Colorado Student Granted Religious Exemption From School’s Digital Monitoring System

By Hannah Metzger | Westword

Hail Satan?

A young member of the Satanic Temple was granted a religious accommodation from the Elizabeth School District, arguing that the district’s digital hall pass system conflicts with her beliefs. The parents of the Elizabeth High School student had requested that she be exempted from the system, but their request was initially denied, according to TST. That’s when the Temple’s lawyers stepped in.

“This was a cut-and-dry case of a TST member’s bodily autonomy being violated by invasive digital controls,” says Eliphaz Costus, campaign director of the Temple’s Protect Children Project.

Using the digital hall pass system to monitor and restrict the time students spend in the restroom apparently goes against TST’s third tenet, which states, “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.” The student will now be able to use physical hall passes to access the restroom at any time and for any duration, according to the school district.

Members of the Satanic Temple don’t actually believe in the devil or Hell. It is a non-theistic group that frequently advocates for the separation of church and state. There are approximately 12,000 registered members in Colorado, including both of the student’s parents, according to TST.

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