Executive
Waste of the Day: PA School District Pays Satanic Temple $200K, Allows Satan Club
The Saucon Valley school district paid $200,000 to settle a lawsuit by the Satanic Temple and allow a club that doesn’t yet exist.
A school district in eastern Pennsylvania will pay The Satanic Temple $200,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit, and allow students to attend meetings of the After School Satan Club on school property — should it ever decide to meet.
The Saucon Valley School District initially agreed to let the Satan club — whose motto is “Educatin’ with Satan” — use school facilities, the New York Port reported. It met a few times last spring, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
But the district withdrew permission after public outcry, protests and a threat in February that shut down schools for a day.
The Satanic Temple, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit, accusing the school district of discrimination.
The settlement not only allows the club to meet in Saucon Valley Middle School, but has the district pay $200,000 in attorney’s fees.
The ACLU called the settlement “a victory for free speech and religious liberty.” The organization claimed that The Satanic Temple’s First Amendment rights were violated when the public school district wouldn’t allow the After School Satan Club to meet on school grounds when it allows other religious groups to meet incluidng the Christian-based Good News Club.
But Saucon Valley school district attorney Mark Fitzgerald said the reason the district changed its mind is due to safety.
“By enforcing its policies regarding the use of facilities, the district maintained a safe educational environment for its students in the face of credible threats of violence that had already caused closure of the schools and panic in the community,” Fitzgerald said.
After $200,000 of taxpayer funds were given to lawyers for The Satanic Temple, however, the group’s director admitted that it didn’t intend to hold meetings.
Director June Everett told the Inquirer that the club will be on hold because the Good News Club had seemingly been disbanded, and her club will only resurrect if the Christina club resumes.
The Satanic Temple starts After School Satan Clubs in public school districts only where Christian-based religious programs are allows to used facilities, Everett said.
To make a point about speech, rile up a community and get a “win” in the courts, the group cost taxpayers $200,000.
The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.
This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.
Adam Andrzejewski (say: Angie-eff-ski) was the CEO/founder of OpenTheBooks.com. Before dedicating his life to public service, Adam co-founded HomePages Directories, a $20 million publishing company (1997-2007). His works have been featured on the BBC, Good Morning America, ABC World News Tonight, C-SPAN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, FOX News, CNN, National Public Radio (NPR), Forbes, Newsweek, and many other national media.
Today, OpenTheBooks.com is the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. Mission: post "every dime, online, in real time." In 2022, OpenTheBooks.com captured nearly all public expenditures in the country, including nearly all disclosed federal government spending; 50 of 50 state checkbooks; and 25 million public employee salary and pension records from 50,000 public bodies across America.
The group's aggressive transparency and forensic auditing of government spending has led to the assembly of grand juries, indictments, and successful prosecutions; congressional briefings, hearings, and subpoenas; Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits; Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports; federal legislation; and much more.
Our Honorary Chairman - In Memoriam is U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, MD.
Andrzejewski's federal oversight work was included in the President's Budget To Congress FY2021. The budget cited his organization by name, bullet-pointed their findings, and footnoted/hyperlinked to their report.
Posted on YouTube, Andrzejewski's presentation, The Depth of the Swamp, at the Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar 2020 in Naples, Florida received 3.8 million views.
Andrzejewski has spoken at the Columbia School of Journalism, Harvard Law School and the law schools at Georgetown and George Washington regarding big data journalism. As a senior policy contributor at Forbes, Adam had nearly 20 million pageviews on 206 published investigations. In 2022, investigative fact-finding on Dr. Fauci's finances led to his cancellation at Forbes.
In 2022, Andrzejewski did 473 live television and radio interviews across broadcast, major cable platforms, and radio shows. Andrzejewski is the author of The Waste of the Day column at Real Clear Policy. The column is syndicated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, owners of nearly 200 ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX affiliates across USA.
Andrzejewski passed away in his sleep at his home in in Hinsdale, Illinois, on August 18, 2024. He is survived by his wife Kerry and three daughters. He also served as a lector at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church and finished the Chicago Marathon eight times (PR 3:58.49 in 2022).
Waste of the Day articles published after August 18, 2024 are considered posthumous publications.
-
Civilization3 days agoOnly 60 days to destroy the world
-
Civilization4 days agoThe Trump Effect
-
Civilization3 days agoCivil war from the left?
-
Executive5 days agoFood Lobbyists Plot to Have It Their Way With RFK Jr.
-
Civilization2 days agoPam Bondi takes the spotlight
-
Constitution1 day agoThe Left digs in for a long siege
-
Guest Columns2 days agoGod Hated Esau But Loved Jacob – How So?
-
Executive2 days agoWhat Lessons Will Shapiro Take from the 2024 Election?