More North Texas school districts this week voted to accept chaplains as school volunteers, but not as counselors.
Mansfield, Grapevine-Colleyville (GCISD), Keller and Fort Worth were among several districts to vote on the chaplain policy this week ahead of the March 1 deadline. Each district rejected allowing unlicensed chaplains to serve as counselors, but welcomed them as volunteers as long as they follow the same rules as every other district volunteer.
Mary Humphrey, GCISD School Board vice-president, said the policy remains unchanged from her district鈥檚 ongoing policy.
鈥淛ust because you are a chaplain does not qualify you to be a school counselor,鈥� she said at Monday鈥檚 board meeting. 鈥淲e鈥檒l hire counselors based on certifications and the requirements, just as we always have that are required by the state of Texas.
鈥淏ut if you happened to have been a chaplain and you have that on your resume vocationally or even as a volunteer, that also does not disqualify you from applying to be a counselor. Being a chaplain at some point in your past is irrelevant.鈥�
Senate Bill 763, authored by Republican Sen. Mayes Middleton, requires school boards to accept or reject chaplains as school counselors. He said it could help currently understaffed districts as more students experience stress, tension and mental health concerns.
Opponents of the bill and to school district policies allowing chaplains to volunteer or work in schools say they鈥檙e concerned it鈥檚 a way to let religion into classrooms.
Humphrey stressed that any hired staff shouldn鈥檛 be proselytizing to students.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not talking about people being hired as chaplains to serve in a chaplain capacity,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nybody that鈥檚 hired, if they happen to be a chaplain that鈥檚 incidental. They鈥檙e serving in the capacity as counselor, so they should not be proselytizing anyway.鈥�
In Keller ISD, trustee Ruthie Keyes stepped down during Monday鈥檚 meeting after a tense discussion over a resolution to allow a chaplain to volunteer 鈥減ursuant to ... existing District policy and practices.鈥�
Although interim Superintendent John Allison told the board there is 鈥渘o intent to replace counselors with chaplains,鈥� Keyes said the language leaves open the possibility for chaplains to one day work in the district.
No change to district policy
Back in Grapevine-Colleyville, trustees questioned why state lawmakers are requiring local boards to weigh in on the issue.
Hiring the best person for the job 鈥渉as always been our practice,鈥� Humphrey said, noting the policy voted on by the board doesn鈥檛 change anything.
Trustee Becky St. John said the discussion wasn鈥檛 a 鈥済ood use of time and resources,鈥� and that she would be voting against the resolution.
鈥淲e could go ad infinitum here,鈥� she said, 鈥渨ith listing, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to allow physicians to volunteer in GCISD but they鈥檙e not going to be operating. We鈥檙e going to employ somebody who鈥檚 an airline pilot but they鈥檙e not actually going to fly a GCISD plane.
鈥淎nd so I don鈥檛 think this policy is necessary.鈥�
