Under the resolution, chaplains would provide services for students as counselors if the individual meets the position's requisite parameters. The board passed the motion with a 5-0 vote. Trustee Eric Lannen was absent during the vote.
Traditionally, chaplains are religious clergy who provide spiritual care in nonreligious organizations.
The backstory
In May, the 88th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 763, which amended sections of the Texas Education Code to allow school districts to use safety funds to employ chaplains as counselors without requiring certification by the State Board for Educator Certification. Under these changes, the board of trustees can assign chaplains to provide support, services and programs for students at its discretion, according to Texas Education Code section 23.001.
The bill also mandates districts take a record vote between Sept. 1, 2023-March 1, 2024, either adopting or rejecting the policy. This requirement prompted the CISD board into action.
The details
In the discussion before the vote, board President Cameron Bryan clarified the resolution’s intent saying the district is not hiring chaplains to serve as such nor is it hiring chaplains to replace counselors.
“If somebody is a chaplain and they have the same qualifications and meet the standard of CISD counselors, they are more than welcome to apply for an empty seat and compete with everybody else,” Bryan said.
CISD requires its guidance counselor applicants to hold a master’s degree in counseling from an accredited university and a valid Texas school counselor certificate. In the approved resolution, chaplains must meet these standards and compete for open counselor positions to be employed by the district, according to district documents.
District guidance counselor responsibilities include planning, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program at the assigned campus. Counselors also help fully develop each student’s academic, career, personal and social abilities as well as address the needs of special population students, according to documents.
The district has no plans to form new policy regarding the chaplain resolution and won’t ask applicants about their chaplain status. Rather, an individual’s aptitude will be reviewed based solely on their qualifications, Bryan said.
Additionally, applicants will receive no preference for being a chaplain, trustee Alex Sexton said.
Also of note
During the public forum, Howard Rosenthal, the associate director of the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County who is a 20-year Southlake resident, raised concerns over the resolution, noting the language used was “unclear.”
“We have school counselors. Why are we going out of our way to say we are going to accept having chaplains?” Rosenthal said.
Before making a motion to adopt the resolution, board Vice President Andrew Yeager pointed out that in the past the district has hired teachers and other district officials indiscriminate of religious backgrounds, adding that this resolution is no different.
“I think this resolution is exactly what our community would like,” Yeager said.
School districts across the Dallas-Fort Worth area have debated the issue.
