Current:Home > MyParents in a Connecticut town worry as "After School Satan Club" plans meeting -Ascend Wealth Education
Parents in a Connecticut town worry as "After School Satan Club" plans meeting
View
Date:2025-04-16 08:57:19
Controversy is stirring across a small Connecticut town as prospect of a “After School Satan Club” looms.
The Satanic Temple, a Salem, Massachusetts based group announced that it will launch the club at Lebanon Elementary School in Lebanon, Connecticut on Dec. 1. The club is unaffiliated with the town and school district.
Despite the name, the group said they don't worship the devil. It touts that the club is non-theistic religion "that views Satan as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit."
The group said their goal isn't to convert kids to any religion but "encourage them to think for themselves."
Members of the club will participate in science projects, community service projects, puzzles, games, nature activities, and arts and crafts.
More:A US TikTok ban is gaining support in Congress. Why some say that would hurt free speech.
WFSB reported that parents in the community have expressed concern.
"They're trying to use events like this to recruit kids at a young age and steer them away from religion," Amy Bourdan, told WFSB.
Bourdan, who runs Parent’s Choice, an advocacy group that promotes religious freedom told WTNH that she's concerned that the Satanic Temple is operating like a religious group.
“I think it’s deceptive,” she said. “I liken it to the Camel cigarettes used to entice the youth and children.”
According to WFSB, the group decided to host meetings in the small town because it already hosts an after school Good News Christian club.
"We're not changing the politics here. This is something people should have recognized from the start," Lucien Greaves, a co-founder of the Satanic Temple told WFSB.
Others in town said the issue boiled down to freedom of speech, and were okay with the club hosting meetings.
“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 told NBC Connecticut.
Lebanon Public Schools did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment but in a statement to WFSB, Superintendent Andrew Gonzalez said prohibiting the group could violate the district's "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.”
More:Donald Trump is using a First Amendment defense in his 2020 election case. Experts say it won't work.
After School Satan Club causes controversies in communities across US
This isn't the first city the "After School Satan Club" has set up shop.
The club hosted their first meeting at a Virginia school this February despite push back from some community members.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia said the club faced "unconstitutional challenges" before being allowed to host their meeting at B.M. Williams Primary School in Chesapeake, Virginia. The ACLU said that while the Christian Good News Club was able to meet immediately after school and did not face a "security fee," The Satanic Temple was initially asked to pay a security fee over safety concerns from protestors. Additionally, the school system asked the group to meet at 6 p.m. and not immediately after school.
The ACLU hailed the meeting a win for "free speech" at the time.
In May, a federal judge ruled that a Pennsylvania school district must allow the club to meet, Insider reported. The ruling came after the ACLU filed a lawsuit in March on behalf of the Satanic Temple, after the Saucon Valley School District barred the group from hosting their first meeting.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Politicians ask Taylor Swift to postpone 6 LA concerts amid strikes: 'Stand with hotel workers'
- Gigi Hadid shares rare pictures of daughter Khai on summer outings: 'Best of summer'
- The US government’s debt has been downgraded. Here’s what to know
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Kentucky governor says backlash against departing education chief makes it harder to find successor
- U.S. Women’s World Cup tie with Portugal draws overnight audience of 1.35 million on Fox
- As hip-hop turns 50, Tiny Desk rolls out the hits
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Woman Breaks Free From Alleged Oregon Kidnapper’s Cinder Block Cell With Bloody Hands
Ranking
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Politicians ask Taylor Swift to postpone 6 LA concerts amid strikes: 'Stand with hotel workers'
- Trump is due to face a judge in DC over charges he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election
- Lindsay Lohan shares post-baby body selfie: 'I'm not a regular mom, I'm a postpartum mom'
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- In latest TikTok fad, creators make big bucks off NPC streaming
- Mike Breen: ESPN laying off co-commentators Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson 'was a surprise'
- Museum in New York state returns remains of 19 Native Americans to Oneida Indian Nation
Recommendation
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Saguaro cacti, fruit trees and other plants are also stressed by Phoenix’s extended extreme heat
Man linked to 1984 kidnapping and rape by DNA testing sentenced to 25 years
How much money do you need to retire? Americans have a magic number — and it's big.
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Exclusive: Survey says movie and TV fans side with striking actors and writers
Miko Air Purifiers: Why People Everywhere Are Shopping For This Home Essential
GM recalls some 2013-model vehicles due to Takata-made air bag inflator malfunction