New Ohio bill would allow unlicensed chaplains to work in public schools

Ohio House Republicans have proposed new legislation that would permit public schools to employ unlicensed chaplains. 

HB 240 was introduced on July 11 by Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus (R-Paris Township). The bill has nine Republican co-sponsors, including Rep. Gary Click (sponsor of HB 68 to ban gender-affirming care and trans female athletes) and Rep. Angela King (sponsor of HB 245 to ban drag in front of minors). 

If passed, HB 240 would allow public schools to “employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain to provide support, services and programs for students.” 

Unlike other public school personnel who must be licensed by the state, the bill specifically outlines that these chaplains shall “not be required to apply for a license or certification with the state board of education.”

Chaplains would be required to complete a criminal-records check and would not be eligible to apply to work if found guilty of disqualifying crimes.

The Buckeye Flame reached out to Rep. Stoltzfuz multiple times for comment and this piece will be updated if his response is received. 

Concerns expressed

LGBTQ+ equality advocates say the bill leaves many questions unanswered, including the background of these chaplains, the supervision they will receive and the methodology they will employ in working with students. 

“A non-affirming chaplain could attempt to ‘change’ a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity through conversion ‘therapy’ and other harmful, pseudoscientific means,” said. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, of LOVEboldly, an Ohio faith-based nonprofit creating and developing spaces where LGBTQ+ people can flourish in Christianity.

Volunteer chaplains are not trained counselors, and should not serve that role in Ohio’s public schools [COMMENTARY]

Shawn Grime, executive director of the Ohio School Counselor Association (OSCA), said the organization is not prepared to release a formal statement on the bill, but will likely take an official stance after the bill moves forward in committee. 

“What I can say is that your question about how this bill could impact LGBTQ+ students is a question we will also be asking,” Grime said. “OSCA is a firm advocate for our LGBTQ+ students and we assess all prospective bills through a DEI lens that looks at how proposed changes may impact our students, especially our most vulnerable.”

But first, in Texas…

Earlier this year, the Texas legislature passed a similar bill which allows school districts to employ a chaplain instead of a school counselor to perform school counseling duties. 

Requirements for the chaplains are decided by local school boards.  

Democrats attempted to amend the bill to require some sort of accreditation, ban the chaplains from attempting to convert students from one religion to another, require that students obtain parental consent before meeting with chaplains and require that schools provide chaplains from any faith or denomination requested by a student. All of those amendments were defeated. 

Opponents worry the Texas bill will be used as a Trojan horse for religious activists to recruit students. Additional concerns have been raised that chaplains using unscientific and unproven methods of mental healthcare could worsen the student mental health crisis. 

“This is not what a real chaplaincy program looks like,” Joshua Houston of Texas Impact, an interfaith organization that advocates on behalf of some of the state’s largest religious groups, told The Texas Tribune. “We have chaplains as members. We have seminaries as members that train chaplains. They all have qualifications. In this bill, they are completely unqualified.”

Proponents of the Texas bill argued that chaplains have no desire to convert students from one religion to another. 

One of those proponents is Rocky Malloy, the head of the National School Chaplain Association, who testified to the Texas legislature in support of the bill. According to The Texas Tribune, Malloy failed to mention that he has, for decades, led an organization called Mission Generation that openly champions its ability to use school chaplains for evangelizing students. 🔥

Ignite Action

• Do you know your state legislator? Go HERE to enter your address to find out who represents you. Then contact them. And let them know your thoughts on HB 240.