Public School Peddles Book Promoting Witchcraft
Enterprise, Utah – An elementary school in Enterprise, Utah was recently caught pedaling a book to elementary school students entitled, “The Wizards Handbook”. The Scholastic Book Club order form promotes the book by stating, “Find the Wizard Inside YOU!” and “Make your own magic wands, cast spells, predict the future, and lots more!”
A concerned parent contacted the Pacific Justice Institute after learning the school was making available such a book to her child, without any prior parental notice or consent.
After reviewing the matter, a Pacific Justice Institute attorney, Roger Ho, sent a legal demand letter to the Superintendent of the school district. “By encouraging the students to purchase the handbook, the school is effectively encouraging the adoption of certain religious practices normally identified with witchcraft based religions,” said Mr. Ho. “Since the religious text is not being offered for literary or historic value, and no other religious book is being offered, the school is running a risk of violating the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.”
The Superintendent of the school district chose to resolve the matter by no longer allowing the book to be sold at the school.