Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the bill two weeks ago, said some school districts in Florida are already hosting chaplains, while school officials elsewhere were unsure whether it’s legal to do so.
The new statute clarifies the legal situation and explicitly enables school districts to provide a valuable aid to students, he said.
“Faith leaders and civic organizations are important additional resources for students who may be facing challenges or need to build community and camaraderie,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I’m pleased to be able to expand the variety of options that students have at their disposal in school and we have no doubt that these options will enhance the experiences of our students.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida opposed the bill, saying it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“Allowing chaplains to provide counseling and other support services in public schools would violate students’ and families’ religious-freedom rights by exposing all public school students to the risk of chaplains evangelizing them or imposing religion on them throughout their school day,” said Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel of the ACLU of Florida, in a statement in March after the Florida House passed the bill.
The Florida House of Representatives passed the bill in February, in a 89-25 vote. All the “No” votes were Democrats. All Republicans voted for it, as did four Democrats.