A school board in Memphis, Tennessee, has agreed to pay $15,000 in a settlement with The Satanic Temple after a months-long lawsuit that originated in March.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Satanic Temple in March, alleging "serious First Amendment violations" after the school district "attempted to thwart" the Satanic Temple's efforts to launch the After School Satan Club at Chimneyrock Elementary School in Cordova. The club attempted to rent the elementary school but faced multiple issues with the district, such as accruing more than $2,000 in additional security fees, canceled reservations and other challenges, which other organizations renting the elementary property—including the Good News Club, an Evangelical organization—had never encountered, according to a press release from the FFRF.
The FFRF dismissed the lawsuit on Tuesday after the Shelby County Board of Education agreed to settle.
"The board will pay over $15,000 to resolve the suit. That includes $14,845 in attorneys' fees and costs to FFRF and cooperating counsel," the press release said. "The board will also pay one dollar for nominal damages to The Satanic Temple and $196.71 for various fees previously paid by the Temple in connection with rental reservations that had not yet been refunded."
FFRF Co-founder and co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor told Newsweek that FFRF was pleased with the settlement.
"We are very pleased that justice has prevailed in this case," she said. "It was a case we shouldn't have even had to file. We hope this will send a pretty clear message to school districts around the country that they cannot privilege the Good News Club and discriminate against other groups with different views."
Newsweek reached out to Shelby County Schools by email for comment.
Children attending the After School Satan Club participate in science- and nature-based activities, online news site the Daily Memphian reported.
The press release added that the school board also agreed "not to discriminate against" the Satanic Temple regarding its rental requests.
"The Temple will be subject to the same rules and requirements as other nonprofit organizations seeking to rent or use the school's facilities," the press release said. "In addition, the school board's administration has promised not to hold any press conference with regard to the Temple's lawful rental or use of school property."
Last December, the district held a press conference in which school leaders "expressed hostility toward the Satanic Temple", and the Satanic Temple organizers endured challenges in utilizing the rented space on January 10.
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