Religious chaplains will be permitted to act as school counselors in K-12 schools in Florida.
Published on March 8, 2024 at 12:16 pm
Religious chaplains will likely soon be permitted to act as school counselors in K-12 schools in Florida.
The Florida Senate approved a bill Thursday that lets school districts and charter schools adopt policies allowing volunteers to serve as a chaplain, or a religious representative, to students. The House approved the bill last month.
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All chaplains would be listed in a document sent to parents with their religion included, and parental consent would be required before a student could meet with a chaplain.
Democrats opposed the bill on the Senate floor, citing concerns that it would place religion into public schools, violating separation of church and state.
Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, says religious activity should be something that happens outside of school.
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“I went to Hebrew school after school. There was no mention of anything religious during the day. And that is our choice as a family to do or not to do,” Polskey said. “We are already funding religious schools with our voucher money. When is enough, enough?”
Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, disagrees. He argues that since parents must give permission for their children to meet with a chaplain, that doesn’t violate requirements for the separation of church and state.
“There is not a forcing of participation. If parents don’t want their child to participate, they don’t have to,” Yarborough said. “So, I see it as a balanced way to go about this.”
The bill will become law on July 1, 2024 if it is not vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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