Missouri Public Schools to Allow Chaplains This Fall
Changes are coming to Missouri schools this fall. Beginning on August 28, public and charter schools will be allowed to have paid or volunteer chaplains under a new state law.
Studies indicate that religious guidance can have a positive impact on teenagers’ academics. Pew Research points to research and how “religious involvement enhances an individual’s social capital in the form of family and peer networks, which promote educational success.”
“It gives an option, I believe, for schools across our state to put adults in schools to help with some of the mental health things that are going on, both with students as well as teachers,” the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, said in an interview with “Missourinet.”
Timothy Faber with the Missouri Baptist Convention agrees. “Our public schools often allow chaplains after a tragedy has occurred, as there is a recognition that chaplains can provide comfort, hope, and support for students and staff during difficult times,” he stated.
Chaplains can represent any faith which is officially recognized as a religion by the U.S. Armed Forces Chaplains Board, Black said. Background checks are required for any chaplain working at a public school, and any applicant who is a registered sex offender won’t be allowed
More than half of U.S. adults believe schools should be allowed to have chaplains available to provide support services, a recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll fund. The survey further revealed that less than half agreed with teachers leading a class in prayer.
A majority of adults agree that parents have too little influence on their children’s education and that the federal government is too involved in public schools. Republicans seem to want parents to have more influence in the classroom, while Democrats want teachers to have more influence.
“Attitudes about the role of religion in school are often shared across religious groups, especially white evangelical Christians and non-white Protestants, even though they have different partisan alignments,” the survey report said.
Black believes allowing chaplains to work in Missouri’s public schools will pair well with another new state law barring students from using their phones during school hours. “I do believe between this and the bill that says no more cellphone during school time, I think we’re going down a path that will be very positive for school systems, for youth, for education in the future,” he said.
Not everyone agrees. Missouri’s ACLU released a statement saying, “Public schools should never force any particular religion on students. In order to protect the religious freedom of all students and families, chaplain programs do not belong in public schools.”
–Alan Goforth
