Survey finds low use of law allowing districts to hire chaplains as counselors

AUSTIN – The Austin American-Statesman reports that in the Baird school district — a rural, two-campus system about 20 miles east of Abilene in West Texas — faith is a big part of the community. The two main churches host welcome dinners for faculty members at the beginning of each school year. The church youth programs are involved with the 350-student district. “It’s a very natural relationship,” Superintendent Tim Little said. Yet, while most residents in the communities the Baird district serves share similar faiths, there’s a line that the superintendent said shouldn’t be crossed. “We would frown on anyone who was coming in and trying to proselytize to our kids,” Little said. To Little and the faith leaders he works with, the relationship to support student and faculty life is separate from students’ counseling needs.

Two years ago, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 763, which required Baird and all other school districts in Texas to decide by March 1, 2024, whether they would create a program in which chaplains could “provide support, services, and programs for students,” similar to the way counselors do. Baird was one among hundreds of Texas districts that voted to uphold existing practices to allow chaplains to volunteer like any other person. SB 763 doesn’t require a chaplain to be certified by the State Board for Educator Certification. “It’s not something that we need pushed on us legislatively,” Little said. “We also realize, and our preachers in the community would tell you, they’re not qualified to be a school counselor. That’s not their calling. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to work with kids, but we want to clearly distinguish those two roles.” The American-Statesman surveyed all 1,019 Texas school districts on their votes dealing with SB 763. Of the more than half that responded, about 36% declined to create a school chaplain program. Most districts — 39% — resolved to uphold their existing volunteer policies, with some noting that chaplains were welcome to volunteer in schools just as any other community member is. About 19% of the districts that responded to the Statesman’s inquiries had agreed to create a chaplain volunteer or employment program. However, about 18 months since the law went into effect, the Statesman found that only two districts had hired, or had immediate plans to hire, a chaplain. Instead, most districts said they wanted the option to bring chaplains to campuses in times of tragedy.