It’s obvious Oklahoma’s school chaplains bill was written with a specific religion in mind

An Oklahoma bill allowing public schools to hire paid or volunteer chaplains to proselytize school-age children has recently passed the Oklahoma House and is headed to the Senate. It must be voted down.

Senate Bill 36 would permit chaplains to “provide support, services, and programs for students” in public schools. Unlike the qualified counselors they might replace, the chaplains would not be required to undergo certification by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. They would only have to pass a background check confirming they are not a sex offender.

Notably, the bill has no safeguards against the fundamental constitutional violations it produces. Public schools are not allowed to promote religion over nonreligion or to prefer one religion over another. Yet, school officials could presumably choose to hire chaplains who share their own beliefs to proselytize children of other religions or no religion during school hours. Religious instruction or counseling has no place in our public schools — and students should not be made to feel disfavored or “othered” for not belonging to the same religion or church as school officials.

If SB 36 were to pass through both chambers, it would invite schools to launch headlong into costly, unwinnable lawsuits. We’re already seeing this play out in Texas, where a similar bill was passed last year, and schools are now voting on chaplain programs. Those who hire chaplains to religiously counsel students during the school day can look forward to lawsuits from students and parents represented by groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

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The National School Chaplain Association is championing chaplains in schools. Its parent organization, Mission Generation Inc., aims to reach “the largest unreached people group inside of the schools around the world” to “influence those in education until the saving grace of Jesus becomes well-known, and students develop a personal relationship with Him.” In Mission Generation’s own words, the organization wants to exploit the “massive lack of school counselors throughout public schools” by filling the void with religious chaplains in order to “win” and “disciple” school-age children.

Oklahoma state Rep. Kevin West, who authored drastically revised language for SB 36, which originally regulated law enforcement recording equipment, has stated that his bill does not “run afoul of our Constitution.” West is wrong. It is clear that the bill was written with one specific religion in mind, and chaplains would undoubtedly push their religious beliefs onto vulnerable children during the school day.

The Oklahoma Senate should outright reject this imprudent and unconstitutional bill. The Sooner State must keep its public school system secular and inclusive of all students.

Ryan D. Jayne is senior policy counsel for the FFRF Action Fund, the lobbying arm of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit with approximately 40,000 members across the country, including hundreds of members in Oklahoma.