New law mandates school release for religious classes, including Satanic Teachings

OKLAHOMA CITY- (KOKH) — A bill requiring school boards to allow children to leave campus for religious instruction programs was signed into law Wednesday.

"We support release time programs as an excellent way for parents to have access to religious education for their children," said Greg Chafuen with Alliance Defending Freedom.

This newly signed law applying to all religious groups, including the Satanic Temple. In the days leading up to the governor signing the bill into law, the Temple made several posts on Facebook, eager at the possibility of being able to offer students credit for classes taught by the Temple.

"Release time programs are excellent for both parental rights and religious freedom rights. We know that public schools are unable to provide religious training to students, and release time programs is a way for parents to ask schools to have their child excused to go off grounds to receive religious education during the school day," said Chaufen.

Now that it's law, the Temple's program, the Hellion Academy of Independent Learning, or HAIL, will be available for Oklahoma school children.

Since the bill passed, the Temple also said in a Facebook post that Oklahoma is the first state to offer students the opportunity to be taught by them.

Given that Alliance Defending Freedom is a conservative Christian advocacy group, we asked them what they think about the temple being allowed to give religious instruction.

"I wouldn't be concerned about those groups, we've heard them say that before, they ultimately don't follow through with what they say, and like you were saying, these are for religious instruction, and those groups, they teach something different, and I wouldn't be concerned about that," Chaufen said.

FOX 25 reached out to the Satanic Temple for reaction of the bill being signed into law but did not hear back.