COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio has enacted the Religious Expression Days or “R.E.D.” Act (House Bill 214) mandating broader accommodations for students’ religious practices in the state’s public schools.
The legislation, signed into law in July by Governor Mike DeWine, requires all Ohio public school districts to adopt policies that “reasonably accommodate the sincerely held religious beliefs and practices of individual students.” A key provision allows students to take up to three “religious expression days” per school year without academic penalty.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”blue” class=”” size=”18″]Key Provisions:
• Students can take up to 3 religious expression days per year
• Schools must provide alternative accommodations for missed work
• Principals must approve requests without inquiring into religious sincerity
• Schools must post accommodation policies and a list of major religious holidays online
• Accommodations not limited to holidays on the posted list[/perfectpullquote]
“The policy shall permit a student in any of grades kindergarten through twelve to be absent for up to three religious expression days each school year to take holidays for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system,” the bill states. Schools must provide alternative accommodations for missed exams or assignments.
Notably, the law instructs school principals to approve these religious absence requests “without inquiry into the sincerity of a student’s religious or spiritual belief system.” This provision aims to prevent subjective judgments about the validity of different religious practices.
The R.E.D. Act also addresses concerns about political ideology in schools. It prohibits districts from requiring employees, job applicants, or students to “affirmatively ascribe to, or opine about, specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles concerning political movements, or ideology.” Such statements cannot be used in employee evaluations or student assessments.
The law requires schools to post their religious accommodation policies online, along with a “nonexhaustive list of major religious holidays,” including Eid, Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover. However, it specifies that accommodations should not be limited to listed holidays.