Allow a school board to employ a chaplain, including in a volunteer capacity, at a school
LB549 would authorize Nebraska school boards to employ a chaplain, including in a volunteer capacity, to perform a range of duties at a school. The bill defines a chaplain as a clergy member licensed, ordained, or endorsed by a religious organization and trained to serve in secular environments. A chaplain employed under the bill could provide academic, career, emotional, and behavioral health supports to students, and would not be required to hold a Nebraska teaching certificate or special services certificate. The bill also states that employing a chaplain would not be considered an endorsement of any particular religion.
The bill sets out screening and employment requirements for chaplains, including a criminal history record check through the Nebraska State Patrol and FBI. It allows the Commissioner of Education to deny eligibility based on certain felony or misdemeanor convictions, especially those involving abuse, neglect, or sexual misconduct. School boards would also be required to adopt policies governing the employment, discipline, continuing education, and termination of chaplains. The bill expressly says that school boards are not required to hire a chaplain.
LB549 would amend Nebraska education law to create a new category of school employee: a chaplain who may serve in a paid or volunteer role without educator certification. It would also carve chaplains out of existing statutes governing teacher and administrator certification, registration, withholding of school funds for uncertified staff, and related liability provisions. In addition, it would direct the State Patrol and Commissioner of Education to process criminal history checks and eligibility determinations for chaplain applicants, while preserving confidentiality rules and appeal procedures.
The available record shows no committee transcript, no recorded votes, and no detailed public debate in the provided materials, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to summarize. Based on the bill’s structure, the measure appears to have been framed as permissive rather than mandatory, with explicit language stating that school boards may hire chaplains but are not required to do so. The bill’s final status of indefinitely postponed suggests it did not advance to enactment.
The main likely point of contention is the role of religion in public schools. Supporters would view the bill as allowing schools to add spiritual or pastoral support services, while critics may raise concerns about separation of church and state, religious neutrality, and whether chaplains could influence students in a public-school setting. Another possible issue is the bill’s use of volunteer chaplains without certification, which could prompt concerns about oversight, training, and consistency, though the bill attempts to address this through background checks and local board policies.