KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to make it happen as soon as the coming school year.
Under HB 931, both public and charter schools can adopt a volunteer chaplain program to provide students with additional support services beyond guidance counselors. Districts would have to inform parents that chaplains are present, their services, and any religious affiliation. Students would need written parental consent to access them.
The idea was controversial during the 2024 legislative session. Both the state House and Senate chambers were split on the measure.
Backers of the change, like Sen. Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce), believed the change would broaden freedoms and note chaplains have been in some public institutions for decades.
“We talk about it every year, the access to mental health services,” Grall said last month during a chamber debate on the bill. “You go down the list of services that we provide access to in our schools, this is merely adding an option.”
Critics have worried that the change flies too close to the Establishment Clause in the US Constitution, which guides the separation between church and state. Others have questioned the credentials of chaplains. While they’ll need a background screening, the volunteers won't need to meet the same training standards as school counselors.
“The minute that you try to put your religion on other people that’s when it becomes a problem,” said Sen. Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton), a Jewish state lawmaker. “As a member of a minority religion, I feel it every day. It makes me so uncomfortable.”
There’s also a lingering question of which religious groups will take part in the program. That’s as The Satanic Temple, which has tax-exempt church status, says it “looks forward” to participating.
And @satanic_temple_ just reaffirmed it would participate in a statement from @LucienGreaves:
— Forrest Saunders (@FBSaunders) April 18, 2024
“…if he (DeSantis) signs the chaplain bill, he is putting Satanic chaplains in Florida public schools.” pic.twitter.com/fN3enRMt4l
TST is actually a civil rights advocacy group that’s focused on making a point about what it sees as religious intrusions into American politics. Members don’t worship Satan despite embracing the symbol as a rebellious icon.
Even so, the governor’s team planned to address the organization's pledge and prevent it from having a presence at Florida schools. That conflict could result in a First Amendment legal challenge.
With the governor’s signature, the new law takes effect in July of this year.
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