Olathe Northwest High School in Kansas has given the green light for the creation of a “High School Satan Club” which will now be included as one of the extracurricular offerings. The club’s approval has sparked opposition from students and parents who are concerned about the promotion of Satan worship among kids. A petition to stop the club has garnered over 7,800 signatures.
Drew McDonald, an Olathe Northwest student who initiated the petition, expressed deep concern over the establishment of a Satan worship club at the high school, stating that schools should be places of education and growth, not platforms for satanic indoctrination. Some petition signers cited their Christian beliefs and general moral concerns as the basis for opposing the club, while others acknowledged that its existence is likely protected by the First Amendment.
One local parent, Gregory Austin, expressed disagreement with the club’s approval but recognized that it falls within the First Amendment rights. The Olathe Public Schools did not provide a comment, but the school district approved the club after finding that all necessary criteria had been met, including the support of 10 interested students. The district pointed to the federal Equal Access Act as justification for its decision, which prohibits schools from denying students equal access to extracurricular groups based on religious, political, or philosophical speech.
The approval of the High School Satan Club follows a trend of after-school Satan clubs cropping up in public schools across the United States as part of a push by The Satanic Temple. The group, which claims to be a non-theistic religion, celebrated the Kansas club’s approval in a Facebook post, stating that the club will operate alongside other student-led religious clubs.
While The Satanic Temple maintains that it has no interest in converting children to Satanism, its affiliated clubs provide a space for children to explore their interests and develop their creativity, free from threats of eternal damnation. The group focuses its clubs’ activities on free inquiry and rationalism.
At the same time, the push for after-school Satan clubs has faced opposition in some districts. In Pennsylvania, the Saucon Valley School District settled a lawsuit filed by The Satanic Temple over its decision to revoke approval of an after-school Satan club at Saucon Valley Middle School. Furthermore, the Memphis Shelby County School District recently approved the creation of another club at Chimneyrock Elementary School in Tennessee, with plans for the program to begin in the spring semester.
It is clear that the approval of the High School Satan Club has sparked widespread debate and controversy, with concerns being raised about the impact it may have on students and the broader community in Kansas. The debate will likely continue as similar clubs are established in other school districts, raising questions about the balance between religious freedom, freedom of speech, and the wellbeing of students.
