UPDATE:
Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) in Florida has directed West Orange High School to stop allowing the promotion of witchcraft in a video series that had been airing school-wide.
Liberty Counsel had argued that the student-produced series, which was aired during mid-week morning announcements, provided "religious instruction" on spells, magic, moon worship, and other witchcraft rituals.
CBN News Report from Tuesday:
The OCPS Florida school district had begun exposing its students to a series of "witchcraft rituals", and the non-profit legal group had demanded that the school allow students to opt out of watching the presentation.
Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) on behalf of local community members, requesting opt-outs for the weekly "Witchy Wednesday" video series, which is aired school-wide at a local high school.
"The series, which is aired during mid-week morning announcements, is produced by students providing 'religious instruction' on spells, magic, moon worship, and other witchcraft rituals," attorneys with the legal group explained.
According to the letter, the first video in the series aired on September 10, and the host greeted students saying, "Good morning, witches," and later gave instructions on how to cast a spell for "Light of Insight." They also advised students on how to do a ritual "cleanse and recharge yourself."
Liberty Counsel pointed out that students with sincere Christian religious beliefs would not be able to endorse this religious instruction nor would they be able to sit through it.
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"According to recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which ruled parents have the right to opt their children out of instruction that undermines their religious beliefs, schools must provide opt-outs to 'Witchy Wednesday' if parents and students wish to abstain," the group writes.
The legal group also pointed to Supreme Court precedent in the cases of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District and Shurtleff v. City of Boston to note that those same students cannot be denied in an open forum where their viewpoints can be expressed.
"Since the school has opened a public forum for expression on witchcraft, if Christian students wanted to present the tenets of their faith in the same manner as 'Witchy Wednesday,' these precedents simply would not permit OCPS to exclude them from its morning announcements forum," attorneys explained.
Liberty Counsel requested a written response from the district by Sept. 30.
Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, Mat Staver, says Christian parents and students have a right to opt out of "Witchy Wednesday."
"The First Amendment does not allow government schools to require this instruction, nor can the school deny differing viewpoints after it has opened its morning announcements forum to student expression," he said.
Staver added, "Orange County Public Schools would be wise to proceed by facilitating opt-outs and including other viewpoints. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly held that public school students do not shed their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gates."
CBN News reached out OCPS for comment. At the time of publication, they had not responded to the request.
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