House Education Committee tables bill to authorize school chaplains after debate over training and constitutional risk

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 Association, urged the committee to back the amended bill. Bloodgood said the measure "gives schools the insurances that they can utilize chaplains if that's what the school needs" while keeping safeguards such as background checks and publication of chaplain information on school websites. Malloy framed chaplaincy as a safety and prevention tool, saying his organization deploys chaplains in schools and crisis responses and asserting chaplains can help detect and intervene before tragedies escalate.

Opponents — a broad coalition that included the School Administrators of Montana, the Board of Public Education, the ACLU of Montana, tribal advocates, licensed counselors and parents — urged rejection. Rob Watson, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, said the bill "vaguely defines chaplains' roles" and lacks the training, job descriptions and evaluation systems required to ensure safety and consistent implementation across districts. Tribal and Native‑focused witnesses warned that chaplains drawn from particular faiths could marginalize Native spiritual traditions. Macaul Flynn, executive director of the Board of Public Education, noted that school counselors must meet licensure requirements (master’s degrees, accredited programs and internships) and said the bill does not match that standard.

Committee members pressed the sponsor and witnesses about definitions and qualifications, whether local school boards could reasonably set and enforce standards, and the bill’s constitutional footing after recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Supporters repeatedly cited Kennedy v. Bremerton to argue the bill can coexist with constitutional protections; opponents, including the ACLU, said establishment‑clause and free‑exercise risks remain and that minimal bill requirements (age and background check) are insufficient to protect students in crisis.

An amendment discussed in committee raises the minimum age to 21 and reiterates parental consent, background checks, and school‑board approval. During executive action after a short caucus the committee voted to table SB 525; the transcript records the committee’s action as tabling the bill (transcript vote notation reports the tabling as in favor; see committee record). The hearing record shows extensive opposition centered on training, oversight and cultural concerns, while proponents emphasized local choice and crisis response capacity.

What’s next: Tabling removes SB 525 from immediate consideration by the committee; sponsors or stakeholders may seek to return to the issue with additional guardrails, clarified definitions, or fiscal and legal analysis in future hearings.