Homer Brink Elementary parents were shocked when their children came home with invitations to join an After School Satan Club, operated by The Satanic Temple, an organization of secular atheists who do not believe in a literal devil.
The invitation comes in response to the Christian-affiliated Good News Club that has been operating in the school since last school year. The club will operate at the school under the invitation of a Home Brink parent who contacted them in November.
Although Maine-Endwell Central School District is not affiliated with the club, the administration and board ultimately decided to allow it rather than banning all clubs.
While the Satan Club cannot teach its specific religious tenets, ME Superintendent Jason Van Fossen says the district’s attorneys believe they cannot ban the club unless they ban all clubs.
The Satanic Temple says it only goes where it has been invited and serves people who want similar afterschool activities as Good News without the Christian affiliation.
Students in the club will participate in arts and crafts and STEM activities under the tutelage of Satanic Temple volunteers from their Albany congregation. The first meeting of the club is scheduled for March 16th, and students must have parental permission to attend.
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