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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sponsors of a new Ohio House bill said religious chaplains should be allowed to volunteer in traditional public and charter schools to help students with mental health challenges Hearings began Monday on Ohio House Bill 531 in the House Education Committee. The sponsors, GOP Reps. Johnathan Newman of the Dayton area and Kevin Ritter of Marietta, said the services of a chaplain must be voluntary and that school districts would have to decide whether to allow chaplains in their buildings. Also under the bill, parents would have to give written permission for a student to work with a chaplain, and the chaplains would have to undergo the same criminal background checks of other school employees. “This bill was drafted with a simple purpose: To give our schools another tool to support the whole child — intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually — while preserving local control and respecting every student’s freedom of choice and freedom of belief,” Ritter said. Chaplains would be complementing, not replacing, school counselors, Newman said. “Schools play a key role in shaping moral character, not only academic abilities,” he said. “Chaplains promote empathy, respect and accountability through their support services and programming, their influence extends beyond individual interactions, fostering a culture of kindness and integrity.” HB 531 would define chaplains as religious professionals who have received an endorsement or certification by recognized ecclesiastical endorsing agencies. These chaplains provide spiritual programming, support and counseling outside traditional church settings, such as in hospitals, armed services, prisons or law enforcement agencies. Texas, Florida and Louisiana have passed school chaplaincy laws. Similar bills have been introduced in 11 other states. Rep. Sean Brennan, a Parma Democrat, asked who would be liable if there are allegations of inappropriate behavior or hurtful actions. “We hope there would never be such a case,” Newman said. “The chaplain himself would carry insurance. It’s not stated in the bill, but school boards can certainly require that. But we would not want the school district to incur any costs through lawsuits like that.” Brennan noted that chaplains would not be licensed counselors. “Where’s that line between what would be appropriate for them to do and inappropriate for them to do when working with kids?” he asked. Newman said the bill leaves that up to the discretion of the school board, which would get to “outline the services, programs and counseling that they would desire from a chaplain.” Rep. Joe Miller, an Amherst Democrat, said chaplains may be a good option for a student who doesn’t have a good relationship with a counselor. But he noted that despite the chaplains being optional, the bill requires school districts and charter school governing authorities to decide by Dec. 1, 2026, in a public meeting on whether to adopt a policy authorizing chaplains beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. “I get a little nervous about how this language was written,” he said. “… This is forcing a religious decision to be made at every board in and across the state. Would you be willing to make this non-mandated, like you want for all the other areas of (chaplains) working with children, and just say a school board may do this and give them that tool?” Newman didn’t answer directly. “There’s a date for a decision being made, but the school district can make whatever decision they would choose to, and so if they choose not to utilize chaplains, they simply register in their record that they have chosen not to. The use of chaplains is not mandated. It is permissive.”
