A religious release program focusing on “satanic studies” is kicking off in some schools in Marysville, Ohio, as an alternative to Bible-based instruction.
Marysville’s Edgewood Elementary School is offering the Satanic Temple’s Hellion Academy of Independent Learning (HAIL) program beginning this month. This decision was made after a parent reached out to the Satanic Temple, asking for a program at the school. According to WCMH, June Everett, described as a “campaign director for the After School Satan Club and an ordained minister for the Satanic Temple,” claimed the “programs for students are only implemented when parents seek them out, and only in districts where other release programs are already in place.” This school currently offers a Christian-based program via LifeWise, which is “designed to take students through the entire Bible, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation,” according to the website, which adds:
Each lesson reviews a Bible passage as well as a “Living LifeWise” character trait. The lessons’ order and activities are flexible and can be modified as the teacher finds necessary. Download a sample of the curriculum here.
The Satanic Temple — not to be confused with the Church of Satan, which was founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in 1966 — said in a press release that it launched HAIL as a response to the uptick in Christian-based release programs in schools across the country.
They claim their program “allows them to learn about values such as empathy, compassion, and justice in a fun environment without religious pressure or coercion.”
They also claim that students who chose not to attend the Christian programs are “later regaled with stories of fun activities and warnings from their classmates that they will surely burn in hell for not participating.”
