Texas Lawmakers Vote to Allow Chaplains in Public Schools to Combat Mental Health Crisis
Religion And Faith,Public Schools,Chaplains,Texas
The Texas Legislature has passed a measure that would allow public schools to hire chaplains in addition to school counselors.
To be eligible for the program, all chaplains will need to be endorsed by an organization recognized by the United States Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Religion News Service (RNS) reports a version of the bill already sailed through the state Senate last month, and the Texas House passed an amended version on Tuesday evening (May 9) in a vote that appeared to fall largely along party lines, with 89 voting in favor and 58 opposed.
State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mount Pleasant) told The Dallas Morning News the legislation is about giving school districts "every tool that we can in the toolbox" to combat mental health problems and other crises. He rejected Democrats' amendments to require parental consent and that schools provide a representative of every denomination.
According to the outlet, Texas faces a shortage of qualified mental health professionals to work in schools. The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students to every counselor. In Texas, it was 392-to-1, according to 2021 data.
