Contact: Rachel Hamel, Corporate Communications Manager, Child Evangelism Fellowship, 636-456-4321 ext 1177

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 9, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- An Indiana federal district court has granted Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) a permanent injunction against an unconstitutional policy that the School District of Pike Township used to discriminate against after-school Good News Clubs, one of the ministries of CEF for children K-5.

In violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, the District previously required CEF to pay facilities use fees for Good News Club meetings, while waiving the fees for similarly situated, non-religious groups. For nearly two school years, the District ignored numerous attempts by CEF to resolve the constitutional violations, depriving Pike Township elementary students of the Good News Club program, offered to all interested students free of charge.

Liberty Counsel, which represents CEF nationwide, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of CEF. The Court previously granted CEF a preliminary injunction, concluding that the District's policy was likely to be found unconstitutional, and requiring the District to immediately waive facility fees for CEF.

The case has now been fully resolved in favor of CEF. The Court has entered an Agreed Permanent Injunction and Judgment which permanently prohibits the District from charging CEF any facility fees in the future. The Court also ordered the District to repay CEF all the unconstitutionally charged and discriminatory facility fees and to pay Liberty Counsel the sum of $85,000 as and for reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

CEF has encouraged children ages 5-12 in learning, spiritual growth, and moral development since 1937 and is actively expanding its ministry in new areas and nations to reach "Every Child, Every Nation, Every Day."

"We are pleased that the Indiana Metropolitan School District of Pike Township's policy has been permanently blocked by the court," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Schools cannot discriminate against the religious viewpoint of Good News Clubs. This has been the clear ruling from the Supreme Court since 2001. Good News Clubs are good for children, parents, and especially good for schools," said Staver.

Child Evangelism Fellowship is an international, nonprofit, Christian ministry that has been teaching the Bible to children since 1937. CEF has 400 offices in the USA and is organized in most nations of the world, with over 3,200 paid staff and hundreds of thousands of volunteers. In its last ministry year, CEF ministered to over 20 million children in its face-to-face teaching ministries.