A school board meeting in Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) in San Bernardino County, California, drew national attention Thursday after some protesters were seen and heard chanting “Hail Satan!” in support of allowing trans-identified males to compete in girls’ sports.
According to a report by Fox News, the meeting saw tense moments as the board addressed policies related to transgender participation in school athletics. Footage from the event reportedly showed protesters who support biological males in girls’ sports chanting the phrase.
"Yes, public comments did include speakers saying, ‘Hail Satan,’" the school district confirmed in a statement.
In a statement to Fox News, CVUSD school board President Sonja Shaw condemned the chants, stating that the meeting was focused on adopting “pro-parent and pro-female athlete resolutions” aimed at protecting girls' sports and supporting parental rights.
"In response, a small but loud group of outside agitators descended on our meeting, screaming, cussing and even chanting phrases like ‘Hail Satan’ all in front of families and children,” Shaw said. "According to what was shared with me from their own social media posts, they tried to rally tons of outside groups to overwhelm our district, but what a complete embarrassment. That’s all they got? A handful of angry, disruptive individuals trying to bully a community that’s working to protect kids and ensure that education remains focused on learning, not divisive ideologies."
Shaw also revealed that she had received an email containing a death threat leading up to the meeting due to her opposition to allowing biological males to participate in girls' sports.
"Just a few days before this meeting, I received a violent and graphic death threat in my email. This is the level of hatred and evil we’re up against. But no threat, no mob and no political machine will scare me into silence," Shaw explained.
During the meeting, multiple speakers cited the Bible, with one woman opposing biological males in girls’ sports being escorted out of the meeting by police after citing scripture. Another parent described the behavior of some attendees as “sadistic and hateful,” claiming a teacher for the district interrupted the meeting, shouted “Hail Satan,” and flipped off the audience as he walked out.
