not discriminated against in the future.
The three-year lawsuit is a major victory for equal access according to a prepared statement by Liberty Counsel, which represented Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF).
In its consent order a Ohio district federal court ruled the CMSD violated the religious group’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by denying it use of facilities for programs on the same fee basis as other organizations.
The lawsuit was filed after CEF sought equal access to the school district’s facilities for its after school Christian charter education class. The school district charged CEF fees, which the organization could not pay, forcing it to shut down its after-school club.
Other non-religious groups, such as the Boy Scouts, were provided free access to the school’s facilities.
CMSD must now change its policies to ensure religious and nonreligious groups alike are given the same access to facilities.
“Equal access mean equal access. Public schools cannot discriminate against Christian viewpoints,” said Horatio Mihet, vice president of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation at Liberty Counsel. “It is a shame that CMSD wasted three years in litigation to learn a basic civics and constitutional lesson. We are elated with this victory for CEF, for equal access, and for our Constitution.”