Chaplains Allowed in Texas Schools
What could a new state law mean for public school students and teachers?
I have often told my wife that my dream job would be a public school chaplain. Well, the Texas legislature passed a bill to allow chaplains in public schools1 and it was signed into law by Governor Abbott this summer. School boards all over the state must decide whether to have chaplains in their schools and have a recorded vote of yes or no within six months. The reality is that I am in no position to leave my job to become a chaplain, but nonetheless, this is a real-time current event that has implications for us, our kids, and our schools.
You can read the full text of the bill. Let’s take a look at a couple of parts.
Sec.A23.001.AA SCHOOL CHAPLAINS. (a) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain to provide support, services, and programs for students as assigned by the board of trustees of the district or the governing body of the school.
This tells me that school boards are going to have significant power and authority in establishing, defining, and overseeing the work of chaplains. The law only states that schools are allowed to have chaplains, not that they must. All of the criteria for what this service or program will look like are left to each school board.
SECTION A2.AA Section 48.115(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (b)AA Funds allocated under this section must be used to improve school safety and security,…
Interestingly, for any districts that decide to compensate chaplains or pay for their training, the money will come from the budget for safety and security.
What are your thoughts about chaplains being in schools?
To put my cards on the table, I gladly support having chaplains in schools, but I also understand why many people have reservations about this idea. If a school or district is going to have chaplains serving staff and students, then it is necessary to proceed with caution.
As the bill was being debated and revised along its way to eventually arriving at the governor’s desk, Representative James Talarico was one who raised some questions and objections. Here is my take on the anxiety some have toward the idea of public school chaplains and why I think it is actually an opportunity for unity. For example, one fear is that chaplains will come into schools and start pushing their religion onto others. Another fear is that chaplains will degrade other religions or make someone feel bad for not believing at all. An understandable fear is that extremists, such as Christian nationalists, will try to enter the schools by becoming chaplains.
So far, these fears I have mentioned should be the same fears Christians have about this initiative. As a follower of Christ, if I had the choice of having a chaplain in my school who would constantly try to persuade people to believe like them or having no chaplain at all, I would choose to have no chaplain. If a chaplain came into the school with an agenda to legitimize a Christian nationalist ideology, then it would be better to have no chaplain. In other words, what makes an atheist apprehensive about such legislation should be the same things that would make a Christian apprehensive about it.
I am using Christianity as the example here, but the truth is there will potentially be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Buddhist chaplains serving in schools, as well. All of the same fears and arguments hold regardless of which faith or religion is being represented.
One of the organizations that testified in favor of the bill and is promoting the initiative to school boards for implementation is the National School Chaplains Association (NSCA).2 In a recent email to constituents, the NSCA recommended readers to remind local school boards of the alarming levels of stress that teachers and students are under. Valid point! The message emphasized the need for additional mental and emotional health support for educators. Also true!
Here is an excerpt from the NSCA’s suggested email for school boards to consider:
School chaplains are trained professionals who offer pastoral counseling, guidance, and support to teachers and students of any faith or no faith at all. They are not there to proselytize or impose their beliefs, but to listen, empathize, and help us cope with our struggles and find meaning and purpose in our work. Thousands of school chaplains have proven to help create a positive and inclusive school culture. Research has shown that spirituality can reduce stress, increase happiness, enhance self-esteem, and promote physical health.
If this is an honest appeal, then it is a wise approach. As both a follower of Christ and a veteran public school educator, I do not see anything but more headaches for school administrators if chaplains come into schools to “proselytize or impose their beliefs,” but I do see an enormous potential benefit if chaplains come into schools to “listen, empathize, and help us cope with our struggles and find meaning and purpose in our work.”
To my fellow Christians with any hopes of becoming school chaplains, if the work is done as Jesus would do it, then the result will be a more positive and inclusive school culture. The Spirit would still insist that we serve in order to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The stage is set for a beautiful opportunity because this fruit is exactly what our schools need. Everyone’s job and student learning would be easier with more peace, patience, kindness, and self-control on display. All stakeholders would benefit!
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SCHOOL BOARDS
It will be tempting for school boards to enter into the fray of the age-old separation of church and state debate or the politics of this bill. I anticipate that we will, unfortunately, see and hear fearmongering from both sides to support or oppose chaplaincy. I’m going to sidestep those issues here because I think it will be much more productive if school districts could discuss expectations and metrics around three themes for the work of chaplains: Voice, Victory, and Vision.
VOICE
How could chaplains help more people in our system find their voice? Often there are systemic barriers to people exercising more choice and giving input or feedback. Administrators needs to address these issues. But many times, there are personal, emotional, or psychological factors holding a person back from healthy self-expression or communication with others. Through active listening and reflection, chaplains could be additional support to counselors, social workers, and leadership coaches.
VICTORY
How could chaplains encourage and celebrate more people in our system toward their successes? Chaplains could positively impact school culture almost immediately by being cheerleaders for the wonderful things happening that may often get overlooked. Chaplains could learn practical ways to highlight the personal and collective gains of all stakeholders through conversations, goal-setting, progress monitoring, and other means. In fact, if chaplains were on campuses doing nothing more than bragging on people “behind their backs” it would go a long way to building better learning environments.
VISION
How could chaplains challenge individuals to move toward their vision or picture of a preferred future? The ethics, norms, and expectations within schools are the perfect areas to ground chaplaincy work. Chaplains could help students and staff with their dreams and identity formation, what they are pursuing, what they want to become, and discover why it matters.
I believe that students who are able to find their voice, experience victory, and shape their vision will not only have happier days during their formal education but also will be better equipped for their life after it. Chaplains could have a tremendous positive impact on students, staff, and families.3
More info on the bill can be found in this article: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/10/texas-legislature-passes-bill-allowing-chaplains-in-public-schools/
You can find out more about NSCA and Chaplains in School at www.nationalschoolchaplainassociation.org
Personal note: Some people might not like the fact that the bill does not require chaplains to be certified or licensed or endorsed by any specific church or organization. I am actually pleased to see such a prerequisite missing, but I do anticipate many boards will include this kind of stipulation. I will be interested to see how it turns out and I hope that I am wrong.