Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act of 2020 (Sub. H.B. 164) - Summary

• Student Religious Expression Rights: Students may engage in religious expression (prayer, religious gatherings, symbolic clothing, religious materials) before, during, and after school hours in the same manner as secular activities, and schools must provide equal facility access to religious student groups as secular groups.

• Religious Expression in Assignments: Schools cannot prohibit students from expressing religious beliefs in homework, artwork, or other assignments, and grades must be based on academic standards without penalizing or rewarding based on religious content.

• COVID-19 Education Adjustments for 2020-2021: Eliminates standardized testing requirements for 2019-2020 school year, allows remote learning models, waives Third Grade Reading Guarantee retention requirements with principal/teacher agreement, and extends various education-related deadline waivers.

• Utility Property Tax Relief for School Districts: Provides additional state funding to school districts with power plants experiencing significant decreases in utility tangible personal property taxable values between 2017-2020.

• Teacher Evaluation and Community School Governance Changes: Suspends use of student growth data in teacher/principal evaluations for 2020-2021, permits expanded service on multiple community school governing boards under certain conditions, and extends storm shelter building code moratorium to November 30, 2022.