A federal judge has mandated that the Saucon Valley School District allow a contentious club, the After School Satan Club, to convene at the middle school, according to local reports.
The ruling was delivered on Monday, subsequent to an April 20 hearing.
According to the decision, the school district must permit the Satanic Temple’s club to gather at the times and locations stipulated in the agreement reached on Feb 16.
The district superintendent, however, had withdrawn the agreement on Feb 24, following a threat linked to the club which resulted in the closure of the district for a day.
Judge John Gallagher of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania stated in his decision that the Saucon Valley School District had retracted its approval due to the Satanic Temple’s “controversial views on religion” and the negative responses from the community.
Consequently, the district violated the group’s First Amendment rights.
In their defense, the district had asserted that the club breached district facility policies by promoting itself on social media.
The district argued that the social media postings led to a man from North Carolina making a threat against the middle school related to the club, causing disruptions in the school.
“Although the Satanic Temple’s objectors may challenge the sanctity of this controversially named organization, the sanctity of the First Amendment’s protections must prevail,” wrote Judge Gallagher in the ruling.
Nevertheless, the judge rejected one aspect of the Satanic Temple’s request.
He determined that the Saucon Valley School District is not obligated to distribute permission slips for the After School Satan Club to students.
The ACLU celebrated the development, tweeting, “In a victory for free speech and religious freedom, a federal court has ruled that the Saucon Valley School District must allow the After School Satan Club to meet in district facilities.”
The national ACLU, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Dechert LLP had filed suit against the school district on behalf of The Satanic Temple in March.