Ohio Republicans introduce bill to allow chaplains in public schools to provide undefined ‘support, services and programs’

Ohio Republicans have introduced a bill to allow public schools “to engage volunteer chaplains to provide support services” while in no way defining those support services.

HB 531 (“The School Chaplain Act”) was introduced in the Ohio House on Tuesday and referred Wednesday to the House Education Committee. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta), the co-founder of a private Christian school in the Mid-Ohio Valley, and Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), a megachurch pastor. 

Although the bill is similar to one introduced in 2023 in the previous General Assembly (HB 240) to allow public schools to employ chaplains in public schools, the bill introduced this week has some key differences:

• Unlike the 2023 bill, HB 531 only allows a public school to have a chaplain performing services as a volunteer, not as an employee. 
• HB 531 provides a definition of “chaplain” that the previous bill never provided:  “a religious professional who has received endorsement or certification by a recognized ecclesiastical endorsing agency and who provides spiritual programming, support, and counseling outside of a traditional church setting.”
• HB 531 forces all Ohio’s school districts to vote by December 1, 2026 on whether their schools would accept a chaplain as a volunteer. 
• HB 531 allows students to “participate in supports, programs, or services provided by a chaplain during school hours” with parental permission. 

Both bills specify that chaplain services may be offered in addition to, but not in replacement of, school counselor services. And both bills require that the volunteer chaplains undergo a criminal records check. 

A key piece missing in the current bill: any definition of the support, programs or services a chaplain may provide in public schools. There are no parameters currently in the bill on how these chaplains are allowed to interact with students, including whether they can meet one-on-one with students behind closed doors. 

‘Unregulated clergy’

The bill and its lack of specifics drew quick reactions from faith and education advocates alike. 

The Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, executive director of Ohio LGBTQ+ Christian nonprofit LOVEboldy, said that HB 531 takes a small step in improving on the previous bill, but that the premise of introducing chaplains into public schools. 

“The bill never names what services chaplains will provide, how they will be limited against proselytizing, how they will interact with students from other faith traditions (particularly in rural districts where chaplains would largely be Christian), and how chaplains might introduce their own moral and ethical judgments into their work against Queer and other already marginalized students,” said Huelskamp, who also serves on the Board of The Buckeye Flame. “Rather than address the shortage of school counselors in Ohio schools, HB 531 represents the use of an existing problem to introduce unregulated clergy into public schools.” 

Dr. Christina Collins, executive director of Honesty for Ohio Education, a nonpartisan statewide organization, said this is “another way of pushing religion into [public] schools.”

She too highlighted the shortage of school counselors in Ohio. 

“According to the American School Counselor Association, Ohio’s student to counselor ratio was 403:1 in 2022-2023; their recommended ratio is significantly lower at 250:1; however, because our state refuses to adequately fund public education, schools lack the resources to address serious mental health issues our children face,” Collins said. 

Collins said that allowing chaplains who may lack proper training for working with youth might make things worse depending on the actions of the chaplains, especially as their “services” are undefined in the bill. 

“For example, what will chaplains be discussing with students?” Collins asked. “What topics will they be allowed to cover? Will they be providing religious-based advice on sex and sexuality? Will they be permitted to use anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric? Will they be providing advice on sensitive subjects such as abuse that should really be handled by a licensed mental health professional? Will they be mandatory reporters?”

Collins said that unless these questions can be answered, “this bill simply remains too risky for our kids.” 

Similar bills have passed in Texas and Florida and have been introduced in 12 other states. 🔥

IGNITE ACTION

• The roster for the House Education Committee can be found here.
• The Buckeye Flame’s Ohio LGBTQ+ legislation guide for 2025 can be found here.
• To register to vote or to check your voter eligibility status in the state of Ohio, click here.
• To find contact information for your Ohio state representative, click here.