Story at a glance
- A Pennsylvania school district amended its dress code policy after the leader of a local Satanist group convinced the district the policy was discriminatory.
- “The idea that a public school would allow religious expression in school, but choose to single out and prohibit the expression of one specific religion obviously seemed like a problem for us,” Rose said.
- Eventually, the district sent out a statement, saying although it had “no complaints or concerns brought forward by any student, parent, or resident we will remove this language from our current dress code information in the student handbook.”
A Pennsylvania school district amended its dress code policy after the leader of a local Satanist group convinced the district the policy was discriminatory.
Joseph Rose, the founder of Satanic Delco, spent a month emailing and calling Rose Tree Media School District after other parents alerted him to the policy which prohibited attire that is “satanic in nature,” WPVI reported.
“The idea that a public school would allow religious expression in school, but choose to single out and prohibit the expression of one specific religion obviously seemed like a problem for us,” Rose told the outlet.
Eventually, the district sent out a statement, saying although it had “no complaints or concerns brought forward by any student, parent, or resident we will remove this language from our current dress code information in the student handbook.”
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Satanic Delco said on its website that it does not “promote a belief in a personal Satan,” rather embracing the name is to “embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions.”
“Satanists should actively work to hone critical thinking and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. Our beliefs must be malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world – never the reverse,” the statement read.
Rose told the outlet he will embark on similar campaigns targeting schools that exclude particular sets of beliefs or imagery from their dress codes.
“It just sort of raises awareness for what Satanists are, what we’re not, and maybe helps empower us a little when we have to reach out to the next high school, which I’m doing,” he said.
A Media resident told the outlet the ordeal is “like a free speech issue.”
“Are they going to allow Nazis to be able to put symbols on kids’ shirts and send them to school,” the resident asked.
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