What is the ‘After-School Satan Club,’ and what is it doing in San Clemente?

There’s a new after-school program at Truman Benedict Elementary in San Clemente — and it’s caused quite a ruckus among parents, particularly on social media.

The “After-School Satan Club,” run by the Satanic Temple, has its first meeting at Truman Benedict scheduled for Feb. 12.

Despite what the name suggests, the club’s goal is to provide students with a “fun, intellectually stimulating and non-proselytizing alternative to current religious after-school clubs being offered in our public schools,” according to its brochure.

The meetings are designed to promote “intellectual and emotional development in accordance with the Satanic Temple,” the brochure says, and no religious instruction will take place.

The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic organization founded in 2013 that embraces Satan as a symbol rather than as a deity. Its use of satanic imagery doesn’t involve the worship of a literal Satan or hell; instead, it serves as a tool to express its philosophical and political beliefs, according to its website.

The club, which has popped up at other schools in California in past years, has caused a stir among concerned parents and local religious institutions. Several parents expressed those concerns during a recent school board meeting.

But Capistrano Unified School District can’t deny the club from meeting at the school, a district spokesperson said.

Under the requirements of the California Civic Center Act, the district permits the use of school grounds and facilities outside school hours by nonprofit organizations, including all religious organizations.

Truman Benedict already allows a Christian-affiliated club run by Shoreline Church, called the “Good News,” to host gatherings on campus.

“The use of our facilities is in alignment with state law, and there are very few exceptions to prohibiting a nonprofit organization from using our facilities outside of school hours,” said Ryan Burris, a Capistrano Unified spokesperson.

“Religious organizations have utilized school facilities outside regular school hours to host religious services, operate clubs and provide activities for many years in Capistrano Unified,” said Burris.

The After-School Satan Club, it says in the brochure, focuses on “free inquiry and rationalism, bolstering scientific understandings of the natural world and nurturing your child’s already awesome ability to be curious about the wonders around them.” It uses games, art projects, guest speakers and experiments to “help children learn core concepts that will benefit their lives no matter what their deeply held religious beliefs are,” according to the brochure.

The club is offered to all students from ages five to 12 at Truman Benedict, but any student in the area who may be interested is invited to attend. Parents are also welcome to attend the gatherings, the club says.

The point, according to the Satanic Temple’s website, is to “provide a safe and inclusive alternative to the religious clubs that use threats of eternal damnation to convert school children to their belief system.”

Representatives from the Satanic Temple and club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The club got the attention of John Randall, a pastor at Calvary South Coast. “I understand parents are upset about this; they should be. The devil is alive and well,” he said in an Instagram post.

“(The club) targets schools that have Christian clubs,” said Randall, noting that should the district deny the club, it could sue for alleged discrimination.

That’s what happened last year with a Pennsylvania school district.

There, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Saucon Valley School District alleging First Amendment violations when it blocked the club from operating. The district ultimately settled and had to pay $200,000 in attorneys’ fees and provide the club “the same access to school facilities as other organizations,” said a news release from the ACLU.

The Satanic Temple is an IRS-recognized religious organization that has more than 500 followers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego counties and over 700,000 worldwide.