Chaplains in public schools? Polling shows Americans have strong reactions

When a student is struggling, should a chaplain be the one to step in

In more states, including Texas, religious leaders are being invited into public schools

Supporters say they offer a lifeline. Critics call it a blurred line between church and state

The renewed topic comes from a recent AP NORC poll. Most Americans support school chaplains, but fewer want teachers praying with students

Felicia Martin, president and executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, says what looks like help may actually be something else

Schools need additional support and layering for, you know, students having access to someone who can help them process their feelings and emotions

But at the deeper level are questions that cannot be answered. Like these are not certified mental health experts

Should public schools offer spiritual support for students? The answer divides America

58 of adults back religious chaplains in schools but 55 aren okay with teachers leading prayer in the classroom while 60 oppose mandatory prayer or Bible time in schools But for Rocky Malloy who founded the National School Chaplain Association

chaplains fill a spiritual gap that teachers and counselors can't. So chaplains make school environments safer

and children enjoy school more when there's a presence of God there

So the program turned out to be very successful at protecting children

And because of that, parents have supported it and it's grown substantially over the years

In Texas, the role of religion in schools is already being integrated

In 2023, lawmakers passed a bill allowing chaplains in schools. And just last month, Governor Greg Abbott signed a law for daily prayer and Bible reading starting next year

This is just sort of a multi-pronged approach by the religious right to normalize Christian

especially evangelical values in public spaces, particularly in schools. So this is a much deeper

attack on American values if you will So chaplains in schools fits into this broader strategy and it blurs the line between church and state Malloy highlights their training 2 hours of ministry 80 hours of federally recognized safety training including through FBI and Red Cross programs

Malloy says they serve more than 36,000 schools and points to data that schools with chaplains record lower rates of teen pregnancy and higher graduation rates

The chaplain is one of the only people who has got the constitutional authority to intercept, to actually intervene to prevent problems

That's why parents on this poll said, yeah, we like that, because many of them understand the chaplain is an asset for the parents protecting their children

Polling shows Republicans are more likely to support chaplains 70% versus 47% of Democrats

When it comes to teacher-led prayers, support is 60% Republican and just 29% Democrat

Most people value freedom of religion and free speech. Fewer prioritize church separation particularly Republicans I always amazed when people say that because I thinking there 10 chaplains being paid by the government approximately 7 federal chaplains

most of which are serving the military, and the other 3,000 are under the employment of the states

Every state in the United States has chaplains on the payroll. Martin says the debate over chaplains goes far beyond classroom walls

She believes it's part of a larger effort to test democracy itself while slowly driving politics into schools

There are no limits or boundaries. Like even the judicial system is being sort of tested in terms of who has authority

Is it the people? Is it the judiciary? Or is it the executive level government

And I think all of our systems are being put to the test right now

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Kaylee Carey. For the full story, head to san.com or download the Straight Arrow News mobile app