California school allows Good News Club after threat of legal action

May 20, 2026

Hayward Unified School District in Hayward, California, has agreed to allow a Good News Club to operate as an after-school activity at Park Elementary School after being threatened with legal action over alleged unequal treatment.

The Christian Post reports that the conservative Christian legal group Liberty Counsel announced on Monday that Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) can now host an after-school club at the California elementary school.

A CEF leader first contacted the school principal on April 2, explaining the group’s difficulty in securing meeting space at the school.

After submitting a facility-use request on April 2, the principal responded to CEF, asking the group to change its requested meeting time to after 6 p.m. because “rentals are unavailable during the times that the school facilities are being utilized for school sponsored activities.”

The CEF leader took issue with that response and wrote back, “Per the civic policy act, we are permitted to be on campus directly after school alongside the other after school programs, hence our request to start at 2:30pm and end at 4pm.”

According to the Christian Post, after failing to make progress with the principal, the CEF leader contacted the district superintendent and reminded him that the group had successfully used litigation to ensure a Good News Club could meet at another school in the district three years earlier.

The superintendent replied, “We have concluded that any club activity during the afternoon prior to 6 PM would potentially interfere with our afterschool activities, which is an extended part of the school day. Further, it has the potential of creating a security issue.”

Represented by Liberty Counsel, CEF then threatened to file a complaint against the school district if officials did not approve the group’s request.

Since then, district officials have agreed to allow the Good News Club to meet at Park Elementary School.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver welcomed the decision, saying, “We commend the Hayward Unified School District for ensuring equal access for Child Evangelism [Fellowship’s] after school Good News Clubs.”

Staver added, “Good News Clubs should be in every public elementary school.”

Photo: top, Credit: iStock/monkeybusinessimages