Halloween, the spookiest night of the year, has long been a cherished occasion for people to let their imaginations run wild and embrace the supernatural.
While many participants sport incredible costumes, others may take it just a little too far. One teacher in particular brought the concept of macabre to a whole new level, giving hell to his innocent students.
A high school teacher in Arizona who showed up to class wearing a devil costume stirred up backlash from Christian students and parents
Image credits: Karan Mridha (not the actual image)
In Mesa, Arizona, a high school teacher has faced suspension due to reports of a handful of students feeling unnerved by the teacher's Halloween Spirit Week attire, which portrayed none other than the devil himself.
Last Wednesday (October 25), sophomore Nathaniel Hamlet entered his classroom and was immediately greeted by his diabolical teacher adorned in horns whilst holding a pitchfork.
Nathaniel claimed that as students entered, the teacher waved the pitchfork above their heads and uttered the phrase "Hail Satan."
Literature suggests that Hail Satan is an exclamation used by some Satanists to invoke the name of Satan in contexts ranging from sincere expression to comedy or satire.
"Some people thought it was funny, some people didn't like it, some people were like 'whatever,' they just blew it off," Nathaniel told 12News.
Mesa Public Schools have since confirmed that the diabolical teacher was put on paid administrative leave
Image credits: 12 News
On Tuesday (October 31) the hellish teacher at the center of the incident reportedly explained that the reason for their attire was only meant for the school’s Halloween spirit week.
They reportedly stated that the theme for the day was "dynamic duos," and their neighboring teacher had dressed up as an angel.
They wrote: "Participating in spirit weeks like this is a way for me to engage with my students and bring fun to my classroom. It's truly not any more complicated than that."
But despite his teacher’s reasoning, Nathaniel, who is religious, claimed the presence of a demon in the classroom insulted his faith.
"I said, 'Don't do that to me' and I pushed [the pitchfork] away, maybe three or four times and he still said it and still did it," the student said.
One religious student felt offended when their teacher greeted the class with "Hail Satan"
Image credits: 12 News
Subsequently, the sophomore reportedly informed his father, Chris Hamlet, who had previously run as a candidate for the Mesa Public School board, about the incident.
Chris stated that he then brought the matter to the attention of the principal at Mesa High School.
"I was livid because I am a Christian as well, obviously," the fuming dad said.
He added: “What really tipped it over for me is, he kept telling him no, and the teacher kept persisting.”
According to the news report, Nathaniel Hamlet noted that the teacher was absent from the classroom the following day, and has not returned since. Mesa Public Schools have since confirmed that the teacher has been put on paid administrative leave.
Nathaniel said: “I feel like that's fair, but he did it repeatedly to everyone. So I feel like you should probably get fired.”
Nathaniel, the student who spoke out, said the teacher was repetitively waving a pitchfork around him
Image credits: 12 News
Chris reciprocated his scared son’s opinions, asserting that regardless of whether the teacher's actions were intended as humor, the reported classroom behavior was inappropriate.
“If you're gonna keep the Christian stuff out, then you got to keep the devil-worshiping stuff out, period,” Chris said.
In a recent Facebook post aimed at enlisting Republican precinct committeemen, Chris wrote: "Evil is rampant within the Republican party as well; we need WARRIORS for CHRIST!!”
Chris had reportedly run for the Mesa Unified School Board in 2022 as an opponent of "indoctrination, hypersexualization and grooming."
He had received backing from notable far-right Republicans, including State Senator Wendy Rogers from Flagstaff and Congressman Paul Gosar from Bullhead City.
The Christian dad ultimately secured the sixth position in a field of seven candidates.
Nathan's father, a conservative politician, said he was "livid" upon learning what had happened in his son's classroom
Image credits: 12 News
A spokesperson for Mesa Public Schools recently sent 12News the following statement regarding the situation: "Mesa Public Schools administration was notified of the alleged incident at Mesa High School late Wednesday afternoon after school hours.
“Our Human Resources department began the investigation Thursday morning and placed the teacher on paid administrative leave pending the result of the investigation.
“The investigation remains ongoing."
On Monday (October 30) whilst interviewed during their children’s school pick-ups, other parents expressed their disagreement with the teacher's actions.
However, they reportedly believed that terminating the teacher's employment might have been an excessive response.
Other parents said that the decision to suspend the teacher was excessive
Image credits: Stanley Morales (not the actual image)
According to Jeffery Scholes, director of the Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life at the University of Colorado, there are many misconceptions regarding Satanism and the American Church of Satan.
“The Satanic Temple promotes self-autonomy, individual rights, and establishing one’s own morality,” he told The Denver Gazette.
According to certain modern-day Satanists, members are tired of what they see as “mass acceptance to proselytize Christianity in society” and to oppose that is to be a Satanist.
June Everett, an ordained minister of Satan in the Colorado congregation of The Church Of Satan told the publication: “We look to Satan as symbolic and nothing more.”
Jeff went on to explain that Satanists are against traditional religion, as well as being anti-authoritarian.
He said: “They challenge God’s authority using reason, not religion or the Bible. It’s secular humanism with a provocative title — which is what has helped them gain followers.”
You can watch a segment of the teacher's Halloween Spirit Week antics below
Today’s depiction of the devil with red skin, horns, and holding a pitchfork, which is undoubtedly amongst the most popular Halloween costumes, is in fact derived from both ancient Greek mythology and the Book of Revelation.
Aleteia states that the devil’s imagery of horns originates from the Book of Revelation, which describes a great beast with “two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.”
Moreover, the website mentions another bible reference to explain the devil’s pointy tail, as St. John writes about “a great red dragon” whose “tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.”
The pitchfork seemingly emanates from the pitchfork-like staff used by the Greek god of the underworld, Hades, and represents his sovereignty over the dead, the website explains.
Finally, the devil's red tights could be attributed to a modern influence found in Disney’s animation of “devils.”
Simultaneously, this association is rooted in the historical context of medieval morality plays, where the character of Satan was traditionally portrayed by an actor garbed in red attire.
Many people thought that the teacher's treatment as a result of his costume was unfair
