In April, Governor Ron DeSantis gave Florida public schools permission to bring volunteer chaplains on campus to counsel students whose parents have indicated it is OK to do so.
When the law went into effect Monday, many district officials indicated they had no plans to implement it.
That’s similar to what happened in Texas, where the state’s largest school districts rejected 2023 legislation on school chaplaincy, according to the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.
One of the biggest concerns in Florida focuses on who might be eligible to become a chaplain. The law requires background checks but does not include training requirements.
“It’s too controversial,” said Hillsborough County School Board Member Nadia Combs, who didn’t expect the idea to gain traction among her colleagues. “We need professional specialists to deal with kids with mental health issues.”
Combs also raised the issue of schools’ ability to accommodate students of different faiths and raised security questions.
Richard Shirley, superintendent of Sumter County schools north of Lakeland, said there could be potential legal complications from the law’s implementation. He noted that the language does not fully define “chaplain” and worried that “splinter groups” that are not necessarily welcome could find their way into schools under the program.
The Satanic Temple, known for its activism in defense of pluralism and secularism in American public life, announced its desire to provide chaplains shortly after DeSantis signed the bill. DeSantis responded that the group, which does not worship Satan but uses the controversial name, was “not a religion” and would not be allowed in the schools.
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The IRS recognizes The Satanic Temple as a tax-exempt church.
Co-founder Lucien Greaves said DeSantis is deliberately misleading school districts about what is legally allowed simply because he disagrees with the religion.
“There’s no legal weight to him just stating it from a podium,” Greaves said. “All he’s doing is misinforming school districts, telling them they can turn us down when in reality they have no reason to do so and could lose badly in court.”
The Satanic Temple won a lawsuit in 2023, which involved $200,000 in legal fees, against a Pennsylvania school district that banned the Temple from participating in after-school activities along with other outside organizations.
Such a potential conflict strengthened Shirley’s position.
“Neither I personally, nor this very conservative school board (which represents a very conservative citizenry) would ever allow these marginalized groups access to our children,” Shirley said via email. “There is much debate about the unintended consequences of opening that door, as good as it might be — at least until we better understand the parameters, intent, definitions, and provisions. Negative influences can derail a law that is meant to be positive.”
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Other factors that play a role
In South Florida, the chaplaincy program is being considered in Miami-Dade County, where the results of a study proposed by DeSantis-backed Board Member Roberto J. Alonso are expected to be presented to the School Board this month. But the Broward School District has not yet taken action on the program, and at least one board member has concerns.
“I am a person of faith, but I also believe in the separation of faiths in our public schools,” said board member Sarah Leonardi.
Some officials felt that schools had enough to do without taking on additional program tasks that were not mandatory.
“It just said that you Allowed “There needs to be clergy,” said Laura Hine, president of the Pinellas County School Board.
She added that the issue was not on the district’s radar. District officials said they expected to use existing practices to bring volunteers and mentors into classrooms.
Lawmakers made participation in the chaplaincy program voluntary, not only for families but also for schools. This was done in part to avoid perceived problems that would arise from the state imposing religion in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
They took a similar approach in 2012 with a bill that allowed districts to adopt policies allowing students to deliver “inspirational messages” at public events. No district acted on the law.
Others argued that the chaplain law is unnecessary, pointing to programs they already have in place. Suwanee County Superintendent Ted Roush, for example, said his district northwest of Gainesville would rely on its longstanding volunteer policy to determine who could participate in school events and activities.
“Our schools and district office currently have existing relationships with religious organizations and we will continue to support and monitor our current practices,” said Paul Abbatannozi, assistant superintendent of St. Johns County Schools.
The Orange County School District had similar plans to work within its decades-old Faith-Based Initiative, which includes partnerships with about 150 outside organizations, spokesman Michael Ollendorf said. “The district has been able to connect our students with community members who inspire and help our students through mentoring and other programs.”
That is not to say that there is no discussion at all.
Districts like Pasco and Hernando are examining their responsibilities coming out of the 2024 legislative session and will determine what they need to do to meet the new requirements that are emerging. The Osceola County district is taking things a step further.
“Our Chief of Staff will convene a committee of community and school stakeholders to discuss the legislation so that our district can draft a clergy in schools policy that our school board can consider adopting,” spokesperson Dana Schafer said in an email.
In Miami-Dade, Alonso’s proposal for a study of the program stated that “The presence of chaplains “serves as a refuge for students and staff, providing a confidential space where they can feel supported and safe.”
But as the school year quickly approaches (districts could start classes as early as August 12), it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that there will be a policy in place before students return.
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau reporter Ana Ceballos and Miami Herald reporters Clara-Sophia Daly and Alecia Taylor contributed to this report.
