Jason Stephens Co-Sponsored (Introduced) this Legislation.
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools
Signed by Governor Mike DeWine
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools
Vote to concur with senate amendments and pass a bill that authorizes religious expression in public schools.
Prohibits the Ohio Board of Education from limiting the exercise of expression of a student’s religious beliefs during lunch period or other non-instructional times when students are free to associate (Sec. 3313.601).
Requires school districts, community schools, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) schools or college-preparatory boarding schools to give the same access to school facilities to students who wish to conduct a meeting for the purpose of engaging in religious expression as is given to secular groups (Sec. 3320.02).
Prohibits schools from forbidding students from engaging in religious expression in the completion of homework, artwork or other written or oral assignments (Sec. 3320.03).
Appropriates an additional $24 million to the General Revenue Fund (Sec. 20).
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools
Vote to amend and pass a bill that authorizes religious expression in public schools.
Prohibits the Ohio Board of Education from limiting the exercise of expression of a student’s religious beliefs during lunch period or other non-instructional times when students are free to associate (Sec. 3313.601).
Requires school districts, community schools, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) schools or college-preparatory boarding schools to give the same access to school facilities to students who wish to conduct a meeting for the purpose of engaging in religious expression as is given to secular groups (Sec. 3320.02).
Prohibits schools from forbidding students from engaging in religious expression in the completion of homework, artwork or other written or oral assignments (Sec. 3320.03).
Appropriates an additional $24 million to the General Revenue Fund (Sec. 20).
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools
Vote to pass a bill that authorizes religious expression in public schools.
Repeals previous law which states the board of education is authorized to limit the exercise or expression of religious beliefs to lunch periods or other non-instructional time periods when pupils are free to associate (Sec. 1).
Authorizes a student enrolled in a public school to engage in religious expression before, during, and after school hours in the same manner and to the same extent that a student is permitted to engage in secular activities or expression before, during, and after school hours (Sec. 1).
Requires a school district, community school, or a college-preparatory boarding school to give the same access to school facilities to students engaging in religious expression as is given to secular student organizations, without regard to the content of a student’s or group’s expression (Sec.1.).
Prohibits a school district board of education, the governing authority of a community school, the governing body of a STEM school, or the board of trustees of a college-preparatory boarding school from prohibiting a student from engaging in religious expression for the completion of homework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments (Sec. 1).
Requires assignment grades and scores to be calculated using ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, including any legitimate pedagogical concerns, and can not penalize or reward a student based on the religious content of a student’s work (Sec. 1).
Defines “religious expression” as the following (Sec. 1):
Prayer;
Religious gatherings, including but not limited to prayer groups, religious clubs, “see you at the pole” gatherings, or other religious gatherings;
Distribution of written materials or literature of a religious nature; and
Any other activity of a religious nature, including wearing symbolic clothing or expression of a religious viewpoint, provided that the activity is not obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent.
Title: Authorizes Religious Expression in Public Schools