Florida lawmakers are trying to shove untrained religious chaplains in public schools - Friendly Atheist

[ihaveaquestion]

Feb 14, 2024
Florida is considering legislation that would put untrained Christian chaplains in public schools as a substitute for trained social workers and counselors.

So much for taking care of students' mental health...

[keithbvadu2]

1. Some youth pastors would want the job.

https://www.joemygod.com/?s=youth

https://www.dailykos.com/blogs/CajsaLilliehook

[MOMFUDSKI]

2. Keep your religion out of PUBLIC

Schools. That is all

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Gee how did we all survive public school education

It was up to our parents to take care of our religious education and that’s the way it should be.

If you want religion in your kid’s school, pay for a religious school. Don’t force it on everyone. Even requiring parental permission for it is wrong. Plus, these untrained “counselors “ won’t be knowledgeable about programs to help struggling families. I can hear it now. Come to our church and we will take care of you.

[Old Crank]

4. With the number of pastors

That attack children, can we charge the Florida legislature with felony child endangerment?

[mopinko]

7. esp youth pastors.

yeah, there will b a body count here.

[nature-lover]

5. Already happening in TX. Each school district has to vote by March on whether to participate.

[link:https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/15/texas-school-chaplain-law/|

Texas’ debate over school chaplains escalates school board culture wars
-snip-

But the idea that public schools could turn into spaces of overt religious recruitment has worried liberals across Texas ever since Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law. Despite objections from outnumbered Democrats in both chambers of the Legislature, the chaplains bill was approved without outlining a chaplain’s role or mandating any specific training requirements. Instead, lawmakers required the state’s 1,200-plus school districts to define those details themselves as they each vote on whether to allow chaplains in their schools by March 2024.

The result has been a heated war of words waged in one of America’s most well-trodden political battlegrounds: school boards. According to locals, the fight over school chaplains has tapped into ongoing power struggles over public education and has pit religious voices against each other, with supporters framing the policy as a way to assist student mental health and detractors blasting it as a Christian nationalist attempt to convert children to a specific form of faith.

[Timeflyer]

6. Satanic Temple minister in Iowa is offering his services to schools there--why not in FL schools?

And Satanic Temple has a handy "After School Satan Club" package ready to go. Educatin' with Satan!

Seriously, this horrible bill (SB 1044, HB 931) is being pushed by a Christian Nationalist 990 group. So far the bill doesn't prohibit proselytizing.