HOUSTON – A controversial decision to allow chaplains to be hired or volunteer, providing services, support and programs for students in schools was struck down by Houston ISD Thursday evening.
This comes after Senate Bill 763 passed by the Texas Legislature requires school boards to vote on whether to adopt such a policy.
Before the meeting, an amendment changed some of the wording in the resolution, but the effect remained the same. It passed unanimously.
Chaplains will not substitute as support in HISD schools and will not act as paid or volunteer support staff.
All nine board members voted in favor.
The move falls in line with an open letter signed by a list of clergy members, before the law allowing such a move took effect this September.
That letter read: “As trained chaplains, we are not qualified for the duties envisioned by SB 763,” the letter reads. “Because of our training and experience, we know that chaplains are not a replacement for school counselors or safety measures in our public schools,”
Former Houston ISD board member Kathy Blueford Daniels, who is now a community advocate, agreed.
“We need certified counselors on these campuses, not someone who can dub themselves overnight a counselor. You know people say the lord spoke to me, well you don’t know what they said,” she said.
Not everyone was opposed to the idea last year when we first reported on the possibility of chaplains in HISD schools.
One viewer responded, “We need chaplains in school. That’s the problem, prayer is needed and problems are solved through God’s word.”
The resolution officially goes into effect on Friday.