Students need qualified counselors, not chaplains. The jobs are too different | Opinion

I would like to tell you about what I did today.

Early in the morning, I assisted a young couple with the baptism of their daughter. She was born at 25 weeks, and her body was just not ready for this world.

I spent the previous few days talking with this mom and dad, assuring them that they were good parents and that we could all see how much they loved their daughter. For her baptism, we placed a simple white gown on top of her body. Sandwiched between the silk and her soft skin were tubes, wires and other means of artificial life support trying to keep her heart beating, her lungs breathing. I dipped my hand in a seashell full of holy water, and we baptized her together. She died later that afternoon in her mother’s arms.

Explaining what I do as a chaplain is hard, and I often feel like the work is misunderstood. In light of what is coming out of the Texas Legislature, though, I must try.

It’s because of my experience as a chaplain that I must voice my opposition to the half-baked idea to place unregulated chaplains in our public schools. Chaplains are not qualified to perform the work of school counselors, and putting us in this position would violate religious freedom protections for students and families.

I’ve joined more than 100 Texas chaplains in signing an open letter to our state’s many school boards asking them to reject the opportunity to start a school chaplain program under a new law that takes effect Sept. 1.

For the most part, anyone can call himself or herself a “chaplain.” But institutions such as hospitals and the military require specific education and training for individuals to be employed as a chaplain. My colleagues and I, for example, all have a master of divinity or similar master’s degree from an accredited school.

The chaplain’s focus is not the same as the pastor’s. We take a vow not to proselytize, and we are required to support people on their religious and spiritual journeys even if they look very different from our own.

The new law allows Texas schools to hire chaplains to perform the work of school counselors, but these employees or volunteers would not be required to have specific certification, training or experience. It is my extensive training and experience that makes me a good chaplain; I am able to walk into a room and meet a person exactly where he or she is in the moment, regardless of faith.

Our Texas school children are a vulnerable population, and they deserve well-trained school counselors and staff to meet their needs. The law allocates funding for “providing mental health personnel and support, including chaplains,” but chaplains are not trained mental health providers. While we provide spiritual support and a listening ear, we are also trained to refer folks to mental health professionals as needed.

Chaplains in public schools also raise significant concerns about the separation of church and state. I consider myself a deeply religious person, and this separation matters to me. It is a tangible expression of our First Amendment right to freedom for and from religion. This constitutional guarantee is especially important to safeguard in our public schools, where children of all religious backgrounds expect their religious freedom to be respected. Religious instruction is best left to houses of worship, other religious institutions and families.

The duties performed by and responsibilities entrusted to school counselors, from helping students meet their academic goals to teaching them how to navigate tricky emotions, are significantly different from those of chaplains. They are not less important or more important; they are simply different.

I signed the chaplain petition to protect religious freedom and parental rights in public education. I hope all chaplains in Texas and those educated in one of Texas’ many colleges or universities will join me.