Illinois elementary school promotes after-school Satan club for students

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.”

The full statement said:

The Moline-Coal Valley School District understands that there is concern and confusion over an upcoming after-school club at Jane Addams elementary.

The District would like to provide information on the situation. The Moline-Coal Valley School District and Board of Education have policies and administrative procedures in place which allow for community use of its publicly funded facilities outside the school day.

The district does not discriminate against any groups who wish to rent our facilities, including religious-affiliated groups. Religiously affiliated groups are among those allowed to rent our facilities for a fee.

The district has, in the past, approved these types of groups, one example being the Good News Club, which is an after-school child evangelism fellowship group. Flyers and promotional materials for these types of groups are approved for lobby posting or display only, and not for mass distribution.

Students or parents are then able to pick up the flyer from the lobby, if they so choose, which is aligned to District policy. 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.

Twitter account Libs of Tik Tok shared a photo of the flyer, captioned, "An elementary school in Illinois gave out these flyers promoting an after school satan club."