Parents in the town of Mount Vernon, Washington, got a wake-up call recently when the Centennial Elementary School received notice from the Satanic Temple of Seattle that they would like to start a so-called “After School Satan Club” there. On September 22, the Skagit Valley Herald newspaper reported that an attorney for the school has suggested that the school allow it.
“I think that if the school district denied that application, you would face costly litigation that would be distracting from your mission,” said Duncan Fobes, an attorney from the Seattle firm Patterson, Buchanan, Fobes and Leitch, during a meeting of the Mount Vernon School Board held Wednesday. “And would ultimately be unsuccessful.”
According to the article, Fobes was hired by the school district to see if they had a legal standing to deny such a request.
AN ABOMINATION ARE YOU ALL INSANE? Lawyer says #Mount #Vernon #School District must allow after-school #Satan #club https://t.co/j1G00e6GXm
— ?*wAy? Seer ?*°• (@lisa_alba) September 23, 2016
“We believe that it’s clear that, because the district has a policy and procedure that encourages the use of community groups to use your facilities, because you do that, you must open it to this group,” Fobes said. “You don’t have to sponsor the group, you don’t have to help the group.”
The Mount Vernon School District is one of nine districts in the country that has been chosen by the Satanic Temple to host the After School Satan Club because it currently allows the Good News Bible Club, which is run by the Child Evangelism Fellowship. There is some speculation on why the Satanic Temple of Seattle is interested in this location since it sits over 60 miles north of Seattle.
According to the After School Satan Clubs website , the organization is only focusing on schools that allow Good News Clubs. For those interested in starting their own club, the website says, “Please keep in mind that The Satanic Temple is not interested in operating After School Satan Clubs in school districts that are not already hosting the Good News Club. However, The Satanic Temple ultimately intends to have After School Satan Clubs operating in every school district where the Good News Club is represented.” Some cynics believe that the After School Satan Clubs are just a front to eliminate biblical-centered clubs on school campuses as the website asks for donations to counter evangelism in schools. It also shares this video:
“We didn’t invite them to the school, they put our name on a website,” Centennial Principal Erwin Stroosma said. “We feel like we’re pawns in a game — someone else is manipulating us.”
Melissa McPhaden, a parent of the school, has a different take on the situation.
“I think the reason the (temple) is here is because they wanted a reaction,” McPhaden said. “And they got the reaction. I don’t think they want to start a Satanic club in Mount Vernon. I’m not afraid of what this church can do, because I have a relationship with my children.”
Regardless, at a recent meeting at the school, nearly every parent in attendance voted down allowing the After School Satan Club to operate there. If allowed, the club would rent space at the Centennial school for one hour one day a week during the school year.
Fobes said the school does have the right to preview the curriculum that the After School Satan Club would like to offer the students, but they could not keep the club out unless the curriculum promotes hate speech, incites violence, or if it included pornography. The school is in between a rock and a hard place in that they cannot choose to ban all after school programs either.
“I think it’s not an option here,” Fobes said. “I believe in this particular case you would still face some litigation, not only from the Satanic Temple, but also from the Good News club.”
https://t.co/L5iqAzTabK . It’s got to be American!
— Pastor Tony Smith (@PastorTonySmith) September 23, 2016
Doug Mesner (aka Lucien Greaves), co-founder of the Satanic Temple, says that all religions should be treated equally by the state. In an article posted earlier through Inquisitr , Greaves stated that the After School Satan Clubs will only focus on “free inquiry and rationalism” and despite the club’s name, it wouldn’t actually encourage children to worship the devil.
“We prefer to give children an appreciation of the natural wonders surrounding them, not a fear of an everlasting other-worldly horror,” said Greaves.
Rob Coffey, the Mount Vernon School Board president, says that the district has always been eager to help provide meeting space for such groups as the Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts, but “very unfortunately, our hands are tied … We must make them available whether we like the group or not. There really is no opportunity for us to say no to the Satanic Temple or the After School Satan Club.”
However, this isn’t a done deal. Superintendent Carl Bruner said that he would continue to meet with Fobes.
[Featured Image by Rades6 /iStock]