Texas Republicans have coined a solution that they argue will fix everything - from school shootings to suicides to drug use: chaplains.During the regular session earlier this year, lawmakers green-lit a bill that allows districts to hire chaplains to act as counselors or let them serve as volunteers. Many folks were pretty upset by the new law, including plenty of chaplains themselves.
But Dallas parents with concerns about the corrosion of the wall between church and state need not worry. DISD trustees rebuffed the option last week, voting 7-0 (one member was absent) against opening schoolhouse doors to faith leaders.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas celebrated Big D's decision in a tweet over the weekend.
"Dallas ISD has voted against placing unlicensed religious chaplains in its schools and forcing religion on its students," the civil rights organization wrote in a Saturday post on X (formerly Twitter). "We urge other public school districts to follow @dallasschools's example."
NOT IN OUR SCHOOLS: Dallas ISD has voted against placing unlicensed religious chaplains in its schools and forcing religion on its students.
We urge other public school districts to follow @dallasschools's example. https://t.co/GAKcQC173e
- ACLU of Texas (@ACLUTx) October 21, 2023 So, which other North Texas districts have turned down state lawmakers' decidedly non-secular offer?Religious freedom groups, including the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC), issued a press release last Thursday praising the several districts statewide that have poo-pooed the move so far. Somewhat surprisingly, Frisco, McKinney and Gainesville ISDs were on this list.
Fort Worth ISD also reportedly doesn't intend to bring on chaplains at the moment.
Asked whether Denton ISD decided to employ school chaplains, chief communications officer Julie Zwahr told the Observer via email: "Denton ISD does not currently have any chaplains serving as counselors, and the district does not have any plans for chaplains to serve as counselors in the future."
Meanwhile, other school boards across the state are embracing the concept, including Mineola, Round Rock and Georgetown ISDs.
BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler, who has a kid enrolled at a Dallas public school, applauded the no-chaplain districts in a statement late last week.
"Make no mistake about it: this Texas law was pushed by a group wanting school chaplains to proselytize in public schools," she said. "Families of all faiths and none should feel confident that they can send their children to school without school officials interfering with their decisions about religious instruction."
One Hindu parent in Southlake, Sravan Krishna, previously told The Washington Post that he and his family intended to move away from the Lone Star State ahead of the start of this school year. He later relayed to The Fort Worth Report that they'd made good on that plan.
Krishna inspired headlines last year after presenting a pair of "In God We Trust" signs during a Carroll school board meeting: one in Arabic and the other featuring rainbow typeface. This came after state legislators in 2021 passed a law requiring schools to prominently display donated posters emblazoned with the national motto.
The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, CEO and president of Interfaith Alliance, blasted Texas' school chaplain law in a statement on BJC's website.
"Our public schools must be welcoming and safe places for all students, which is why Texas school districts - with overwhelming support from faith communities - are rejecting this dangerous bill," he said. "In defense of true religious freedom, democracy, and every child's right to thrive in school, I urge districts statewide to follow their lead."