REPRESENTATIVES Damschroder, Barrett, Calvert, Carey, Collier, Flowers, Hoops, Jolivette, Key, Latell, Latta, Lendrum, Metzger, Niehaus, Otterman, Patton, Roman, Schmidt, Seaver, Seitz, Setzer, Webster, White, Young, Callender, Reinhard, Fedor, Reidelbach, Faber, Aslanides, Manning, McGregor, Wolpert, Hughes, G. Smith, Olman, Gilb, Clancy, Carmichael, Hagan, Willamowski, Grendell, Kearns, Core, Fessler, Widowfield, Husted, Williams, DeWine, Schaffer, Raga, Schneider, Schuring, Evans, Buehrer, Distel, Cirelli, Peterson, Coates, Ogg, Rhine, Krupinski, Allen

To amend sections 3313.601 and 3313.602 of the Revised

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Code to direct the board of education of each

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school district to require all students to observe

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a minute of silence each school day for prayer,

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reflection, or meditation upon a moral,

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philosophical, or patriotic theme, and to require

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school district boards of education to set aside a

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period of time each day for the oral recitation of

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the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1.  That sections 3313.601 and 3313.602 of the	10
Revised Code be amended to read as follows:	11

Sec. 3313.601. No(A) The board of education of each school	12
district shall provide for a minute of silence each school day	13
with participation of all students for prayer, reflection, or	14
meditation upon a moral, philosophical, or patriotic theme. No	15
teacher shall select or determine the theme for the daily minute	16
of silence.	17

(B) No board of education shall prohibit a classroom teacher	18
from providing in histhe teacher's classroom reasonable periods	19
of time, in addition to the period of time set aside under	20
division (A) of this section, for programs or meditation upon	21
activities of a moral, philosophical, or patriotic theme. No	22
pupil shall be required to participate in such programs or	23
meditationsactivities under this division if they are contrary to	24
the religious convictions of the pupil or histhe pupil's parents	25
or guardians.	26

(C) With respect to the period of time set aside under	27
division (A) of this section, no board of education of a school	28
district shall adopt any policy or rule respecting or promoting an	29
establishment of religion or prohibiting any pupil from the free,	30
individual, and voluntary exercise or expression of the pupil's	31
religious beliefs.	32

Sec. 3313.602.  (A) The board of education of each city,	33
local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district	34
shall adopt a policy specifying whether or notrequiring that a	35
period of time be set aside each school day for the oral	36
recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag shall beas a	37
part of the school's program and, if so, establishing a time and	38
manner for suchthe recitation. The policy adopted under this	39
division shall not require any student to participate in the	40
recitation and shall prohibit the intimidation of any student by	41
other students or staff aimed at coercing participation.	42

(B) In the development of its graded course of study, the	43
board of education of each city and exempted village school	44
district and the governing board of each educational service	45
center shall ensure that the principles of democracy and ethics	46
are emphasized and discussed wherever appropriate in all parts of	47
the curriculum for grades kindergarten through twelve.	48

(C) Each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational	49
school board shall adopt policies that encourage all certificated	50
and noncertificated employees to be cognizant of their roles in	51
instilling ethical principles and democratic ideals in all	52
district pupils.	53

(D) The board of education of each city, local, joint	54
vocational, chartered community, and exempted village school	55
district, and the Cleveland Scholarshipscholarship and Tutoring	56
Programtutoring program, shall require each district school to	57
devote time on or about Veterans' day to an observance that	58
conveys the meaning and significance of that day. The amount of	59
time each school devotes to this observance shall be at least one	60
hour or, in schools that schedule class periods of less than one	61
hour, at least one standard class period. The board shall	62
determine the specific activities to constitute the observance in	63
each school in the district after consultation with the school's	64
administrators.	65

Section 2.  That existing sections 3313.601 and 3313.602 of	66
the Revised Code are hereby repealed.	67