GREENSBORO, N.C. — Growing in popularity, After-School Satan Clubs could be making their way to Guilford County Schools.
The after-school club is a program offered by the Satanic Temple.
The After-School Satan Club has made its way to three schools across the country, including Ohio and Illinois, and now it's headed to North Carolina.
A flyer about the club has been circulating on social media.
It talks about a club that could potentially come to Joyner Elementary School in Greensboro.
"Its sole purpose is to offer a safe and all-inclusive alternative to other religious programs, including the good news Club," June Everett, Campaign Manager for the After-School Satan Club, said.
Hundreds of comments and dozens of shares were on the WFMY Facebook page in regards to this post.
Some parents say: “Either all religions or none.”
While others object to the idea, saying: “This is wrong, just all wrong.”
Everett explains that the program has two rules when deciding where to start a club.
She said the club doesn’t go into any schools that don’t already have a religious club and they don’t go into schools where their presence has not been requested.
"So the Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religion, meaning that we don't believe in an actual literal satan. What we do believe is Satan as a symbol to standing up to tyrannical authority, asking questions, and, you know, like, bringing, bringing the hypocrisy of our laws really, you know, forward," Everett said.
Back in 2001, the Supreme Court decided that a school district cannot prohibit the First Amendment free speech rights of groups seeking access to a school district’s limited public forum.
That means the After-school Satan Club, along with other religious clubs, has the right to hold meetings after school.
The club was set to have its first meeting this coming Friday, but Everett said the GCS Chief of Staff alerted her that the club's facility-use request has been put on pause while district policies are looked over.
Dr. Rebecca Kaye, GCS chief of staff released this statement to WFMY saying, "The request for use of the facility is not approved at this time. We are reviewing with legal counsel the district’s obligation to grant organizations equitable access to our public facilities."
The club said they are in communication with their attorney to see if additional action needs to be taken if they are denied.
GCS officials sent the following statement on Monday:
"The requests for rental of GCS facilities by the Good News Club and the After School Satan Club are under review and neither is authorized to use GCS facilities at this time. Neither of the two clubs are sponsored by Joyner Elementary nor were they solicited by the school.
GCS is currently reviewing with its legal counsel how fliers for non-school sponsored clubs and events are distributed, as well as the district’s obligation to grant organizations equitable access to our public facilities."