Eric Johnson, director of spiritual care at UnityPoint Health’s Des Moines, Iowa-area hospitals, sits for a portrait on March 11, 2024. He has served as a chaplain in hospitals for 15 years. Chaplains, traditionally a clergyperson ministering outside of a congregation, have long served in the U.S., but some conservatives are hoping to introduce the role in public schools.
“This isn’t a matter of being pro- religion and anti-religion,” she said. “This is a matter of the appropriate role of religion as it applies to public schools.” After the bill passed, dozens of Texas chaplains representing different faiths and denominations collectively wrote to school boards, warning the law doesn’t require that “chaplains refrain from proselytizing while at schools or that they serve students from different religious backgrounds.”
In the meantime, varying school chaplain bills have been introduced in many Southern and Midwestern states, with mixed success.and awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’s signature. School policy must describe the services of a volunteer chaplain and require parental consent. John Johnson, his counterpart in the Utah Senate, where the proposal ultimately failed without full GOP support, said he observed an “outright disdain for religious principles within our schools” during committee meetings. He said that would have consequences such as more families choosing alternatives to public school.
Chaplains serve in the U.S. Congress, military, and correctional facilities, and each has rigorous requirements for hiring and service. Hospitals, police and fire departments, colleges and private companies also hire chaplains with wide-ranging standards.