A Gloucester County school district has rejected a request by a parents' group to restrict access to "satanic" material in school libraries.
Superintendent Tom Fleming announced the decision Tuesday in a letter sent to the National Concerned Citizens for Youth. The group had cited two books in particular, "The Devil's Storybook" and "The Devil: Great Mysteries, Opposing Viewpoints," and said elementary and middle-schoolers should not have access to them.
Fleming said a district committee had reviewed the works and determined they were not objectionable, but group leaders vowed to continue its efforts.
"This is not the end, we're in it for the long haul. If we need to go to court, we will," said Tahir Mella. He maintains that the books sparked his 14-year-old stepson's interest in Satanism and led him down a dark path that included self-mutilation.