by J.D. Davidson
Ohio school districts must adopt a policy to accommodate students’ sincerely held religious beliefs.
The new law, signed Friday by Gov. Mike DeWine, was introduced more than a year ago. It requires the district to adopt a policy prohibiting the encouraging of students, employees, and applicants to specific beliefs or ideas about political movements or ideology.
Policies must be adopted to make policies, guidance, and training materials for students, teachers, and staff regarding specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or political movements available to the public.
The religious policy must allow for three excused absences for religious expression days.
“Ohio’s recent political climate has raised concerns that Ohio’s K-12 public school teachers, staff and students may face negative consequences for expressing certain political perspectives or failing to conform to specific ideological viewpoints,” bill sponsor Rep. Adam Holmes, R-Nashport, told the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee during testimony. “More directly, concern is growing that employment, funding, promotion, certifications, and classroom evaluations in Ohio’s public schools are increasingly tied to demonstrated support for specific ideologies and political opinions.”
Holmes told lawmakers the bill was designed to provide freedom from required political action or beliefs and foster an environment of free speech.
“A robust commitment to the free exchange of ideas and expression of differing viewpoints is not only critical for a successful learning environment, but also consistent with American values of free speech and individual value,” Holmes said.
The bill faced opposition from the Ohio Education Association, which says the law creates censorship guidelines.
“HB214 would cause unnecessary distraction and confusion for educators, students, administrators, and parents by requiring vague and amorphous local censorship guidelines in Ohio’s 600 plus school districts and hundreds of charter schools,” the association said in testimony. “A state-mandated political censorship maze across Ohio’s school districts and charter schools is in no one’s interest, least of all students. Such a law would harm Ohio’s public schools.”
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An Ohio native, J.D. Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher. Davidson is a regional editor for The Center Square.
