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House Education Committee tables bill to authorize school chaplains after debate over training and constitutional risk
Summary
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony on SB 525, which would let districts authorize paid or volunteer school chaplains with parental consent and school-board approval; opponents said the bill lacks training and guardrails and tribal and civil‑liberties groups raised establishment‑clause concerns. The committee tabled the bill.
Senate Bill 525, a measure to allow Montana school districts and public charter schools to authorize paid or volunteer school chaplains, was tabled by the House Education Committee after several hours of testimony and questioning.
Sen. Teresa Manzella, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure is optional and driven by "local control," allowing districts to adopt policies that authorize chaplains while requiring parental notification and written consent. "School chaplain employed under this section is required to be approved by the local school board of trustees," she said in opening remarks, and she emphasized the bill’s change from an earlier draft that would have allowed chaplains to replace licensed counselors.
Supporters including the Office of Public Instruction’s legislative liaison Katie Bloodgood and Rocky Malloy, CEO of the National School Chaplain…
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