What to Know
- A 2001 Supreme Court ruling allowed an evangelical Christian group, the Good News Club, to use school buildings after hours.
- Lebanon Elementary School hosts regular weekly meetings of the Good News Club.
- An organizer for the Satan Club says kids who attend will be doing activities that focus on science and rationalization while building empathy and tolerance for all creatures.
There are concerns over a new after-school club in Lebanon, Connecticut. The "Satan Club" is set to meet at Lebanon Elementary School starting next month and that's gotten the attention of parents. Organizers say it's not what you think.
“There’s just a lot of people that just don’t want to hear what we’re about. They don’t want to hear what we believe," June Everett said.
Everett is the campaign director for the after-school program of the satanic temple. She said they view Satan as a literary figure.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
“We look at Satan as a symbol of being the ultimate rebel and standing up against tyrannical authority,” she said.
Everett said the club was requested by a parent and got district approval this week to operate. But, it doesn’t involve any religion.
“We do not teach about Satan. We do not teach them songs to sing to their friends. There’s no proselytizing that takes place at all with our club,” she said.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
Everett said instead, kids will be doing activities that focus on science and rationalization while building empathy and tolerance for all creatures, and she wants to push back on misconceptions.
“We do not worship the devil. We’re not sacrificing goats or babies. We are simply having equal access to the space that we have a right to,” she said.
A right that was given thanks to a 2001 Supreme Court ruling (Good News Club v. Milford Central School) that allowed an evangelical Christian group, the Good News Club, to use school buildings after hours.
Lebanon Elementary School has a Good News Club meeting every week at school.
"We do not believe any religious organization should be operating out of our public schools but if they have the right to be there, then we would like to be there as well for our members and our families," Everett said.
In a statement, Lebanon Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Gonzales said:
“The Lebanon Public Schools (LPS) allows outside organizations to use LPS facilities, in accordance with Board Policy 1007. As such, LPS must allow community organizations to access school facilities, without regard to the religious, political or philosophical ideas they express, as long as such organizations comply with the viewpoint-neutral criteria set forth in the policy. Not everyone will agree with, or attend meetings of, every group that is approved to use school facilities. However, prohibiting particular organizations from accessing our school buildings based on the perspectives they offer or express could violate our obligations under the First Amendment and other applicable law and would not align with our commitment to non-discrimination, equal protection and respect for diverse viewpoints.”
People in town have mixed feelings.
“This is a free country. We’re supposed to have freedom of religion or no religion so I can understand both sides of the story,” said Dori Dougal, who lives in Lebanon.
The After School Satan Club is set to begin next month. The temple said five students have signed up to join so far.
