HB8 • 2026

Campus chaplains; public K-12 schools authorized to accept as volunteers, local boards of education and governing bodies authorized to vote on whether to allow, limitations provided

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Gidley
Last action: 2026-04-16
Official status: Enacted
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not define what constitutes a 'recognized chaplain training program', leaving the criteria for approval open to future interpretation or regulation.

HB8: Rules for Volunteer Campus Chaplains in Public Schools

This law allows local school boards and charter school leaders to vote on whether their schools can accept volunteer campus chaplains who meet specific training, background check, and criminal history requirements.

What This Bill Does

Allows local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies to take a recorded vote starting in the 2026-2027 school year on whether to adopt a policy accepting volunteer campus chaplains.
Permits approved schools to have chaplains provide support, services, or programs when requested by any teacher in the district.
Requires every volunteer chaplain to complete a recognized chaplain training program before serving.
Mandates that public schools ensure all volunteer chaplains comply with state criminal history background check requirements before they begin volunteering.
Prohibits accepting as volunteers anyone who has been convicted of an offense requiring registration as a sex offender.

Who It Names or Affects

Local boards of education
Governing bodies of public charter schools
Public K-12 schools and public charter schools
Volunteer campus chaplains

Terms To Know

Campus Chaplain: A volunteer who provides support, services, or programs at a school when requested by any teacher.
Recognized chaplain training program: An approved course of study that a person must finish to qualify as a campus chaplain under this law.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not define what specific services or programs the chaplains will provide.
It is unclear which training programs count as 'recognized' without further details from state agencies.
Schools can only accept these volunteers if their local board votes to adopt a policy allowing it.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

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R 531

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment changes when a rule about campus chaplains in public schools starts to take effect.

Sets the start date for new rules on campus chaplain volunteers as the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.

The provided text cuts off before explaining what specific actions or limitations apply after that date.
Because the amendment text is incomplete, it is unclear exactly how schools must vote on allowing chaplains or what restrictions will be placed on them.

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R 532 • Gidley

Adopted

Plain English: This amendment sets strict new rules that campus chaplains must follow, including having a college degree, being officially recognized by their religion, and having at least five years of experience.

Chaplains must have at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited school.
Chaplains must be ordained or licensed by a religious group listed in the Handbook of Religious Denominations.
Chaplains need to show they have worked for five years after being officially recognized as clergy.

The text does not explain how schools will check if these rules are met or what happens if a chaplain fails them.
It is unclear from this short excerpt whether existing chaplains must meet these new requirements immediately or only future ones.

Bill History

2026-04-16 House
Enacted
2026-04-08 House
Delivered to Governor
2026-04-08 Senate
Signature Requested
2026-04-07 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1190 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-04-07 Senate
Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 33, Nays 0)
2026-04-07 House
Enrolled
2026-04-07 House
Ready to Enroll
2026-04-01 Senate
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-04-01 Senate
Reported Out of Committee Second House
2026-02-25 Senate
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-02-25 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Education Policy
2026-02-24 House
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 533 (Yeas 91, Nays 7)
2026-02-24 House
Gidley motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 532 (Yeas 80, Nays 22)
2026-02-24 House
Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 531 (Yeas 97, Nays 3)
2026-02-24 House
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 93, Nays 4)
2026-02-24 House
Engrossed
2026-02-24 House
Lands 1st Amendment Offered
2026-02-24 House
Gidley 1st Amendment Offered
2026-02-05 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-02-04 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-13 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-13 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Education Policy

Official Summary Text

This act: (1) authorizes local boards of education and governing bodies of public charter schools to vote on adopting a policy authorizing a school to accept a volunteer campus chaplain to provide services at the request of a teacher; and (2) requires that such chaplains have completed a recognized chaplain training program, have a criminal history background check conducted, and have not been convicted of a crime requiring registration as a sex offender.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB8 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB8
L5P8TYY-3
By Representatives Gidley, Hollis, Harrison, Rigsby, DuBose,
Paschal, Hulsey, Shaver, Colvin, Mooney, Sellers, Standridge,
Carns, Morris
RFD: Education Policy
First Read: 13-Jan-26
PFD: 25-Jun-25
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HB8 Enrolled
Page 1
PFD: 25-Jun-25
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to public K-12 education; to allow a public
K-12 school or public charter school to accept a campus
chaplain who meets certain requirements as a volunteer; to
prohibit certain individuals from volunteering as a campus
chaplain; and to allow each local board of education and the
governing body of each public charter school to vote on
whether to allow the volunteer services of a campus chaplain.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
term "public school" means any public K-12 school or public
charter school.
(b)(1) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each
local board of education and the governing body of each public
charter school may take a recorded vote on whether to adopt a
policy authorizing a public school under its jurisdiction to
accept a campus chaplain as a volunteer under this section.
(2) If a local board of education or the governing body
of a public charter school votes to accept a campus chaplain
as a volunteer, a campus chaplain may be made available to
provide support, services, and programs at the request of any
teacher in the local school district.
(c)(1) A campus chaplain volunteering under this
section is not required to be certified by the State Board of
Education.
(2) Each campus chaplain volunteering under this
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HB8 Enrolled
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(2) Each campus chaplain volunteering under this
section must have completed a recognized chaplain training
program.
(d) A public school that accepts a campus chaplain as a
volunteer under this section, before the campus chaplain may
begin volunteering, shall ensure that the campus chaplain
complies with Section 16-22A-5, Code of Alabama 1975, relating
to criminal history background information check requirements.
(e) A public school may not accept a campus chaplain as
a volunteer who has been adjudicated or convicted of an
offense that requires registration as a sex offender under
Chapter 20A of Title 15, Code of Alabama 1975.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on July 1,
2026.
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HB8 Enrolled
Page 3
2026.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 24-Feb-26, as amended.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 07-Apr-26 Passed
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