Signed by Governor Mike DeWine

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with senate amendments and pass a bill that authorizes religious expression in public schools.

Highlights:

• 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).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that authorizes religious expression in public schools.

Highlights:

• 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).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes religious expression in public schools.

Highlights:

• 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. 

Full Bill Text