DeSantis signs legislation allowing volunteer chaplains at Florida schools

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two more bills on Thursday, including one that authorizes school districts to allow volunteer chaplains onto campus.

DeSantis spoke in Kississimmee on Thursday where he signed HB 1317 and HB 931. 

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HB 931 will allow volunteer chaplains to come onto Florida campuses and offer counseling and support services to students. DeSantis said this hinges on parents' written consent. 

"We [districts] that were worried about potential litigation," DeSantis said of school districts that shied away from offering these services. "To exclude religious groups from campus, that is discrimination. You're basically saying that God has no place? That's wrong; that's not what our Founding Fathers intended." 

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The new law is effective July 1 and will require schools to decide by Jan. 1, 2025 to decide if they want to allow volunteer chaplains on their campuses. 

Individual school districts must also generate a list of volunteer chaplains and their religious affiliations on their websites.

"You've got a lot of these problems that kids go through," DeSantis said. "There are some students where they need some soul craft, and that can make all the difference in the world. So, these chaplains will be able to come and provide services."

After signing the bill, DeSantis said he anticipates the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) contesting the new law with a lawsuit. 

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"This is not imposing anything that anybody doesn't want," DeSantis said. "So, what the ACLU is basically saying is that it's okay to discriminate against religious organizations. They think the church should be a second-class citizen." 

The other bill DeSantis signed, House Bill 1317, authorizes Florida school districts to allow representatives of ‘patriotic organizations' - like the Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and Future Farmers of America - to speak to students.