In a significant victory, The Satanic Temple (TST) successfully persuaded the Osceola County School Board to reject the proposed school chaplain program. This decision followed direct statements from TST’s Lucien Greaves and Orpheus Gaur at Tuesday’s board meeting.
The policy’s implementation was initially delayed two weeks ago due to concerns raised by letters from The Satanic Temple and the ACLU of Florida. TST submitted a second letter as the Board reconvened Tuesday afternoon, emphasizing constitutional concerns about excluding certain religious groups, including TST, from the program.
“If you insist on inviting religious chaplains to your public school district, we urge you to adopt a fair, constitutionally sound approach that is open to all faiths.” - The Satanic Temple, Letter to Osceola County School Board August 27, 2024.
At the board meeting, Greaves emphasized the legal and ethical issues of the proposed policy, while Gaur pointed out troubling actions by board members, such as delaying the vote after receiving TST’s first letter. These concerns led the board to focus on potential religious discrimination and litigation, ultimately deciding to reject the program. This vote ends the board's current consideration of the chaplain program, which was initiated by HB 931, a law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis allowing school districts to establish volunteer chaplaincy services. The program will not move forward in Osceola County unless reintroduced.
The decision to reject this discriminatory policy reflects the ongoing conflict between invasive religious initiatives and constitutional rights nationwide. The Satanic Temple is uniquely positioned to challenge the religious extremists behind such policies by forcing them to confront the reality they aim to impose on millions of non-Christian Americans—subjecting them to religious beliefs different from their own in our public institutions. The potential involvement of TST’s Ministers of Satan in Osceola County’s School Chaplain program prompted the school board to consider perspectives beyond their own, highlighting TST’s crucial role in preserving the separation of church and state in America.
“It has likely become clear from your recent legal consultations that the most effective way to avoid both religious discrimination and the presence of Ministers of Satan on your campuses is to avoid incorporating religion into public schools altogether.” - The Satanic Temple, Letter to Osceola County School Board August 27, 2024.
This victory is worth celebrating, but the fight is far from over. Schools across Florida are being encouraged to adopt the same unconstitutional policy, and the issue of school chaplains may return in Osceola County. The Satanic Temple, along with our extensive community of members in Florida, opposes these assaults on our civil liberties. Should any of Florida’s school districts choose to implement DeSantis’ suggested model policy, we are prepared to challenge these policies so that we can participate in the School Chaplain programs. We intend to turn this assault on our First Amendment rights into a learning opportunity for legislators nationwide: the only way to keep Ministers of Satan out of the public school system is not to invite religion into public spaces.
Read The Satanic Temple’s Press Release HERE.
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