You probably have Pagan students, and you may not know it. This guide gives teachers, counselors, and administrators what they need to treat those students and their families fairly and to teach about Paganism accurately.
Fourth edition, 2025. Written with the help of twelve working teachers and administrators. This guide concerns public schools in the United States and is general information, not legal advice.
Five Things to Know
- Paganism is a family of religions, including Wicca, Druidry, and Heathenry, that honor the sacredness of nature and usually more than one deity. See What Is Paganism?
- It is protected like any other religion. Pagan students have the same rights of religious expression as their classmates.
- Pagan families are often private about their religion. A child may have been told not to mention it at school.
- The festivals are real holy days. Samhain, at the end of October, and Yule, at the winter solstice, are the most widely kept.
- Pagan children hear a great deal about wicked witches. They notice how adults respond.
In the Classroom
Religious Symbols and Dress
A pentacle, a Hammer of Thor, or another religious pendant should be treated as you treat a cross or any other religious symbol. If your dress code allows religious jewelry, it allows these. If a symbol is unfamiliar, ask the student or the family what it is, privately and with ordinary courtesy. See Symbols and Their Meanings.
Religious Expression in Schoolwork
A student may write about a family festival, draw a seasonal altar, or mention a goddess in a poem, in the same way that classmates refer to their own religious lives. Grade the work on its academic merits.
When Classmates Ask Questions
Let the student decide whether to answer. Do not ask a child to explain their religion to the class unless the child and the parents have agreed in advance. If a classmate says that the student's religion is evil or not real, respond as you would to any remark that disparages a classmate's religion.
Seasonal Activities
Autumn materials that show witches as ugly or frightening can be painful for a child whose mother calls herself a Witch. You need not remove every pointed hat from the classroom. Consider balancing or replacing materials that present witches only as villains, and be ready for a child to say, "That is not what witches are."
In December, a Pagan child's family may be celebrating Yule. Seasonal units that include several winter observances can include the solstice.
Holy Days and Absences
- Handle a request for a religious absence under your district policy exactly as you would for any other religion.
- Observance often begins the evening before a festival and may run late. A student may be tired the next morning.
- Where possible, avoid scheduling major tests on October 31, November 1, and the days of the solstices and equinoxes.
- Exact dates are listed in our annual Holiday Accommodation Calendar and explained in The Wheel of the Year.
Teaching About Paganism
Public schools may teach about religion when the approach is academic and neutral. If your course covers world religions, new religious movements, or the ancient world, contemporary Paganism can be included on the same footing.
Suggestions
- Present Paganism in the present tense. Pagans are living people, not only a chapter on antiquity.
- Distinguish the ancient religions of Greece, Rome, Egypt, and northern Europe from the modern religions inspired by them.
- Teach the historical witch trials as the history of an accusation, and keep them distinct from the modern religion of Wicca.
- Use the vocabulary Pagans use for themselves. Our Glossary may help.
- Capitalize Pagan, Wicca, and Wiccan as you capitalize the names of other religions.
- Do not ask Pagan students to act as spokespersons, and do not stage or simulate rituals in class.
A Speakers Bureau volunteer can visit your class, in person or online, and follows the same rules of neutrality that bind you.
Counselors and Administrators
When a Student Discloses
A student who tells you that they are Pagan may be telling you something that few others know. Keep it in confidence, as you would other personal information. A teenager exploring Paganism without the knowledge of their parents should be treated as you would treat any student exploring a religion different from the family's.
Bullying
Religious taunting of Pagan students most often takes the form of "devil worshipper," "witch" used as an insult, and warnings about damnation. Apply your anti-bullying policy as written. Unfamiliarity with the religion is not a reason to treat the matter as less serious.
When a Parent Complains About a Pagan Student or Teacher
From time to time a parent objects to a classmate's pendant or to a teacher's religion. The answer is the one you would give about any religion: the school does not regulate the lawful religious identity of its students and staff.
Student Clubs
If your secondary school permits clubs unrelated to the curriculum, a student-led Pagan club is entitled to the same access. See Religious Rights in Schools.
Policy Review
Check that your dress code, absence policy, and anti-bullying policy use wording that covers all religions. On request, Pagan EdNet will review a policy and suggest wording without charge.
Working With Pagan Parents
Pagan parents want what other parents want: a safe school and a fair teacher. Many are wary, because they or their friends have had bad experiences. A matter-of-fact welcome goes a long way. If a parent raises a concern, listen, thank them, and tell them what will happen next.
We Can Help
Teachers and administrators may write to education@paganednet.org with any question, including questions about a specific situation. We answer in confidence, and we would always prefer to help prevent a problem than to hear about it afterward. For a one-page summary to share with colleagues, see the Plain Facts fact sheets.