Bill that allows untrained chaplains in Ohio schools opposed by chaplains themselves during third hearing

Social workers, school counselors and even chaplains themselves testified at the Ohio statehouse Tuesday afternoon, voicing their opposition to a bill that would allow untrained and uncertified chaplains to volunteer in Ohio public schools.

Ohio House Bill (HB) 531 received its third hearing before members of the House Education Committee, who questioned the general lack of standardized requirements for volunteer chaplains under the bill.

Proposed by conservative Christian and long-time evangelical pastor Rep. Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), the bill would not require chaplains to be certified by either the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) or the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc. (BCCI) – the nation’s largest chaplain certification body, representing more than 5,000 members.

Instead, the bill would allow chaplains to serve in schools with “endorsements” from their own denominations, which have fewer educational and practical requirements.

Without a standardized training and educational process for volunteer chaplains, experts say their presence in schools could jeopardize the health and safety of some students – including LGBTQ+ students and students with non-Christian religious or cultural backgrounds.

APC/BCCI has previously opposed similar school chaplain bills in other states. In Texas, Florida and Louisiana, Republican lawmakers ultimately passed similar legislation anyway.

While the group told The Buckeye Flame it “supports the inclusion of  properly trained and certified chaplains in a professional capacity in any area that they are properly prepared for,” a representative for ACP/BCCI also raised concerns around the bill’s lack of standardized training and educational requirements.

“Other professionals working in public schools are required to have specific education and training related to working with students and children,” APC/BCCI told The Buckeye Flame. “We would expect that requirement would extend to chaplains, should they be employed by a school.”

Differing certification standards 

The bill requires that volunteer chaplains pass a general background check and hold an endorsement from a “recognized ecclesiastical endorsing agency,” which likely covers a range of denominations offering their own certifications and “endorsements.”

Endorsements are not the same as certifications, and typically require fewer practical hours and less religious trying and educational standards.

Collectively, about 10,000 board-certified Christian chaplains currently practice across the United States, including an estimated 3,000-4,000 active military personnel.

Chaplains employed by hospitals, jails, prisons, schools and law enforcement agencies are most commonly required to hold a masters degree in divinity or theology, along with logging several thousand hours of documented practical experience.

However, each certifying body has its own training and educational standards – some far less rigorous than others.

The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), for example, offers four separate types of chaplaincy certifications. To obtain full board-certified chaplain status, ACC requires applications to hold an advanced degree.

The Spiritual Care Association (SCA)’s standards are also rigorous. Even the group’s most basic certification process requires candidates to obtain letters of professional recommendation, pass a Standardized Clinical Knowledge Test and hold a bachelor’s degree.

The group has even called endorsements insufficient – particularly for chaplains serving sensitive populations, like students and other young people.

“SCA’s credentialing and certification process does not require faith group endorsement,” their website reads. “This endorsement is not an evidence-based indicator of the person’s competency as a chaplain.”

Under HB 531, volunteer chaplains would not be subject to any standardized educational or training requirements.

Social workers oppose the bill

The National Association for Social Workers (NASW) also publicly opposed the bill, citing a potential lack of equitable faith representation for non-Christian students, among other concerns.

Jewish chaplains are certified internationally by Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC). However, the group certifies chaplains in much smaller numbers, with an estimated 1,000 Jewish chaplains practicing in the United States.

Muslim chaplains – while typically highly educated and certified – number even fewer, with an estimated 200 practicing across the country.

NASW public testimony also emphasized the need for state oversight and accountability mechanisms for volunteer chaplains, along with a statewide lack of practicing, licensed clinicians in schools. 

“Ohio students deserve support from professionals who are specifically trained, licensed and overseen by the state to meet their needs,” the group said. “While NASW Ohio can appreciate the bill and sponsor’s intention of desiring more support for Ohio’s students, we firmly believe that this support should come from licensed clinicians.”

‘Chaplains aren’t mental health care providers’

Several individual chaplains also offered public testimony in opposition to the bill, including Benjamin Iten, a humanist chaplain with more than a decade of certified experience.

As a secular humanist, Iten earned a Masters in Divinity from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio as part of his chaplain certification requirements – along with more than four units of practical Clinical Pastoral Care (CPE), which he completed at at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center and OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.

Iten urged lawmakers directly to allocate more funding and support for licensed mental health professionals in public schools, acknowledging an ongoing mental health crisis among young people across the state.

“Really, if we’re serious about the mental health of our students, we should provide robust funding for mental health professionals, not chaplains,” Iten said.

Shawn Grime, executive director of the Ohio School Counselor Association (OSCA), also told committee members his group is concerned about the bill’s lack of standardized and well-defined training and credentials.

“Our opposition to this bill is not reflective of our support for the role faith has for many of our students and families, but of our position of the importance for students to have access to licensed professionals who are specifically trained and accountable for meeting the mental health needs of each and every student,” he said. 

“We question whether the training and credentials for school chaplains will be in alignment with the requirements of educators under federal and state law,” Grime added. He asked lawmakers whether volunteer chaplains would be held to mandated reporting standards regarding child abuse, self-harm and risk of harm to others.

“Certified chaplains aren’t mental health care providers,” Grime told committee members. “We are definitely proponents of kids having access to licensed, trained mental health providers.”

‘Doors for prayer’

The only certification body that supports chaplains in public schools is the National School Chaplain Association (NSCA).

The group was founded in 2021 by conservative Christian and self-described “reformed drug-smuggling pirate” Rocky J. Malloy, and certifies chaplains via an 8-week online course.

According to reporting by The Texas Tribune, NSCA’s website previously directed to the website for Mission Generation – a Christian proselyting group Malloy founded in the 1990s.

“Schools assign chaplains designated rooms for counseling and prayer to minister to students, school staff, and parents. The chaplains and counselors spread the word of God one on one as well as in group settings,” an archived version of Mission Generation’s website reads. “We influence those in education until the saving grace of Jesus becomes well-known, and students develop a personal relationship with Him.”

Currently, the group’s website says its certified school chaplains help “open doors for prayer and hope in public education.”

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