A Florida school board has halted its plans to install religious chaplains in their public schools after “Ministers of Satan” of The Satanic Temple, showed interest.
Many parents have heavily criticized Florida’s chaplain program, as they believe it violates their constitutional rights and goes against the separation of church and state.
Pausing DeSantis’ New Law
This sudden halt comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law allowing volunteer chaplains to offer support services in public schools from grades K-12.
The Osceola County School Board pulled this chaplain plan from consideration during its meeting this week in a rare move.
A Notable Move
Interestingly, DeSantis first signed this measure to install chaplain programs in public schools at a school in Osceola County.
The superintendent of this school district attended this conference and announced his support for it. Now, however, the school district has decided to halt the plan.
Support for the New Law
Some Floridians have embraced the new law with open arms.
Marion County school board member Dr. Sarah James said: “Having a chaplain on campus gives a parent an opportunity to choose to have their child have an extra arm of support for when that child may need spiritual help.”
What It Would Look Like
Supporters of the chaplain policy (like James) believe schools will allow for one-on-one or group counseling with chaplains, regardless of their qualifications.
James said: “We have programs like FCA, which are student-led ministries. So we are already bringing God into the classroom as much as we can. This is another opportunity to meet families where they are.”
First Amendment Worries
After the school board voted 3-2 to remove the policy from this new academic year’s bundle, many members revealed that they had many worries about the plan as a whole.
Heather Kahoun, the board’s chair, explained, “I need more time to make a decision. I haven’t had an opportunity to think about these things, to think about the implications regarding the First Amendment, regarding federal litigation that we could receive if we were to approve this as it is today.”
Warnings Sent to the School Board
Multiple organizations and groups sent warnings to the school board in the past week about what they could face if they go through with this chaplain plan.
The Osceola County School Board is the first district to act on truly installing a chaplain program under Florida’s new law. However, many parents and organizations have made it known that they will legally fight this issue if the school district truly passes it.
Untrained Chaplains Cause Concern
Many parents have expressed their concern over having potentially untrained chaplains talking to their students.
A letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida stated, “Untrained chaplains lack the necessary qualifications and expertise to address the diverse spiritual and religious needs of students in a sensitive and inclusive manner.”
Up to Parents
Supporters of the law have said parents who disagree with the legislation do not need to participate in any school programs with chaplains.
James said: “I think it’s a really good thing that we’re prioritizing God in our classrooms. If they don’t want their child to participate in the chaplain program, they have every right to decide that.”
First Amendment Rights
This letter further alleged that these untrained chaplains could end up discriminating against nonreligious students or students from a different faith background.
They could also end up violating First Amendment rights. The letter explained, “The use of untrained chaplains may inadvertently blur the lines between church and state, raising constitutional concerns and legal challenges.”
Ministers of Satan Announce Their Enthusiasm
Meanwhile, The Satanic Temple also sent the board an email this week expressing their own enthusiasm about sending their chaplains to their school district.
The email said they were “enthusiastic about the opportunity this policy presents for our Ministers of Satan.”
The Satanic Temple vs. DeSantis
The Satanic Temple has previously filed lawsuits against states it believes were using laws to promote religion.
The temple sent the email to Osceola County school board members hours before the vote on the chaplain policy was tabled.
The Satanic Church Fights to Have Chaplains in Schools
The Satanic Temple also said in their email, “We look forward to working with you to introduce the nation’s first Satanic School Chaplaincy in Osceola County.”
DeSantis has fought against the temple by saying that Satanism “is not a religion.” The Satanic Temple doesn’t truly worship Satan, though the group does fight for religious freedom and for the First Amendment.
A Tongue-in-Cheek Protest
While offering their services as chaplains, the Satanic Temple expressed its disagreement with the chaplaincy program.
Rachel Chambliss, the Satanic Temple’s executive director, wrote: “While we believe that investing in licensed, professional counselors would be more beneficial for Osceola County students, we are […] eager to build positive, supportive relationships with students and become an active part of the school community.”
Ready to ‘Raise Hell’
Since sending the email, The Satanic Temple vowed to “raise hell” after Florida issued guidelines to the chaplain program.
The group argues that the guidelines were designed to exclude them.
Government Shouldn’t Teach Religion
The ACLU of Florida was yet another organization that sent a letter to the school board this week, warning them that the government shouldn’t be allowed to teach students about religion.
“Freedom of religion means that parents and faith communities — not government officials — have the right to direct their children’s religious education and development,” Kara Gross, the group’s legislative director and senior policy counsel, said. “Allowing chaplains in public schools would cross these well-established boundaries.”
No Lawsuits Yet
There are no lawsuits against Florida yet. However, the organization argues that the law violates the First Amendment’s “Establishment Clause,” which forbids the government from establishing a religion.
ACLU attorney Heather Weaver wrote: “Courts have repeatedly ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to invite religious leaders to engage in religious activities with students or to promote religious doctrine to them.”
A Last Minute Change
Many conservative members of the board have come out to blast other members, as they feel it was a last-minute change designed to sink the plan as a whole.
Board Member Jon Arguello said, “I think it was the intention of the board members all along to vote this down. This, to me, is a very blatant and obvious sinking of a program that the governor came and started here.”
The Guidelines Exclude Other Faiths
The Satanic Temple is not just protesting because Florida’s guidelines exclude them from taking part in the chaplain program.
Lucien Greaves, a spokesperson to the temple, said: “[Florida’s policy] defines religion too narrowly in a way that not only excludes Satanists, but Buddhists, Humanists, Jains, Confucianists and many others.”
Harsh Criticism From Satanists
Greaves sent an email to the Florida Phoenix to criticize Florida’s chaplain policy.
Greaves wrote: “It’s divisive, it is legally unsound (and will not survive its forthcoming lawsuits that the Florida taxpayer will finance), and it’s born of cheap political grandstanding without any real concern for the children in Florida public schools.”
DeSantis Stands by the Law
Despite backlash from several organizations, DeSantis will not roll back the law.
The governor argues banning chaplains from campus violates the Constitution. “The First Amendment was enacted to be able to ensure that people weren’t discriminated against on the basis of religion or the basis of their faith,” DeSantis said.
Fighting for Religion in the Classroom
This latest Florida situation comes during a time when many Republican-led states in the country have been fighting to add more religion into public school classrooms. Critics have pointed out that these governments only want to add Christian teachings to schools.
Most notably, Louisiana has recently passed a law requiring all public school classrooms to have a Ten Commandments poster.
Florida Is Not Alone
Florida is not the only state working to introduce a chaplaincy program to public schools.
At least 16 states across the country are looking into allowing school chaplains. With over 30 bills pushing for chaplaincy programs in these states, only Florida, Texas and Louisiana have passed these laws.
An Insult to School Staff
Teachers have criticized similar legislation in other states. Teachers unions have slammed chaplaincy policies across the country as disrespectful to fully qualified school counselors.
The Texas American Federation of Teachers said in a statement: “This outcome is a testament to the respect for trained school counselors and the power of local control and community advocacy. We must remain vigilant. Similar bills targeting public education have already appeared in several other states.”
