Chaplains are entering public schools in numerous states across the U.S., marking a return to a system supporters say is both necessary for moral and social stability and older than the nation itself.
“Chaplains are the very definition of free exercise of religion,” Rocky Malloy, founder of the National School Chaplain Association, or NSCA, told The Lion in an interview.
Today, approximately 7,000 chaplains serve in the U.S. armed forces as federal employees, Malloy said. That includes chaplains serving on active duty, in reserve components, the National Guard, service academies, the Coast Guard and special assignments.
Additionally, more than 35,000 chaplains serve the public in industries including public safety, health care, higher education and transportation.
“From a constitutional and policy standpoint, school chaplaincy aligns naturally with existing public-sector chaplain models already operating nationwide,” Malloy said in a statement.
