Chaplains Don't Belong in Public Schools

On Friday, September 1, one of the new laws taking effect in Texas, SB 763, authorizes public school districts to hire chaplains using funds allocated to improve school safety and security. There are several problems with this, no requirement for training in child psychology or development, no prohibition on proselytizing, and it is clearly unconstitutional.

Conservative Christian proponents of the bill claim without evidence the bringing religion into public schools will somehow reduce violence, drug use, and suicide in schools. I went to Catholic schools for 12 years with nuns and brothers as teachers and I can tell you from personal experience there was no lack of violence or drug use in Catholic schools. House Democrats offered amendments that would have required chaplains to have similar accreditation as chaplains who work in prisons or the U.S. military, to bar proselytizing or attempts to convert students from one religion to another; to require chaplains to receive consent from the parents of school children; and to make schools provide chaplains from any faith or denomination requested by students. All of those amendments failed.

In legislative hearings, the bills proponents like Rocky Malloy, assured lawmakers that chaplains were not interested in proselytizing. Malloy, a self-described former drug-smuggling pirate saved by divine intervention, founded and runs Mission Generation, the  group’s website says “Mission Generation has 20 years of experience bringing Jesus to the classrooms of public schools.”

The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty opposed the bill and has organized efforts to urge school boards to keep chaplains out of public schools. In a letter to school boards signed by over 100 certified chaplains they state “As trained chaplains, we are not qualified for the duties envisioned by SB 763. We cooperate with mental health counselors – we do not compete with them. Further, professions which help children with sensitive matters, such as therapists and police investigators, typically require special training on how to interview and treat juveniles. Few chaplains have this expertise.”

I don’t know about you but when my daughter was in public school I’d have been quite upset if some Protestant or Evangelical chaplain had been proselytizing to her in the guise of counseling.

SB 763 is part of a broad push by conservative Christians to insert religion in public life claiming that separation of church and state is a false doctrine. Mind you these are the same folks who claim that if it isn’t specifically stated in the constitution that it isn’t constitutional when arguing that the Department of Commerce or Department of Education shouldn’t exist. Anyone who reads the constitution will see that there are only two mentions of religion. The first is in Article VI which says in part “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” The second is in the First Amendment stating “Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise.”

You have an opportunity to put a stop to this in your community. Find out when the school board meets and plan to attend at least long enough to participate in the citizens to be heard segment which is usually in the early part of the meeting. Tell them you want the board’s official policy to be that chaplains are not hired or accepted as volunteers.

Published in the Seguin Gazette - August 30, 2023