The House has passed legislation allowing school districts to establish volunteer chaplain programs. Will the Senate be next?
The bill (SB 1044) will be heard in Monday's Rules Committee, which will be the final stop for the Sen. Erin Grall legislation before the floor.
The Appropriations Committee on Education was the latest committee to move forward the measure that would "authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide supports, services, and programs to students as assigned by the district school board or charter school governing board."
The bill leaves it to school districts to implement the chaplain proposal at their discretion.
Boards would have to determine to which programs and services chaplains would be assigned, would have to inform parents that chaplains be informed, and would have to get parental consent before chaplains interacted with students.
"Parents must be permitted to select a volunteer school chaplain from the list provided by the school district, which must include the chaplain's religious affiliation, if any," the bill reads, noting that the list must be published on the district website.
In the last committee, Sen. Gayle Harrell said the bill would allow "anyone of any faith to volunteer to become a chaplain," potentially opening the door to some very interesting "spiritual centering" for students in the state's 67 counties.
Meanwhile, the House passed its own product by an 89-25 vote last week, moving a similar bill to the Senate iteration.
HB 931, sponsored by Republican Rep. Stan McClain and Democratic Rep. Kim Daniels, encountered Democratic resistance in the amendment process and ahead of the final vote, which Daniels addressed in memorable floor debate.
"I am the opponent of this bill's worst nightmare," Daniels continued. "I cast out devils, I pray in tongues, I'm a Holy Roller. But nobody on this floor can ever say I tried to convert you. Jesus is too good to push down anybody's throats."
We don't expect quotes that lively to emerge from the Rules Committee, but it is likely that Grall's bill moves forward for full Senate consideration.
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