An Illinois school district faced heat from parents after flyers sponsored by the 'Satanic Temple of the Unites States' surfaced at an elementary school. The flyers found within the Moline-Coal Valley School District advertised science projects, puzzles, games, arts and crafts, and outdoor nature activities for 1st to 5th-grade students. The flyers were distributed by 'After School Satan Club,' an extracurricular educational program sponsored by the 'Satanic Temple of the United States.'
Parents were outraged at the candor exposure of the kids to the satanic flyers, but the school district defended the program offered by an elementary school, the Jane Addams Elementary School in Moline. Moline-Coal Valley Schools Superintendent, Rachel Savage noted in a letter that the 'flyers were not distributed to all the kids,' and that 'no teachers from Jane Addams, or any other district teacher, is involved.'
The aforementioned satanic flyers circulating on social media claimed that the 'After School Satan Club' will help children in learning values like benevolence and empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, creative expression, and personal sovereignty.
A parent reached out to the 'After School Satan Club'
According to the New York Post, in her letter to the district families about the flyers and the program, Rachel Savage noted that the space rental was 'not generated by the district and is not affiliated with Jane Addams or the district.'
She further informed that the Satanic flyers were sent to the school after a district parent had reached out to the 'After School Satan Club,' and told them that the elementary school, that already offered a 'child evangelism fellowship club,' wanted to bring their program in the school as well so that the parents have a choice of different viewpoints.
'We cannot win the lawsuit'
Rachel further noted that 'to deny their organization (viewpoint) to pay to rent the publicly funded institution, after school hours, subjects the district to a discrimination lawsuit.' "We will not win [the lawsuit], likely taking thousands upon thousands of tax-payer dollars away from our teachers, staff, and classrooms," she wrote.
'We're not interested in converting children to Satanism'
The Satanic Temple explained that the said program doesn't seek to convert children into Satanism. "Proselytization is not our goal, and we're not interested in converting children to Satanism," the Temple said about the program on their website.
