“After School Devil Clubs” are slated to begin in Tennessee elementary schools — much to the chagrin of district leaders who admit they lack legal options to stop the controversial program.
Already active in a handful of states, the program hosted by The Satanic Temple is scheduled to begin at Chimneyrock Elementary School when students return from the holiday break.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Toni Williams slammed the upcoming program, but said there’s little she can do to stop it.
Memphis-Shelby School District Interim Superintendent Toni Williams spoke about the new after-school program, saying she doesn’t support it. WKRN
“I want to assure you that I do not support, I do not support the beliefs of this organization at the center of the recent headlines,” Williams said during a news conference broadcast on WREG. “I, however, support the law. As a superintendent, I am responsible for upholding board policies, state laws and our Constitution.”
The after-school program was planned after parents expressed interest, campaign director June Everett told the station. It will be held at the library, but not sponsored by the school district.
Attendance is optional at an after-school club that will offer science projects, community service, puzzles and nature activities.
The After School Devil Club will begin at Chimneyrock Elementary School when students return from the holiday break. Satanic Temple
“The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion that sees Satan as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct rejecting tyranny and fighting for the human mind and spirit,” the group claimed, adding that the club did not try to convert children to any religion. ideology.
This program is in a handful of states.
School board member Mauricio Calvo said school officials will explore possible options to “de-escalate the situation” ahead of the club’s January 10, 2024 start date.
The After School Satan Club was planned after parents expressed interest, campaign director June Everett told the station. Flat iron
He vowed that if the program continues, he and other school officials will “make sure all children are protected every day.”
Calvo noted the school is in an “uncomfortable position,” citing laws that don’t allow districts to pick and choose which programs it welcomes.
School board chair Althea Greene, who is a pastor, gave a more scathing assessment of the Satanic Temple.
“The devil has no place in this district,” he exclaimed.
Rev. Bill Adkins said he wants a solution found to combat the program’s arrival.
“We cannot allow them to have time with our children,” he said. “And that’s the bottom line.”
Officials with Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) took a public stance Wednesday on the new after-school program. WKRN
The district is required to have a Satanic Temple program in schools because it allows other non-profit entities to use school property after hours.
“Satanic temple members are not staunch Satanists, so they don’t believe in the real, actual Satan,” Everett, the campaign’s director, told WREG.
“We can take Satan and see Satan as this being and this character according to our will,” he said. “We don’t have to believe Satan as this evil god. We can see Satan as we please and that is what we do.”
Last month the Saucon Valley School District in Pennsylvania agreed to pay $200,000 in attorneys’ fees to The Satanic Temple — and allow students to attend its after-school programs on school grounds following the lawsuit.
The nonprofit says it offers activities that “emphasize a scientific, rationalistic, non-superstitious worldview.”
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
