The deadline for Texas school boards to vote on whether or not to allow religious volunteer services is quickly approaching.
In accordance with the so-called chaplain law passed by the Texas Legislature in an 84-60 vote last year, “a school district or open-enrollment charter school may employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain to provide support … for students,” as the text of SB 763 reads. Chaplains may also take on paid positions as mental health counselors. The trustees of every school district in the state must decide whether to opt in or out by March 1.
Those against enlisting the services of chaplains have claimed the measure would allow unlicensed and unqualified people to serve as mental health professionals on campuses and force religious teachings on students who may have different beliefs, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
The opposition includes over 100 Texas chaplains who signed an open letter addressed to school boards across the state, encouraging them to vote against retaining such services, which they referred to as “spiritual malpractice.”
On the other hand, supporters have claimed that chaplains are well-versed in providing non-religious support to those of various faiths and in an array of contexts, including prisons and hospitals. As the National School Chaplain Association said in a statement to WFAA, “[c]haplaincy is an effective role that has proven to dissipate tension, relieve anxiety, resolve conflict, and bring hope.”
Some school boards have already come to a decision on the chaplain bill.
The leadership of the Dallas ISD decided unanimously to bar any chaplain services from its campuses, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. The district is one of the largest in the state and has struggled academically, with only 41% of its students scoring at grade level on the 2021-2022 STAAR exam.
Frisco ISD, Plano ISD, and McKinney ISD also went this route and will not be allowing chaplains to volunteer or provide paid services on their campuses.
A number of school systems have opted to permit religious volunteers at their campuses. The extent of their involvement with the student body depends on each district’s policies, however, they will not act as paid guidance counselors. Such districts include North Texas, Allen ISD, Keller ISD, Fort Worth ISD, and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. In the Austin area, Round Rock ISD, Georgetown ISD, and Pflugerville ISD have gone in the same direction.
Carroll ISD will allow the hiring of chaplains if they fulfill the same requirements as licensed guidance counselors.
The largest district in the state and the eighth largest in the country, Houston ISD, has yet to hold a vote on the matter. Its next school board meeting is on January 18. Advocacy work to see chaplains allowed on its campuses has already begun.
“Number one is winning over the leaders currently in the school system, the school boards — or changing them. Number two is persuading and winning over enough pastors to see this as a mission field,” said Rev. Dave Welch of the Houston Area Pastor Council, according to The Texas Tribune.
Like Dallas ISD, Houston ISD has been struggling academically for years. Last year, the Texas Education Agency had to take over the district. It appointed former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles to head up its operations, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.