Ohio students may get 3 days off for religious holidays

Ohio’s public schools can’t close for every religious holiday, but one Republican state senator says students shouldn’t be penalized for observing those days and they should count as excused absences.

“If they miss that day at school, it’s often not excused because it’s not a holiday that’s recognized by their local district,” Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-canal Winchester, said.

And that can have academic consequences. For example, Reynolds said, “if a Catholic student was absent for Good Friday and was on a sports team, most rules say they would not be able to compete.” A Jewish student who stays home to fast for Yom Kippur might not be allowed to make up a test. A Muslim student who attends Eid might be marked late on an assignment.

That’s why she introduced Senate Bill 49. Known as the Religious Expression Days act, the bill would require local boards of education to draft “nonexhaustive” lists of religious holidays and excuse students for up to three days each academic year.

Schools would also have to provide accommodations “for any missed assignments including tests.” And teachers would have to accept these absences “without question” while keeping “alternative accommodation requests confidential.”

“What’s important about the bill language is it’s based on each student’s own religious needs,” Ohio Jewish Communities Director Howie Beigelman said. “A teacher or principal can’t say I don’t like that or you missed this last week.”

Parents in his community have told him that’s “crucial for kids,” especially those “who are afraid to stand out.”

And it’s something Reynolds heard from the new American and Muslim communities in her district while on the campaign trail last fall. “Their students have historically been absent and it’s been unexcused,” she said. “For some of them, it’s been a problem because they have missed a test or examination.”

SB 49 is similar to a law that will go into effect for Ohio colleges on April 3.

Passed with nearly unanimous bipartisan support, House Bill 353 required institutions of higher learning to let students miss up to three days each semester for religious celebrations.

The law was supported by Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations.

Anna Staver is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.