DESERET NEWS/ Kelsey Dallas-
Elementary school students in Marysville, Ohio, have a new kind of religious instruction available to them starting this month: a program put on by the Satanic Temple.
The Hellion Academy of Independent Learning, or HAIL, program has been introduced at Edgewood Elementary School after parents expressed interest in having an alternative to the Christian release program that’s already on offer, according to the local news station NBC 4.
Through the Satanic Temple’s curriculum, students will learn about values like compassion, empathy and justice. They’ll also likely study religious freedom, since much of the Satanic Temple’s work centers on educating Americans about religious freedom protections — while also testing their limits.
The Hellion Academy of Independent Learning program is available to students from all religious backgrounds, according to a Satanic Temple press release.
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Release time religious instruction
The Satanic Temple’s press release noted that release time religious instruction has been available in school districts across the country for decades.
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the programs with a 1954 ruling saying that they don’t violate the Constitution as long as classes take place off school grounds and all faith groups have the opportunity to work with school districts.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling makes it clear that schools are not obligated to approve RTRI programs … (but) if a school approves an RTRI, it may not discriminate among religious groups,” the press release explained.
Students who enroll in a release time religious instruction program with parental permission are allowed to leave the school grounds for a portion of each day, week or month for the associated classes.
Before this month’s launch of the Hellion Academy of Independent Learning, students in Marysville, Ohio, were already able to take part in a release program through LifeWise Academy, a Christian group active across the country, NBC 4 reported. Continue reading…
