If DeSantis signs school chaplain bill, a ‘Hindu statesman’ from Nevada eager to volunteer

Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to sign a bill that would allow chaplains to offer counseling in public schools, but one colorful religious figure says he is already eager to volunteer.

He’s a self-described “Hindu statesman” from Nevada who says he would like to bring “the wisdom of ancient Sanskrit scriptures” to students — perhaps not exactly what Florida lawmakers had in mind when they approved a bill that supporters tout as a way to make up for a shortage of mental health counselors in many schools.

The offer from Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, may amount to just his latest effort to raise his organization’s profile, but it also underlines concerns from critics. Mainly, that the bill’s vague definition of “counseling” will invite religious groups — whether they are Hindu, Christian or otherwise — to use it as a door to teaching their beliefs in secular school systems.

“This is the beginning ... of them trying to implement religion in some type of capacity back into our schools,” said Sen. Shevrin D. “Shev” Jones, D-Miami Gardens, referring to lawmakers who support the bill. “It just opens up the gate for other things.”

Jones, whose father is a pastor, said he’s concerned that the bill may lead to some schools allowing chaplains to preach to students who may not hold the same beliefs, putting them in uncomfortable situations.

“In the words of one of my colleagues on the floor, ‘We need God back in our schools.’ But what about the child who doesn’t believe in God? What if some of the chaplains don’t resonate with the lives of those kids?” Jones said.

He used an example of a chaplain dealing with an LGBTQ child or a child battling depression. “Has the chaplain been trained enough? Once they hear those concerns, where do they direct that child to go to?”

Lawmakers who support the bill (SB 1044), which passed the Florida Legislature last week, argue that the volunteer chaplains will help address a shortage of mental health counselors in schools — there is only one counselor for every 425 students, according to a staff analysis of the bill. The American School Counselor Association recommends one school counselor for every 250 students. If DeSantis signs the bill, parents would also have to sign off on counseling from a chaplain.

“This can be viewed as an alternative to school counselors for some families,” said Sen. Erin Grall, R-Fort Pierce, the bill’s sponsor, during a Senate debate last month. “There’s a wide range of challenges that people may have from a mental health perspective.”

Grall’s office did not respond to a Herald request for comment on the offer from Zed. While supporters, many of them conservative Republicans, say the bill puts no parameters on the religious denomination of a chaplain, a footnote in the bill analysis references a Texas-based Christian chaplain ministry when defining school chaplains. The bill passed by an 89-25 vote in the House and 28-12 vote in the Senate, with all the no votes coming from Democrats.

READ MORE: Chaplains in public schools? Florida bill would give options for religious counselors

Sen. Danny Burgess, a West Central Florida Republican, who voted in favor of the bill, said during one hearing on the bill that today’s students are not getting enough spiritual guidance.

“You cannot deny the dystopian hellhole that society seems to be quickly forcing itself into by just removing God from everything that we possibly can imagine,” he said. “I’m speaking as someone’s who’s deeply concerned about where we’re going in this world. Our kids need help. We are in trouble.”

Burgess also argued that the chaplain program would be optional for students, requiring written permission from a parent before they participate. School boards also would have to opt in to the program.

Critics of the bill argue a better approach would be to provide more funding for professional mental health counselors.

Exposing students to new ideas or opening door to indoctrination?

Zed, who sent out a press release urging Florida lawmakers to accept Hindu chaplains into the program, is not a leader in any of the formal Hindu sects, but has cultivated a reputation in the media as a spokesman for Hinduism. He said he established the Universal Society of Hinduism in order to enhance people’s understanding of the religion and foster interfaith relationships.

He’s made headlines for leading the first Hindu prayer in the U.S. Senate, and said he has offered Hindu prayers before hundreds of legislative bodies across 44 states. He said in an interview with the Miami Herald that he has worked as a hospital chaplain and has experience speaking to students in school settings. Zed supports the bill and sees it as an opportunity to expand American students’ views of religion.

“I think it will broaden the minds of schoolchildren about other faiths,” he said in an interview with the Herald.

Zed emphasized that his goal wouldn’t be to push religion onto students, and that his experience has taught him how to counsel people in tough situations. He also said that the Hindu chaplains would be able to shed light on Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism, and arrange tours to Florida Hindu temples where students could participate in sacred rituals.

“I want the Florida Legislature to be more inclusive and to have chaplains from all religion and denominations, including the non believers,” Zed said. “The experience would enrich the souls of Florida students.”

Zed describes Hinduism, the world’s oldest and third largest religion in the world with more than 1.1 billion observants, as a “very peaceful religion.” Hindus believe in religious tenets that may be familiar to some: love your neighbor and be charitable to those in need, for example. Other beliefs, like believing in different manifestations of God or dieties; and in reincarnation, or the concept that someone’s spirit can begin a new life in a different physical form or body after death, may not be widely accepted by other religions.

“We think that each person is intrinsically divine. And the purpose of life is to seek and realize that divinity within all of us,” Zed said. “And we are non exclusive, we accept other faiths and religious paths.”

After hearing about the critiques of the bill, Zed said he doesn’t think the program will be used to indoctrinate children, but rather expose them to religious beliefs outside of what they may be used to. He points out that children should be educated early on other cultures and religions in order to prepare them to live in a diverse society.

For the bill’s critics, Zed’s interest in the program shows that some religious leaders may interpret the legislation more broadly than what lawmakers outlined.

“I do think that this can potentially become a gateway for the misinterpretation of what the use of school chaplains is,” Senator Jones said.

The bill, according to a staff analysis, would define chaplains as “clergyman officially attached to a branch of the military, to an institution, or to a family or court” and define a school chaplain as someone who could provide counsel and spiritual care for school staff, students, and families.

The bill does not outline any requirements on how a chaplain is credentialed or trained. The school district would have to list its chaplains and their religious affiliations and spell out specific duties. It doesn’t spell out how much authority schools or districts would have over choosing volunteers. The only requirements are that a volunteer would have to already be designated a chaplain by some outside entity and pass a criminal background check.

Jones believes that some lawmakers are using the bill to impose a Christian nationalist ideology in schools.

“Because my Republican colleagues over the past couple of years have showed their hand and their intent and how they want to push this Christian nationalism agenda, it scares me that their motives are not true in how it has been presented,” Jones said.

This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.