Christian Club Sues Hawaii Department Of Education After Allegedly Being Barred From School Grounds

A Christian after-school club organization filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Hawaii Department of Education after allegedly being barred from operating a club on several elementary school campuses.

Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) of Hawaii applied in 2022 and in 2023 to become a registered club at multiple schools throughout the state but was denied approval both times, according to the complaint. The organization argues in the lawsuit that the department and the school districts are discriminating against its Good News clubs due to their religious beliefs, while allowing other non-religious clubs to operate on school grounds.

“For nearly two years, Defendants have blocked CEF from hosting its elementary school Good News Clubs in certain District facilities that are open to other, similarly situated non-religious organizations,” the lawsuit reads. “Defendants’ policies of unequal access, pretextual denials, and hostility to CEF’s religious message violate the Constitution and have denied some Hawaii elementary school students access to free, positive, and character-building Good News Clubs that enrich countless students’ lives in other Hawaii schools and throughout the country.”