Bill would allow schools to employ religious counselors

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Legislation permitting chaplains to work in public schools reemerged and advanced in the Oklahoma Legislature last week.

Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, deleted the original language of Senate Bill 36, a discarded bill from 2023 relating to the Open Records Act, and replaced it with a measure to allow religious chaplains to be hired or to volunteer in schools.

The House General Government Committee passed the new version of SB 36 on Tuesday in a party-line vote 6-2. Four other school chaplain bills failed earlier in the legislative session without receiving a committee hearing.

West said chaplains wouldn’t try to sway students toward a certain faith but could help with counseling, though his bill doesn’t specify required qualifications nor their role in a school.

It forbids chaplains who are registered sex offenders but doesn’t require them to complete a background check.

West said each local school board could decide whether to mandate a particular certification and vetting.

“We have chaplains from many, many different religious backgrounds,” he said before the committee vote. “This is not benefiting one specific religion over another. It is simply a tool that could be at the disposal of a school board to assist with counseling.”

The Oklahoma School Counselors Association encouraged Oklahomans to call on their local lawmakers to vote against SB 36.

“OSCA does not support this bill as we see the necessity of highly trained school counselors to be providing mental health and wellness, academic, and career support to Oklahoma students,” the organization posted in a social media message.