The Satanic Temple's (TST) Protect Children Project appeared at Morton High School in Morton, Mississippi on April 5th to offer “Student Rights Cards” to TST's student members facing disciplinary actions that conflict with their religious beliefs, including corporal punishment.
Recent data obtained by The Protect Children Project reveals alarming statistics within the Scott County School District in Morton, Mississippi, where corporal punishment was administered 641 times during the 2022-2023 academic year, with 186 of those instances at Morton High School alone.
The Satanic Temple’s “Student Rights Card” asserts that members of The Satanic Temple are exempt from certain punishments in public schools that violate their religious beliefs. One of the tenets of The Satanic Temple is a belief in bodily autonomy. TST claims corporal punishment, seclusion, restraint, and denial of bathroom access violate this religious tenet. Subjecting a TST member to these punishments would violate their civil rights.
“It would be unthinkable for the state to force a practicing Muslim, Hindu, or Jewish person to eat foods that violate their dietary restrictions as a punishment. Similarly, subjecting a member of The Satanic Temple to practices that violate their deeply held beliefs is also unacceptable and unconstitutional,” claims Eliphaz Costus, director of the Protect Children Project.
“Students can carry this card with them in school and show it to any faculty member who threatens to violate their rights through corporal punishment, seclusion, restraint, or denial of bathroom access,” states Costus. “If the card is ignored and they are punished, it will open the door to civil and possibly criminal liabilities.” The “Student Rights Card” is free to download on The Satanic Temple’s website in English and Spanish.
Click here to learn more about TST's Protect Children Project.