Osceola County votes against adding school chaplains

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Osceola County’s school board on Tuesday voted against having chaplains in its schools.

Board member Jon Arguello tried to get the measure passed, but the majority of the board voted against adopting the item.

“Bringing religious leaders into the public schools is not only unnecessary, it is counterproductive,” one speaker said during public comment.

“We need God back in because ever since they removed him, all we’ve seen is death, destruction, sexual immorality, anxiety, mental health issues,” another speaker said.

Last month a new law went into effect in Florida allowing county school boards to establish policies for volunteer chaplains “to provide support, services and programs” to students. Gov. DeSantis signed the law back in April in Osceola County.

“You know, there’s been things that have been done over the years that veered away from, I think, that original intent, but the reality is, I think what we’re doing is really restoring the sense of purpose that our founding fathers wanted to see for education,” DeSantis said.

Under the new law, school districts are required to get written parental consent before a student receives a chaplain’s services. School districts also have to publish a list of available chaplains and their affiliations on district websites, and conduct background screenings.

There was passion on both sides at Tuesday night’s Osceola County School Board meeting, where implementing voluntary faith-based chaplains in schools was up for discussion.

Many speakers considered the proposal a liability and claimed the Christian faith would overshadow all others, including members of The Satanic Temple, which sent a letter to Osceola County’s school board on Aug. 13.

“We have carefully reviewed the proposed guidelines and note with interest that counseling consistent with a chaplain’s religious beliefs will not be considered proselytization in the Osceola County School District,” Rachel Chambliss, executive director of operations, wrote in the letter. “This understanding ensures that TST’s ministers can offer guidance aligned with our Satanic beliefs of promoting reason and empathy while remaining full complaint with the board’s rules.”

Despite the name, The Satanic Temple, a religious organization recognized by the federal government, does not worship Satan or some sort of evil deity. It is a nontheistic group that promotes secularism. It has successfully fought other efforts to introduce religion into governments around the country by pushing for its inclusion in such things as holiday displays on public property and religious materials in public schools.

“After signing the school chaplain bill into law, (Gov. Ron DeSantis) declared that Satanists be disallowed,” Lucian Greaves, spokesperson for the Satanic Temple said at the meeting.

One person questioned whether the school district would consider implementing the policy if most of the chaplains were Muslim or of Pagan faith.

Some speakers said students need access to spiritual guidance, no matter the religion, as long as they meet the requirements of the state statute.

District 3 board member Jon Arguello said people who are against the policy are spreading disinformation and fear-mongering.

“I don’t care what all these crazy people say,” Arguello said.

He even bashed the district.

“If there was a student who came up here asking for ‘I want to be chemically castrated because I’m a transgender ideologist,’ the school board members on this dais would pay for the Uber to send that student to go to the clinic, but here in this situation, a student comes and they ask for spiritual guidance because they need something different than what we’re offering? Then, they want to cut it down,” Arguello said.

Last week, the Florida Department of Education released a model policy to help school districts draw up guidelines. Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said the policy would “ensure that credible chaplains can volunteer in Florida’s schools.”

Among other things, the policy specifically defines religion as “an organized group led, supervised, or counseled by a hierarchy of teachers, clergy, sages, or priests that:

1. Acknowledges the existence of and worships a supernatural entity that possesses power over the natural world,
2. Regularly engages in some form of ceremony, ritual, or protocol, and
3. Whose religious beliefs impose moral duties independent of the believer’s self-interest

“Florida welcomes legitimate and officially authorized chaplains to become volunteers at their local schools and to provide students with morally sound guidance,” Diaz said.

While the policy does not specifically mention The Satanic Temple, the definition would allow a school district to block TST from offering chaplains. However, it may also affect other nontheistic religions as well, such as Buddhism, and even some Christian sects.

David Williamson, the president and director of the Central Florida Freethought Community, said he did not know what to expect when going into the meeting, especially because the board originally planned to just discuss the proposal, but then it was put up for a vote.

“I’m glad to see that it failed mightily,” Williamson said.

The item will no longer be considered and there won’t be discussions about it at future meetings, according to another board member.

Osceola and Marion counties were among the first in Florida to consider school chaplain policies. News 6 Investigator Mike DeForest talked to Marion County school leaders about their plan earlier this month.

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: