Olathe Northwest High School in Kansas has given the green light to establish a Satan Club despite facing a petition, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the school district.
A spokesperson for Olathe Public Schools made a statement saying, “The club application met the criteria for establishing a student-initiated club and is now officially recognized as such at Olathe Northwest High School.”
“Schools should be places of education and growth, not platforms for satanic indoctrination or controversial practices," said Drew McDonald, the creator of the online petition that has been signed by thousands.
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— Conservative Tribune (@conserv_tribune) December 30, 2023
The school district specified that the club had to meet certain criteria before the application could be approved.
The application mandated that at least ten students interested in forming the group must sign it, with additional signatures required from a student representative and a faculty supervisor.
The students who would lead the club had to give a presentation to administrators explaining what the group would bring to the high school.
Under the Equal Access Act, a federal law, public schools cannot discriminate against a student-initiated group based on a philosophical or religious message.
The district spokesperson clarified that allowing one club means allowing all clubs, provided the application process is completed and the group meets the recognition guidelines.
Erin Schulte, assistant director of communication for the Olathe School District released a statement saying, “There are a wide variety of different extra-curricular clubs at the secondary level that are centered around religions, philosophies, politics and values. These clubs are voluntarily attended by students and occur outside of the regular school day. As a school district, Olathe Public Schools follows both state and federal laws related to student groups.”
Upon hearing the school’s announcement, a concerned student created an online petition titled “Stop The Satan Worship Club at Olathe Northwest” in early December.
In a post, Drew McDonald, the petition’s creator, wrote, “This deeply troubles me and many others in our community as we believe that schools should be places of education and growth, not platforms for satanic indoctrination or controversial practices.”
As of Tuesday, the petition had garnered 81 additional signatures, bringing the total to nearly 7,800. Nevertheless, it was insufficient to prevent the school from approving the group.
The Kansas high school has now become the latest school to establish a club like this.
Last week, the Satanic Temple revealed intentions to organize its inaugural After School Satan Club (ASSC) at Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova, Tennessee.
Simultaneously, in Pennsylvania, a school district resolved a lawsuit with The Satanic Temple, alleging discrimination against students by prohibiting one of the group’s After School Satan clubs from utilizing a school building earlier this year.
