‘Patriotic’ Groups, Chaplains Headed to Fla. Schools

K-12 students are one step closer to getting some lessons from designated “patriotic” groups and volunteer chaplains after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on allowing certain groups access to elementary to high school campuses.

However, some exceptions will apply when it comes to preachers and public-spirited groups allowed to influence Florida’s youth in taxpayer-funded facilities, he stressed during a news conference in Kissimmee, Fla.

Rep. Wyman Duggan’s bill (HB 1317) allows representatives of so-called “patriotic organizations” time to meet with students and distribute recruitment materials, with schools providing designated times for these groups to pitch to their attendees.

Per the final version of the bill, a “patriotic organization” is “a youth membership organization serving young people under the age of 21 with an educational purpose that promotes patriotism and civic involvement which is listed in Title 36” of federal code.

These groups include Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boy Scouts of America, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Civil Air Patrol, Future Farmers of America, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Little League Baseball, Marine Corps League and Naval Sea Cadet Corps.

“When you are engaged in extracurricular activities, that’s going to be a net positive for students,” DeSantis said last Thursday. “We think that’s good,” he later added. “Not everyone knows what’s out there.”

These organizations are federally designated in code, meaning that exceptions would not be permitted. Parents, meanwhile, could opt out on behalf of their children.

The bill stipulates that these groups can use school buildings even after the instructional day is over and stipulates that other groups don’t have the legal right to “equal time.” It also requires that schools set a time and date for the group to speak to students after “reasonable notice” is provided by one of these organizations.

“Districts have to notify parents … and give them the option to withdraw their consent,” DeSantis said, citing a guardrail in the language.

The governor also signed HB 931, a bill that will “authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide supports, services, and programs to students as assigned by the district school board or charter school governing board,” with districts implementing the chaplain proposal at their discretion.

Level 2 screening of both state and federal criminal records will be required under this legislation for all volunteer chaplains. The $37.25 cost for each screening will be absorbed by the volunteer or the school district.

DeSantis said there had been “confusion” about whether districts can bring volunteer chaplains in for “additional counseling and support,” saying “some students … need some soul craft.”

Under the legislation, school boards will have to determine which programs and services chaplains would be assigned, inform parents that chaplains be informed and get parental consent before chaplains interact with students.

DeSantis billed the program as “providing our students with more resources,” saying that to “exclude religious groups from campus is discrimination.”