An “After School Satan Club” is coming soon to a Memphis, Tennessee, elementary school after the school district allowed the Satanic Temple to use its facilities to “uphold the principles of the First Amendment.”
The Satanic Temple, a non-theistic religious organization based out of Massachusetts, is planning to launch the club on January 10, 2024, at Chimneyrock Elementary School, reports WVLT.
The flier states that the group views “Satan” as a “metaphorical construct” and claims not to convert children but to tell them to “think for themselves.”
“All After School Satan Clubs are based on activities centered around the Seven Fundamental Tenets [of the Satanic Temple] and emphasize a scientific, rationalist, non-superstitious worldview,” the advertisement states.
The tenets, which are listed on the group’s website, include acting with “compassion and empathy toward all creatures,” pursuing “justice” over “laws and institutions,” bodily autonomy, freedom, belief in science, and rectifying mistakes.
The after-school club will host activities like science projects, arts and crafts, nature excursions, and game events. It will be the first program of its kind in the state of Tennessee.
Some parents have spoken out against the club to Action 5 News.
“I think it’s B.S.,” said Courtney Dennis, mother of a student. “I think it needs to be held somewhere else and not a school.”
“I’m about to come unglued right now,” grandparent Jenny Kincaid told the outlet. “I cannot believe – this is a kindergarten through fifth-grade school, and they’re letting a satanic club come in here?”
Another local grandmother, Tonya Vester, said, “We should have had some earlier notification. A chance to say, maybe this is not something the parents here would like.”
Chimneyrock Elementary School also has a Christian club, and Memphis-Shelby County Schools says the Satanic Temple has every legal right to use the facility after hours.
“We don’t go to a school unless there is another religious club operating,” said June Everett, the national campaign director for After School Satan Club.
While the Satanic Temple’s flier explicitly states that the event is neither endorsed nor sponsored by Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the district still addressed the controversial announcement in a letter to parents:
Dear Chimneyrock Family,
We understand that some of you have questions regarding the recent approval of a facility rental to The Satanic Temple, a federally recognized non-profit organization.
As a public school district, we’re committed to upholding the principles of the First Amendment, which guarantees equal access to all non-profit organizations seeking to use our facilities after school hours. This means we cannot approve or deny an organization’s request based solely on its viewpoints or beliefs.
Board Policy 7002 outlines this commitment, allowing community groups and government entities to rent school property outside of school hours. These gatherings are not school-sponsored and are not endorsed or promoted by Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
The Satanic Temple, recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) public charity, falls under this policy and has the same legal rights to use our facilities after school hours as any other non-profit organization. It will be renting the facility in January, after school. You may read more about the organization in an online news story from the Washington Post.
We understand that this topic may raise questions. Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership.
Everett claimed that Chimneyrock parents reached out to the satanic group to have it bring the club to the school and defended the right to do so by citing the 2001 Supreme Court ruling that decided the Good News Club, a “Bible club” sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship, had the right to be in public schools.
The After School Satan Club director also clarified that it is a separate organization from the Church of Satan, a smaller satanist organization that, unlike the Satanic Temple, is not officially recognized as a tax-exempt church.
“I like to believe that people that don’t agree with us and don’t believe we should be allowed equal access into the same schools that these other clubs are renting, that this is a reminder of what a great a free country that we live in,” said Everett. “It’s the First Amendment at work.”
Students will need a parent-signed permission slip to participate.
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