39°
The Saucon Valley School District has agreed to pay $200,000 in attorney's fees to The Satanic Temple, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Salem, Massachusetts-based Temple had filed suit against SVSD early this year after administrators blocked the group from sponsoring an "After School Satan Club" at Saucon Valley Middle School.
Under the settlement inked this week, the district will give the club "the same access to school facilities that other comparable organizations receive," said their ACLU attorneys.
The district is also barred from "retaliating" against any Club members or volunteers.
“We are pleased that this matter has been resolved and that the school district has agreed to stop all discrimination against us,” said June Everett, director of the Temple's After School Satan Club programming.
“Thanks to the court’s order, we were able to hold ASSC meetings at the Saucon Valley Middle School, and the kids who attended were overjoyed."
In a statement, SVSD noted that the settlement money would come from the district's insurance coverage "as opposed to the taxpayers of Saucon Valley."
Yesterday afternoon, the District resolved litigation brought by The Satanic Temple, Inc. and the After School Satan Club. The District denies that it discriminated against the TST, the ASSC, or the approximately four students who attended ASSC’s three meetings last spring. As always, the District’s priorities are the education of its students and the safety of its students and staff. 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. The District’s agreement to pay a portion of TST’s attorneys’ fees and costs, which included the work of three attorneys from the ACLU and two attorneys from Dechert LLP, will be paid by the District’s insurance coverage as opposed to the taxpayers of Saucon Valley. The District is pleased that this matter has resolved and that all organizations will be following the District’s Facilities Use Policy in the future.
The After School Satan Club originally garnered controversy in February when its flyers made the rounds on local social media.
The same month, a North Carolina man was accused of making violent threats toward Saucon Valley schools for allowing the club to exist.
The group was originally green-lit by district administrators, but they later reversed course and said the club would not be allowed to use school resources, citing board policy and potential disruptions on campus.
The Temple, represented by ACLU, filed suit in March alleging First Amendment violations.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Bethlehem and receive free news updates.
