Oakland School District Ordered to Provide Equal Access for Christian After-School Program
A federal judge has ruled that the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) must grant equal facility access to the Good News Clubs, a Christian after-school program offering Bible lessons and activities for children. The decision was made after the district repeatedly denied the group space on its campuses, prompting a lawsuit brought by the Child Evangelism Fellowship of NorCal (CEF). The judge found the district engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and violated CEF’s free speech rights by denying access based solely on the group’s religious identity.
The case, which was brought by the Child Evangelism Fellowship of NorCal, Inc., allegations that OUSD had denied access to four campuses over two years. Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. issued a preliminary injunction on August 15, 2025, requiring the district to grant the program equal facilities access as secular after-school groups like the Girl Scouts and Berkeley Chess School. The court highlighted that while OUSD allowed non-religious groups to use school facilities, it had consistently denied CEF access, citing reasons such as lack of space and concerns about promoting evangelism.
According to court documents, OUSD provided various reasons for rejecting CEF’s requests, including concerns over space, the district’s policy on not endorsing