Texas School Chaplain Certification Training Announced

The National School Chaplain Association (NSCA) has announced a training program for individuals who want to become a certified school chaplain. The program is open to credentialed ministers, as well as those who have no credentials but are willing to undergo training.

More information is available at https://nationalschoolchaplainassociation.org/

The program’s announcement comes on the heels of the passing of Senate Bill 763, which would allow chaplains to be employed by the school board after a vote. According to the bill, funding that will be used to pay for the chaplain’s salary will be sourced from funds allocated for school safety.

The NSCA said that school safety is the “number one” reason for hiring a school chaplain, adding that violent incidents like school shootings can be prevented through timely intervention by a trained chaplain.

“Data shows most mass shootings are planned in advance, meaning there was time for an intervention,” it stated on its website. “Yet, students do not avail themselves of therapy services because of a lingering stigma and fear that consultations will appear as a footnote on their transcript, curtaining acceptance to post-graduation education.”

It explained that chaplains have the advantage over professional counselors because of the absence of such a stigma, as conversations with chaplains are private and their informal nature leads to students opening up more compared to when they are speaking with a teacher or counselor.

The training available for aspiring chaplains will depend on one’s background. Credentialed applicants, like ordained ministers or teachers, will need to complete an eight-week course offered by the NSCA in partnership with Oral Roberts University. This program is asynchronous, averaging six hours per week.

Non-credentialed applicants with no experience will be required to complete an associate’s degree also offer in partnership with Oral Roberts University.

Both credentialed and non-credentialed chaplain students will also need to undergo active shooter training and pass the National Threat Assessment Center’s first level of threat assessment training.

Interested parties may visit the link above for more information. Those who wish to support the NSCA and its programs may log on to https://missiongeneration.app.neoncrm.com/forms/nsca

National School Chaplain Association

PO Box 720746

United States

COMTEX_432761268/2764/2023-05-16T05:05:06