Ohio has a handful of education bills still under consideration by state lawmakers, including a proposal to require students watch a video produced by an anti-abortion group, and another to allow displays of the Ten Commandments in schools, and require it if it is donated.
The bills have already passed in the chamber from which they originated, and are now in the other chamber for consideration.
Ohio’s 136th General Assembly has reached its halfway point, as the lawmakers operate on two-year cycles. Bills have until the end of 2026 to pass or else they die.
The Ohio Senate plans to return at the end of January and the Ohio House is expected to come back in February.
Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act
Ohio House Bill 486, also known as the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act, would allow public schools and public universities to teach the positive impacts of Judeo-Christian religion on American history.
Republican state Reps. Gary Click and Mike Dovilla introduced the bill, which the Ohio House passed in November.
The bill outlines several examples that could be taught including the history of the pilgrims, the religious background of signers of the Declaration of Independence, the religious influence on the U.S. Constitution, Benjamin Franklin’s call for prayer at the constitutional convention, the separation of church and state, the role of the Ten Commandments “in shaping American law,” how religious influence shaped the Civil Rights movement, and the impact of evangelist Billy Graham, among others, according to the bill’s language.
Baby Olivia Act
Ohio House Bill 485, also known as the “Enact Baby Olivia Act” would require schools to show either the ‘Baby Olivia’ video or a similar video to students every year starting in fifth grade all the way up through twelfth grade beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
Ohio State Rep. Melanie Miller, R–Ashland, introduced the bill, which the Ohio House passed in November.
The three-minute “Meet Baby Olivia” video was produced by Live Action, which advocates against abortion, and it shows fertilization and fetal growth.
Planned Parenthood calls the “Baby Olivia” video “inaccurate, misleading, and manipulative.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has issues with the bill, saying the video shows gestational age two weeks earlier than starts and shows fetal development as more advanced than it is.
Ten Commandments in classroom
Ohio Senate Bill 34 could allow the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
Ohio State Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, introduced the bill which the Ohio Senate passed in November.
The bill would require public schools to display “historic texts in the classroom.”
The list includes the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Articles of Confederation, the mottoes of both the U.S. and Ohio, the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, the Northwest Ordinance, and the Ten Commandments.
School districts would have to pick four of the documents. If a document is donated to the schools though, the bill requires it to be displayed.
Success Sequence
Ohio Senate Bill 156 would require schools to teach students to graduate high school, get a job, and get married — in that order — before having a baby. This order of events is known as the success sequence.
State Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, introduced the bill, which passed in the Senate in October and has had one hearing so far in the Ohio House Education Committee.
The bill requires the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to create a model curriculum for the success sequence for grades 6-12 and this would be a graduation requirement.
Academic interventions
Ohio Senate Bill 19 would allow a public school student who scored below proficient in a state assessment test in math or English language arts to receive academic intervention services at no cost.
The academic interventions in the bill must be evidence-based and could include high-dosage tutoring at least three days a week, additional instruction time, and an extended school calendar.
The bill passed unanimously in the Senate in November and the bill now heads to the Ohio House for consideration. Ohio Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, introduced the bill.
Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.