Ohio House Imposes Restrictions on Religious Release Time
BY JEFF SKINNER
STATEWIDE - Last year the Ohio House passed House Bill 8, which mandated educational institutions to permit students to attend religious instruction off-campus during the school day. The bill left very few limitations to its mandate, which is being revisited through budgetary rules to impose restrictions on how much or how often students can attend.
The latest Ohio House Budget bill imposes a strict limitation to the number of times per week a student can be released for religious instruction. Ohio School Board Association Director of Legislative Services, Jennifer Hogue, has been at the forefront of working with lawmakers on this latest rule setting.
"The newest budget bill changes that to set sort-of a floor and a ceiling," Rep Jennifer Hogue said. "Districts would be required to allow religious release time instruction at least one period per week and no more than two periods per week."
House Bill 8 has already limited the religious release time to ensure it would not be done during core class time and all students who attend programs operated under the release time for religious instruction rules must first have permission from their parents.
School districts have voiced their concerns over the initiative by stating that some students feel left out of religious release time when students participating return to class with candy and treats. Separately, other districts have stated that when the door is open to religious release time to one organization, it must be opened to others.
Despite Christian based organizations like Lifewise working with local school districts in Ohio to facilitate religious education, many mocking institutions are additionally attempting to push their way into the fray, such as the Satanic Temple, which has introduced their own “Hellion Academy of Independent Learning (HAIL) program.” This program is already available in at least one elementary school in Marysville, Ohio. According to the Satanic Temple, the ‘church’s’ After School Satan Club, has already been operating in Dayton, Wilmington and Lebanon.
