Bill allowing public school chaplains moves forward in South Dakota

South Dakota is considering legislation to allow chaplains in public schools as volunteers or paid employees, joining a national trend started by Texas almost two years ago.

Proponents of House Bill 1054 argued chaplains can help students build support systems and avoid behavioral incidents while attending schools, according to the Argus Leader.

The bill passed the House Education Committee with a 10-5 vote Monday and will move to the House for further consideration. Meanwhile, opponents expressed concerns over the measure creating a “liability nightmare” for districts.

Texas pioneered such legislation with SB 763, which became effective Sept. 1, 2023.

As previously reported by The Lion, the bill allowed school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to “employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain to provide support, services, and programs for students as assigned by the board of trustees of the district or the governing body of the school.”

‘Faith based support that is voluntary’ 

Rev. Dave Welch, president of the Texas Pastor Council, welcomed the law as a way to provide resources for students seeking faith-based services. 

“School counselors who divorce the child from their spirit and soul are deficient, while trained and certified chaplains can provide comprehensive support that treats every child as a divine, unique gift from God,” he said at the time. “Chaplaincy support to children seeking counsel is simply a faith based support that is voluntary for students. The schools most definitely should not discriminate against those students.” 

However, not every school district agreed with Welch’s perspective. 

“I think it’s quite insulting to think that someone who isn’t trained to be a school counselor can simply come in and be a school counselor,” said Anne Darr, trustee on the Fort Worth Independent School District’s board. 

The board passed a Dec. 12 resolution voting against the policy, while the Northwest ISD district – also in Fort Worth – voted to allow chaplains and their services as the board assigned. 

“Mental health is such a big topic right now because kids are going through a variety of things at their homes and they’re coming here to school,” said Cody Mize, superintendent of Mineola ISD in northeast Texas, to CBS 19. 

Mize’s district welcomed chaplains as volunteers who would be required to undergo background checks and receive parental consent before any counseling sessions occurred.

“They have people here that they trust, they love and they care about and they want to seek that help,” he said. “So if we can provide those avenues of help, we want to provide that for our kids.” 

Other states such as Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota and Oklahoma have introduced or passed similar legislation, according to the Argus Leader.