This bill amends several sections of the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska to allow school boards to employ chaplains, including in a volunteer capacity, to provide various support services to students without requiring them to hold a teaching certificate. The bill defines a chaplain as a clergy member who is licensed, ordained, or endorsed by their religious organization and trained for secular environments. It establishes that the employment of a chaplain does not imply an endorsement of any particular religion and mandates that chaplains undergo a criminal history record check before employment. Additionally, school boards are required to develop policies regarding the employment and management of chaplains.

The bill also clarifies that the existing regulations regarding teacher and administrator certification do not apply to chaplains, thereby exempting them from the usual requirements for educators. It includes provisions for the State Board of Education to oversee the eligibility of chaplains based on their criminal history checks. The bill aims to harmonize the provisions related to the employment of chaplains with existing educational laws while repealing the original sections that conflict with these new provisions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 79-804, 79-805, 79-814.01