Florida Takes a Step Toward Opening Public Schools to Chaplains

Instructor Blanca Claudio teaches a history lesson in Spanish in a dual language academy class at Franklin High School in Los Angeles on May 25, 2017. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Spiritual guidance could soon become an option for more of Florida’s students as state legislation to approve chaplains in public schools moves one step closer to a vote.

And with the favorable passing on Feb. 20 of Senate Bill 1044 in the Appropriations Committee on Education, the Sunshine State takes a step toward opening its public schools to chaplains, following other conservative states such as Texas.

The two-page legislation does not include a job description for applicants beyond passing a background check. Neither does it propose a way to fund a chaplain’s school-specific training and time.

Rather, it seeks to authorize a decentralized, voluntary system in which individual school districts can set their own parameters. Chaplains get to take the role voluntarily, and parents get to decide if they want their children to interact with the chaplains.

“We are empowering the school districts to make decisions that are in the best interest of the children in their community, in setting the requirements that they feel would be necessary to protect their children and make sure that any type of counseling is legitimate counseling and set the requirements thereof,” said Republican state Sen. Gayle Harrell.

However, several citizens and church leaders had reservations and presented a list of concerns about the legislation. They included the lack of standards listed in the bill, the lack of what they argued would be necessary funding for school safety training and income, and the lack of respect for their perception of the separation of church and state.

‘Let’s Do It Right’

“My first concern with this bill is the absence of training or requirements for someone to serve as a school chaplain. Passing a background check is not sufficient to provide spiritual care and could cause spiritual harm,” said Pastor Rachel Gunter Shapard.

She also expressed concern about possibly opening the door to “bad actors” who could get past the lack of standards and cause harm to children and suggested that chaplains should not be a substitute for traditional guidance counselors.

“Chaplains are trained to give spiritual care,” she said. “They do not have the training to serve as a school guidance counselor, or the state certification or any other requirements necessary to serve as a school counselor.”

Rev. Joe Paramore was next to emphasize the need for proper standards and certification for the would-be chaplains. He argued that school chaplains should be held to the same standards as other chaplains in hospitals and the military, as well as other school employees.

“We require our guidance counselors to be certified,” he said. “We require our school psychologist to be certified. We require our teachers to be certified because we’re committing to... the welfare of our young people. And so, I do not think it is out of the question to say why don’t we apply the same principle to school chaplains across the board.”

He also highlighted basic education requirements for other chaplaincy positions, such as a bachelor’s degree with 30 hours of counseling, psychology, or theology, or three to four units of what he called “Clinical Pastoral Education,” or CPE.

“What CPE does is it provides the basics and the essentials to become board certified,” he said. “And those things cover hospice, palliative care, alcohol and drug addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health, moral injury, suicide prevention. It is presented in a non-biased spiritual care.”

He also emphasized that there are not only Christian children in Florida’s public schools, and the views of non-Christian students should also be respected and taken into consideration.

“Let’s do it right,” he said. “And let’s do it respectfully and listen to it with the individual in mind and not what the more global picture is presenting.”

A view of the historic Old Florida State Capitol building, which sits in front of the current New Capitol, in Tallahassee, Florida, on Nov. 10, 2018. Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

‘The Right Balance’

While only four people spoke, the committee recognized 19 people in attendance who opposed the bill. That opposition was echoed by state Sen. Tracie Davis, a Democrat, who cast the sole vote against it. She emphasized that the bill does not provide any guidelines or requirements for how school districts could go about appointing chaplains.

“We’re dealing with individuals that are not necessarily trained, [or] certified to be in a classroom with a student,” she said. “Anyone dealing with children should be licensed, trained, certified to do that.”

Some others didn’t find the idea of having religious leaders in public schools appropriate.

Republican State Sen. Erin Grall, the bill’s sponsor, argued that the diversity of needs and preferences among parents and school districts and certification standards among the different Christian denominations warrant a broad approach from the state.

“I think that this provides the right balance and gives the option to school districts who want to take it and have a more robust conversation about how this can be a part of the services that are offered on their campus,” she said.

Committee members voted 4–1 in favor of the legislation in its current form.

If passed, SB 1044 would make Florida the latest state to open public schools to chaplains.

The first to pass such legislation allowing chaplains to “provide support, services, and programs for students,” was Texas, where it was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June 2023.

After that, similar legislative movements were reported to be in 11 states, including Florida.