The “Hellions Academy of Independent Learning,” also known as “HAIL,” program is offered to Edgewood Elementary School students in Marysville.
The Satanic Temple targeted the school because of its partnership with LifeWise Academy, a Christian Release Time Religious Instruction (RTRI) program, which teaches students about the Bible for one hour each week if their parents opt them into the program.
The organization claims that since the program is permitted for Christians, it must be allowed for any religion — including Satanists.
The Satanic Temple said in a press release:
RTRI was first introduced to public schools in response to the US Supreme Court’s 1952 ruling in Zorach v. Clauson. SCOTUS found that such programs do not violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The Supreme Court’s ruling makes it clear that schools are not obligated to approve RTRI programs, and these groups may not use the public school’s facilities or public resources of any kind. If a school approves an RTRI, it may not discriminate among religious groups.
Due to Christian organizations like the Joy El Club and the Lifewise Academy, Christian RTRI programs have expanded rapidly across the country, and they aim to have active programs in every school district that allows them. The Satanic Temple, meanwhile, argues that the groups are being used to exclude non-Christian students and promote Christianity. By presenting these field trips and other activities as only available to Christian students, TST argues that these groups leverage children’s social groupings to encourage religious conversion.
“It is sad these programs feel the need to use the peer pressure to gain adherents to their religion,” said TST Director of Campaign Operations Erin Helian in a statement. “However one measures a religion, it is not a good look to prey upon children by bribing them with field trips and snacks.”
The Temple claims that during the meetings, “students will be presented with various educational arts and crafts, games, and community service projects through which they can learn about Satanic values, such as empathy, compassion, and justice.”
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