Sarah Taylor – January 13, 2022
A Moline, Illinois, elementary school is making major headlines after administrators allowed a flyer for an after-school Satan club to circulate.
Meetings for the club — which is sponsored and hosted by the Satanic Temple — will take place on school property after hours.
What are the details?
A flyer that made the rounds on social media described the club meetings as being based on “a uniform syllabus that emphasizes a scientific, nationalist, non-superstitious worldview” and is set to be held at Jane Addams Elementary School over a period of five dates through May — the first taking place on Thursday.
The club, geared toward first- through fifth-graders, promises attendees “science projects, puzzles and games, arts and crafts projects, [and] nature activities.”
In statement on the flyer, a spokesperson for the Moline-Coal Valley School District said that there are “policies and administrative procedures in place which allow for community use of its publicly funded facilities outside the school day.”
The spokesperson added that all religious groups are permitted to rent the school’s facilities “for a fee.”
“Flyers and promotional materials for these types of groups are approved for lobby posting or display only, and not for mass distribution,” the spokesperson added. “Please note that the district must provide equal access to all groups and that students need parental permission to attend any after-school event. Our focus remains on student safety and student achievement.”