Oklahoma’s school chaplain bill passes the House and moves on to the Senate

Oklahoma House lawmakers on Wednesday voted 54-37 to pass a bill that would allow chaplains to work or volunteer in public schools. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House has passed a bill that would allow chaplains to hire or volunteer at public schools, but lawmakers have tightened the qualifications needed for the role.

Senate Bill 36 will return to the Senate for consideration after the House approved it in a 54-37 vote on Wednesday.

Republicans in the House of Representatives who supported the bill said it could give students another option for counseling.

Although the measure faced bipartisan opposition, Democrats were the most outspoken, saying it could bring religion into public schools despite a newly added ban on proselytizing. Opponents also said student mental health care should only come from certified school counselors.

The bill’s author, Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, amended his legislation to prohibit chaplains from trying to convert someone to a religion while working or volunteering at a school. Chaplains would have to undergo background checks and could be fired for misconduct under his amendment.

The bill reflects the requirements to become a military chaplain and would direct school chaplains to obtain approval from their faith group to affirm that the faith leader is morally, intellectually and emotionally qualified and “sensitive to religious pluralism.”

“If someone wants to talk to (a chaplain), he or she is trained to read and respond and help them with whatever he or she is going through,” West said in the House department. “They don’t try to win them to Christ, they just help them get through it, regardless of the situation.”

However, West said a local school board could allow Christian guidance in setting the parameters for a chaplain’s work.

An approved amendment from Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, would require chaplains to have a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree in theology or religious studies from accredited universities.

Fugate and all Democrats present still voted against the bill, along with twenty Republicans.

The Oklahoma school chaplain bill passes the House and moves on to the Senate. first appeared on Oklahoma Voice.