Florida Department of Education rolls out guidelines for Volunteer School Chaplain Program

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Tue., Aug. 20, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. announced policy to provide Florida schools with credible chaplains.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

The Volunteer School Chaplains Program has been created to help provide schools with additional student resources.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

“Florida welcomes only legitimate and officially authorized chaplains to become volunteers at their local schools and to provide students with morally sound guidance,” Diaz Jr. said in a statement.

The model policy reads that examples of student resources include “mentoring students, assisting with extracurricular activities such as religiously affiliated clubs, building resiliency skills, and offering spiritual guidance as requested.”

READ: New DCPS Superintendent talks increasing enrollment, budget, and teacher compensation

Principals will need to notify all parents, every year, of the availability of the Volunteer School Chaplain Program. The guidelines are also meant to ensure each person who applies to serve as a volunteer chaplain meets minimum requirements to ensure credible chaplains are part of the program.

Read the Model Police: Volunteer School Chaplains Program in its entirety:

>

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.