After School Satan clubs must be allowed to meet on campus in a Pennsylvania school district to protect free speech, a federal judge has ruled.
The clubs, run by The Satanic Temple (TST), which use Satanic imagery to rail against religious proselytization, have sparked controversy in recent months, with meetings held for students at schools in Virginia and California.
The club’s latest green light follows parental outrage after flyers were circulated suggesting it was being held at Saucon Valley Middle School in Hellerstown.
A decision to allow it was then reversed by the district superintendent, who cited protecting the “safety and welfare” of students after “violent threats” against the school.
However, that was overruled Monday when a judge found that the district “undoubtedly” violated the First Amendment rights of the Salem, Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple.
The After School Satan Club has been given the green light by a federal judge at Saucon Valley Middle School in Hellerstown
The district argued that the club had violated permit policy, which did not state that it was not sponsored by the district.
The Satanic Temple website describes the club as a path to education without proselytizing
U.S. District Court Judge John M. Gallagher’s ruling Monday read, “While opponents of The Satanic Temple, Inc. may question the sanctity of this controversial-name organization, the sanctity of the First Amendment’s protection must prevail.”
“Although the ‘First Amendment is often inconvenient’, depending on one’s perspective or responsibility, ‘this inconvenience does not relieve the government of its obligation to tolerate speech.”
The national American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and Dechert LLP filed a lawsuit against the school district on behalf of The Satanic Temple in March.
They alleged violations of the First Amendment, allegations that Judge Gallagher found “credible.”
“In a victory for freedom of speech and religion, a federal court ruled that the Saucon Valley School District must allow the After School Satan Club to meet at district facilities,” the ACLU said.
The lawsuit came after District Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty reversed a decision on school campuses and facilities in the district to host the ASSC.
Superintendent Vlasaty argued that the club had violated district policy regarding ASSC credential, which did not state that the club was not sponsored by the district.
The decision came after a North Carolina man was accused of making “violent threats” against schools in the Saucon Valley for allowing the ASSC to continue.
A 20-year-old man named Ceu ‘Van’ Uk allegedly said in a voicemail that he would “come in and shoot everyone,” reported the Northampton Daily Voice.
Schools in the Saucon Valley were closed on February 22 amid an investigation into threats.
North Carolina man Ceu ‘Van’ Uk has been accused of ‘violently threatening’ schools in the Saucon Valley
What is the satanic temple?
Headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, the Satanic Temple claims to work to “preserve and promote secularism and individual liberties.”
Unlike similar groups, The Satanic Temple doesn’t necessarily worship the devil, instead viewing the figure as a symbol of “rejection of tyrannical authority,” according to its website.
As the leading satanic group, TST is a registered religious group recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service.
It has made headlines for a series of high-profile public campaigns, often about Christian conservatives, including issues such as the fall of Roe v Wade.
The group operates under seven “tenets” that promote acting with compassion, sanctity of the body, fighting for justice, basing beliefs on science, and acting with “compassion.”
“Our community has seen chaos. Our students, staff and teachers have endured a threat to their safety and well-being,” Superintendent Vlasaty wrote at the time.
“The severity of the feelings of instability, fear and anxiety was profound.”
The ASSC’s stated goals include providing “a safe and inclusive alternative” to evangelical religious school clubs like the Good News Club, and says it only charters clubs where religious groups already operate.
“We applaud the court for recognizing threats to the After School Satan Club and Satanic Temple’s First Amendment rights and preventing the Saucon Valley School District from continuing its brazen discrimination,” said Sara Rose of the Pennsylvania ACLU in an explanation.
“When a school district opens its facilities, it must not discriminate based on religious beliefs.”
The Satanic Temple describes itself as “a non-theistic religion that regards Satan as a literary figure representing a metaphorical construct to reject tyranny and defend the human mind and spirit”.
The ASSC claims it is not trying to convert children to any religious ideology, but “supports children to think for themselves.”
“All After School Satan Clubs are based on activities centered around the Seven Fundamental Tenets and emphasize a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview,” it says.
The latest decision comes after another After School Satan Club was allowed to meet at an elementary school in Chesapeake, Virginia, following similar controversy.
Parents protested outside BM Williams Primary School after the club was allowed to take place there
Parents protested outside BM Williams Primary School in Chesapeake, Virginia after the club was allowed to take place there
One of the ASSC’s stated goals is to offer “a safe and inclusive alternative” to evangelical religious school clubs like the Good News Club
Parents protested outside BM Williams Primary School after the club was allowed to take place there.
Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton said at the time: “Preferring one religion over another, or one organization over another, because of its mission or legitimate, unpopular activities is called content discrimination and would violate the US Constitution.
‘As noted, the ASSC is not a district-recognized club, and no district employee acts as a club sponsor.’
The first meeting took place on February 16 and was reportedly attended by nine students.
Less than a week later, the elementary school had to be evacuated after a bomb threat. Local media received an email saying the school promoted “devil worship.”