An “After School Satan Club” is set to start at a Tennessee elementary school, to the dismay of district leaders who acknowledge they lack legal options to stop the controversial program.
Already active in a handful of states, the program organized by The Satanic Temple is scheduled to begin at Chimneyrock Elementary School when students return from vacation.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Toni Williams criticized the incoming program but said there’s not much she can do to stop it.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools Interim Superintendent Toni Williams addressed the new after-school program and said she does not support it. WKRN
“I want to assure you that I do not endorse, I do not support the beliefs of this organization that are at the center of the recent headlines,” Williams said during a press conference broadcast on WREG. “However, I support the law. “As superintendent, I have a duty to uphold our board policy, state laws, and the Constitution.”
The after-school program was planned after parents expressed interest, campaign manager June Everett told the station. It would be held in the library, but is not sponsored by the school district.
Attendance is optional at the after-school club that will offer science projects, community service, puzzles and nature activities.
The Satanic After School Club will begin at Chimneyrock Elementary School when students return from vacation. The satanic temple
“The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion that views Satan as a literary figure representing a metaphorical construct that rejects tyranny and defends the human mind and spirit,” the group states, adding that the club does not attempt to convert children to any religion. ideology.
The program is in a handful of states.
School board member Mauricio Calvo said school officials would explore possible options to “mitigate the situation” before the club’s Jan. 10, 2024 start date.
The After School Satan Club was planned after parents expressed interest, campaign manager June Everett told the station. Iron
He promised that if the program moves forward, he and other school officials will “make sure every child is protected every day.”
Calvo noted that the school is in an “awkward” position, citing the law that does not allow the district to choose which programs are welcome.
School board President Althea Greene, who is a pastor, gave a more scathing assessment of the Satanic Temple.
“Satan has no place in this district,” he exclaimed.
The Rev. Bill Adkins said he wants a solution to be found to combat the program’s arrival.
“We can’t allow them to have time with our children,” he said. “And that’s the bottom line.”
Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) officials took a public stance Wednesday on the new after-school program. WKRN
The district is required to have the Satanic Temple program inside the school because it allows other nonprofit entities to use school property after hours.
“Satanic temple members are not theistic Satanists, so they don’t believe in a true Satan,” Everett, the campaign manager, told WREG.
“We can take Satan and see him as this creature and this character however we want,” he also said. “We do not have to believe that Satan is an evil deity. “We can see Satan however we want and that is exactly what we do.”
Last month, the Saucon Valley school district in Pennsylvania agreed to pay $200,000 in legal fees to the Satanic Temple and allow students to attend its after-school program on school grounds following a lawsuit.
The nonprofit says it offers activities that “emphasize a scientific, rationalist, and non-superstitious worldview.”
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn