Corpus Christi ISD school board weighs in against school chaplains, will vote next month
Corpus Christi ISD does not plan to employ chaplains in schools.
Last spring, the Texas Legislature approved a bill allowing unlicensed religions chaplains to work in Texas public schools, with pay coming from school safety funding. The legislation also allows volunteer chaplains into schools in mental health roles.
School boards across the state have until March to vote on whether to allow chaplains in their schools. The Corpus Christi ISD Board of Trustees discussed the issue Monday evening.
Due to questions about the precise language required under state law in a resolution regarding chaplains, the board tabled the item and plans to officially vote on a resolution in February outlining that the district will not employ chaplains or allow them to volunteer in mental health or counseling positions.
The official vote is still to come, but the board clearly expressed opposition to chaplains providing mental health services in schools, though members of the clergy and chaplains would still be allowed to volunteer in schools in the same manner as any other community volunteer.
"My understanding is, basically, it's just as a district, we are saying, 'No, we will not employ chaplains as a counselor,'" board member Jane Bell said.
In August, about 100 Texas chaplains signed a letter objecting to public school chaplain programs, noting that chaplains "are not a replacement for school counselors or safety measures."
The letter claims that government-sanctioned chaplain programs make sense when individuals cannot otherwise access religious services, such as in the military, prison or hospitals. Public school children do not face these barriers and chaplains are not qualified for the duties envisioned by the Texas law, according to the letter.
Corpus Christi ISD's presentation to the school board Monday evening referenced this letter.
Additionally, the district provided information on current counselor vacancies. Kolda Elementary School, Baker Middle School, Miller High School and Ray High School currently have a counselor vacancy as of mid-January, though there are less counselor vacancies district-wide this year compared to last year.
"Currently all of these campuses do have counselors on them, it's just they do have a vacant (full-time equivalent position)," chief instructional support officer Jennifer Arismendi said.
Beyond chaplains, other solutions to counselor vacancies include potential statewide changes to counselor qualifications, the addition of school social workers and community partnerships, Arismendi said.
The district is currently working with Driscoll Children's Hospital through a mental health pilot program at six schools and also employs 15 social workers who work closely with counselors.
The board postponed the official vote on the resolution in order to confirm whether the resolution itself must explicitly state that chaplains are still allowed to volunteer in schools in non-counseling capacities.
"We're not going to prevent clergy or chaplains from doing our standard volunteer work," Board President Don Clark said.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi ISD responds to Texas school chaplains law
