KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Volunteer chaplains will be allowed in Florida schools to offer support to students under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday.
HB 931 establishes a statewide school chaplain program and gives school districts and charter schools to power to allow volunteer chaplains on school campuses to provide counseling to children.
"You got a lot of these problems that kids go through. There are some students where they need some soul craft. And that can make all the difference in the world. So these chaplains will be able to come and provide services," DeSantis said during a bill signing at Tohopekaliga High School in Kissimmee.
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The law requires Florida school districts to decide by Jan. 1 of next year if they'll allow volunteer chaplains to visit campuses. Parents must then provide written consent for their children to receive services.
In addition, school districts must provide a list of volunteer chaplains, including their religious affiliation, on their district's website.
"You have a right to come and offer these services. It's totally voluntary for a parent or a student to participate. No one is being forced to do anything. But to exclude religious groups from campus, that is discrimination," DeSantis said.
Opponents argued there's no place for chaplains in schools, especially when there's no requirement that they be trained in psychology or to work with children.
"The minute that you try to put your religion upon other people, that’s when it becomes a problem. And as a member of a minority religion, I feel it every day. And it makes me so uncomfortable," Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, who is Jewish, said after the Florida Legislature passed the bill in March. "To me, religion is something you choose to do with your family after school."
