Background: House Bill 1054 would allow volunteer chaplains to serve in public schools.
Our position: The ACLU of South Dakota opposes House Bill 1054
The primary role of chaplains is to provide pastoral or religious counseling to people in spiritual need. Allowing them to assume official positions — even if voluntary — in public schools will create an environment ripe for religious coercion.
Allowing public schools to establish voluntary positions for chaplains will inevitably lead to evangelizing and religious coercion of students. This violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which, along with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, safeguards the constitutional right to religious liberty. Courts have repeatedly ruled that it is unconstitutional for public schools to invite religious leaders to engage in religious activities with students or to promote religious doctrine to them.
Additionally, because chaplains are typically not trained or certified to provide educational or counseling services to youth, students are likely to receive inadequate mental health support that, in some cases, may be harmful.
