Satanists in Florida propose filling school counselor positions after DeSantis bill

(The Hill) — Florida Satanists are volunteering to serve as school counselors after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill allowing religious chaplains in public schools due to a staffing shortage.

“Nothing in the bill’s language is intended to exclude us, and no credible interpretation of the First Amendment could do so. If a school district chooses to have chaplains now, it should expect Satanists to participate as well,” Lucien Greaves, co-founder and spokesperson for the Satanic Temple, said in a statement to The Hill on Monday.

When DeSantis signed the bill in April, he described Satanism as “not a religion” and said its members would not be allowed to participate in the program.

But Greaves said the governor had “blatantly lied to the public” about the situation.

“Either completely ignorant of the most basic principles of constitutional law or too incompetent to care, DeSantis fails to recognize that it is not the government’s place to confer unique rights to one religious identity while denying them to another,” he said.

The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment.

Florida’s decision to allow chaplains to serve as counselors in public schools comes as more states seek to introduce Christianity into public school environments, including by requiring that the Bible or the Ten Commandments be taught in classrooms.

The Satanic Temple has become increasingly involved in the fight for religious freedom in public schools, including the creation of after-school Satanic clubs.

The temple, founded in 2014, says its mission is “to encourage kindness and empathy (and) to reject tyrannical authority.”