On July 1, a new law in Florida took effect, allowing volunteer chaplains in public schools. The Satanic Temple quickly decided to take advantage of this new opportunity.
The Satanic Temple announced on social media that their chaplains could now serve in Florida’s public schools, crediting Governor Ron DeSantis for making this possible. However, DeSantis disagreed, stating that The Satanic Temple is not a religion and would not be permitted to serve in schools.
This new law, HB 931, is one of nearly 180 laws that took effect in Florida on July 1, 2024. It allows volunteer chaplains to provide support and services to students, as assigned by the school board. Parents must give consent and can choose from a publicly available list of chaplains and their religious affiliations.
The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing or promoting any specific religion. The Satanic Temple is using this principle to argue that their chaplains should be allowed to serve in schools just like chaplains from other religions. Penemue Grigori, The Satanic Temple’s director of ministry, emphasized the importance of not discriminating based on religious affiliation.
The Satanic Temple, recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt religious organization, frequently fights for religious freedom and the First Amendment by engaging with laws that allow religion in the public sector. They often insert themselves into these situations to ensure equal treatment for all religions.
On social media, The Satanic Temple invited Florida parents to learn more about their chaplains serving in public schools. The organization was founded in 2013 in Salem, Massachusetts, and gained national attention for supporting a law that allowed public school students to initiate prayer.
The Satanic Temple opposes faith-based school programs with their After School Satan Clubs, which focus on rationalism and offer activities like science projects, arts and crafts, and games. Their website states that these clubs only open if other religious groups are present on campus.
The Satanic Temple also takes stands on various issues, including opposition to hate groups, corporal punishment in schools, and abortion limits. They often use symbols and images that mock religious beliefs, using a cartoonish version of the devil to represent rebellion and intellectual questioning.
The organization promotes seven tenets that focus on compassion, empathy, personal freedom, bodily autonomy, scientific facts, and justice. They offer support groups for addiction recovery without religion, expose malpractice and pseudoscience, campaign against corporal punishment in schools, and provide telehealth support for reproductive information and services.
The new law, HB 931, allows school districts and charter schools to authorize volunteer chaplains to provide support and services to students. The law requires districts to screen volunteers and mandates parental consent before a student can use their services. The list of volunteer chaplains and their religious affiliations must be posted by each district.
The Satanic Temple has been active in Florida since a rally in Tallahassee, where they praised a law allowing prayer in schools. They also successfully petitioned to display a diorama in the Florida Capitol Rotunda, which featured a scene of an angel falling into hell. Their tax-exempt status, granted by the IRS in 2019, solidified their legal standing as a religious organization. They have recently announced plans to expand in Oklahoma.
