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

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.	15

(B) No board of education shall prohibit a classroom teacher	16
from providing in histhe teacher's classroom reasonable periods	17
of time, in addition to the period of time set aside under	18
division (A) of this section, for programs or meditation upon	19
activities of a moral, philosophical, or patriotic theme. No	20
pupil shall be required to participate in such programs or	21
meditationsactivities under this division if they are contrary to	22
the religious convictions of the pupil or histhe pupil's parents	23
or guardians.	24

(C) With respect to the period of time set aside under	25
division (A) of this section, no board of education of a school	26
district shall adopt any policy or rule respecting or promoting an	27
establishment of religion or prohibiting any pupil from the free,	28
individual, and voluntary exercise or expression of the pupil's	29
religious beliefs.	30

Sec. 3313.602.  (A) The board of education of each city,	31
local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district	32
shall adopt a policy specifying whether or notrequiring that a	33
period of time be set aside each school day for the oral	34
recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag shall beas a	35
part of the school's program and, if so, establishing a time and	36
manner for suchthe recitation. The policy adopted under this	37
division shall not require any student to participate in the	38
recitation and shall prohibit the intimidation of any student by	39
other students or staff aimed at coercing participation.	40

(B) In the development of its graded course of study, the	41
board of education of each city and exempted village school	42
district and the governing board of each educational service	43
center shall ensure that the principles of democracy and ethics	44
are emphasized and discussed wherever appropriate in all parts of	45
the curriculum for grades kindergarten through twelve.	46

(C) Each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational	47
school board shall adopt policies that encourage all certificated	48
and noncertificated employees to be cognizant of their roles in	49
instilling ethical principles and democratic ideals in all	50
district pupils.	51

(D) The board of education of each city, local, joint	52
vocational, chartered community, and exempted village school	53
district, and the Cleveland Scholarshipscholarship and Tutoring	54
Programtutoring program, shall require each district school to	55
devote time on or about Veterans' day to an observance that	56
conveys the meaning and significance of that day. The amount of	57
time each school devotes to this observance shall be at least one	58
hour or, in schools that schedule class periods of less than one	59
hour, at least one standard class period. The board shall	60
determine the specific activities to constitute the observance in	61
each school in the district after consultation with the school's	62
administrators.	63

Section 2.  That existing sections 3313.601 and 3313.602 of	64
the Revised Code are hereby repealed.	65