A post about a controversial after-school club has caused an uproar among parents, community leaders, and the public.
On Tuesday, December 12th, a flyer advertising an “After School Satan Club,” at Chimneyrock Elementary in Cordova was posted by The Satanic Temple. This flyer stated that the first meeting of the club would be January 10th, 2024.
“The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion that views Satan as a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit,” reads the flyer.
The group said that this club does not “attempt to convert children to any religious ideology,” and instead “supports children to think for themselves.”
Some praised the club, including Facebook user Jayme Haley, who commented under the post: “If you actually read the description, this is an amazing program to offer. I very much respect this organization, thank you for coming to TN.”
Others expressed outrage, as the post began to make rounds on social media sites.
A user by the name @White.sosa commented under a post about the flyer on Unapologetically Memphis’s Instagram, saying “Wtf… that’s a whole devil as the logo, and y’all tryna tell me otherwise that it’s not bad. Memphis and whoever else got this shi done lost they damn mind. Y’all take the word of God out of schools just to replace it with this bs…. Man that’s crazy.”
Parents and other commenters pressed officials from Memphis Shelby County Schools for answers, even though the post claimed that the club was not endorsed or sponsored by the district.
The district released a statement that same day stating that they are “committed to upholding the principles of the First Amendment.” The Satanic Temple is an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization, the school district said, adding that the First Amendment grants “equal access to all nonprofit organizations seeking to use [their] facilities outside of school hours.” The district has granted the same access to groups such as the Christian-based Good News Club and the Boy Scouts of America.
“This means we cannot approve or deny a request based solely on the organization’s viewpoints or beliefs,” the statement reads. “Board Policy 7002 outlines this commitment, allowing community groups and government entities to rent school property outside of school hours.”
The next day, December 13, MSCS called a press conference for the district, faith-based leaders, and community partners.
MSCS superintendent Toni Williams stated that her sole focus is the needs of the students, families, and community.
“Like many of you, I have questions that resonate deeply with the questions and concerns in our community regarding an upcoming club rental,” said Williams. “I want to assure you that I do not endorse, I do not support the beliefs of this organization at the center of the recent headlines. I do however support the law.”
Williams said that as superintendent, she is “duty-bound to uphold [the] board policy, state laws, and the Constitution.”
“But let’s not be fooled by what we’ve seen in the past 24 hours, which is an agenda, initiated to ensure that we counsel all faith-based organizations that partner with our school district,” said Williams. “The law says that what we do for one organization. We must do for all.”
Williams was joined by more than a dozen faith-based leaders who partner with MSCS. She also mentioned that approximately 80 schools in the district are supported by faith-based organizations.
“In the wake of the recent news stories, some have demanded that we ban all faith-based organizations, but that penalizes thousands of children, feeds the fear, and bends to outsiders and their agendas,” said Williams.
The superintendent also called on officials, business leaders, and faith-based organizations to unite and support the schools in the district.
