Today is March 1st, and it also the deadline for all Texas school districts to make a decision on SB 763. The new state law allows chaplains to serve as school counselors.
"At the end of the day, it's up to the student" said state senator, Mayes Middleton, the author of SB 763, "This doesn't replace counselor's either, that's another myth that's out there. Counselor's still have a very important role in our ISD's. This is in addition to counselors."
It may be up to the students, but unfortunately it's the school board's who have the final say. And here locally, many have said no, like HISD and Katy ISD.
"They're listening to these radical, Washington D.C. based atheists groups, and tax payer funded lobbyists that are pressuring them to reject chaplains in schools" Middleton told KTRH.
Thankfully, many more ISD's have said yes to chaplains in schools. But the no's have been disappointing.
"It has been very disappointing to hear some school board trustees repeat the fake argument of 'separation of church and state'. That is nowhere in the Constitution" noted Middleton.
It's also worth noting that the chaplains are volunteer positions, and -not- in place of regular school counselors.
Right now, state senator Middleton says they are trying to determine exactly how much pressure these tax payer funded lobbyists put on school districts, so the fight for religious liberty and freedom, and most of all the well being of our kids, will continue.