As a result of Liberty Counsel’s demand letter, Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) has directed West Orange High School to cease its weekly “Witchy Wednesday” video series aired school-wide. The series, which was aired during mid-week morning announcements, was produced by students providing “religious instruction” on spells, magic, moon worship, and other witchcraft rituals.

Liberty Counsel had cautioned the school district against making the instruction mandatory and that some students with sincere Christian religious beliefs would not be able to endorse this religious instruction nor would be able to sit through it. 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.

In the response from OCPS, the school district acknowledged that having certain speech on the school’s morning announcements could potentially violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. OCPS also noted that it did not want any student, whether religious or non-religious, to feel like “outsiders” or that they were not full members of the school’s community. 

“As such, we cannot constitutionally allow such a segment to continue to take place in the future,” wrote OCPS.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “We commend Orange County Public Schools for taking action to discontinue the ‘Witchy Wednesday’ video segments. Witchcraft and teaching students how to cast occultic spells have no place in government schools.”