AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republicans secured a win Wednesday in the fight for what they call religious liberties with the final passage of the school chaplain bill. In an act to appeal to parents and students of religious faith, Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, penned the bill, which will allow school boards to open their doors to chaplains and use them as counselors. The majority vote, 84-60, was in favor of Senate Bill 763, and Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign off on it.

After failing to pass the Ten Commandments bill this session, Republican lawmakers succeeded in the school chaplain bill’s passage. The bill permits schools to use a volunteer or hire chaplains “to provide support, services, and programs for students as assigned by the board of trustees of the district or the governing body of the school.”

The House and Senate passed the bill earlier in May. As the bill reached the House, it underwent some changes to include required certification for potential chaplains, and assurance the candidate is not listed on the sexual offender registry. However, amendments to allow for a more religious-inclusive chaplain system and limit the program to larger school districts were dismissed.

Texas requires one school counselor for every 500 students in Texas public schools. Most will have a master’s degree, two years in the classroom, and a valid school counselor certificate. Chaplains, which now have a newly created chapter in the Texas Education Code in Senate Bill 763, have none of those requirements.

Since the bill is permissive, schools will have the choice to accept or deny the access of unlicensed chaplains onto their campus. They have six months to vote for or against policies that’d be in place at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.

The following is a statement from David Donatti, ACLU of Texas attorney:

“The same Texas politicians trying to control what students think by banning books and censoring curricula now want to dictate what students worship. This bill is part of a coordinated campaign by conservative Christian-based organizations and their legislative champions to force state-sponsored religion into public schools without parental consent. Replacing well-educated and licensed professionals with uncertified chaplains threatens the safety and education of Texas students. The First Amendment guarantees families and faith communities the right to instill religious beliefs in their children, not politicians or the government.”