Ohio Republican Reps. vote unanimously to let students provide WRONG answers for science work

Ohio Republican House of Representatives vote unanimously to let students provide WRONG answers on science test and homework for religious reasons, forcing schools to grade on ‘substance and relevance’

  • House Bill 164 – called the ‘Student Religious Liberties Act’ – was passed in the Ohio House on Wednesday and was sponsored by Rep. Timothy Ginter 
  • It passed with a vote of 61-31 and will go to the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans
  • Assignments would need to be graded on ‘academic standards of substance and relevance’ instead on actual answers 
  • It also gives students the ability to hand out their own ‘written materials or literature of a religious’ to their peers 
  • House Democrats frowned on the decision, attacking it on Twitter 
  • In a statement to the DailyMail.com, the ACLU of Ohio deemed the new law ‘unnecessary’ 

House Bill 164 – called the ‘Student Religious Liberties Act’ – was passed in the Ohio House on Wednesday and was sponsored by Rep. Timothy Ginter, an ordained minister

The Republican controlled House of Representatives in Ohio has pushed a law through to the state’s Senate preventing students for being penalized if their science work is wrong because of their religious beliefs. 

House Bill 164 – called the ‘Student Religious Liberties Act’ – was passed in the Ohio House on Wednesday and was sponsored by Rep. Timothy Ginter, an ordained minister. 

It passed with a vote of 61-31 and will go to the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans.

‘No school district board of education shall prohibit a student from engaging in religious expression in the completion of homework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments,’ the law states.

‘Assignment grades and scores shall be calculated using ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, including any legitimate pedagogical concerns, and shall not penalize or reward a student based on the religious content of a student’s work.’ 

It passed with a vote of 61-31 and will go to the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans

It passed with a vote of 61-31 and will go to the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans

The law would also allow for districts to provide a moment of silence for prayer, reflection or meditation ‘upon a moral, philosophical, or patriotic theme.’ 

‘No pupil shall be required to participate in such activities if they are contrary to the religious convictions of the pupil or the pupil’s parents or guardians,’ the law states.

It also gives students the ability to hand out their own ‘written materials or literature of a religious’ to their peers. 

Students would be allowed to wear ‘symbolic clothing or expression of a religious viewpoint, provided that the activity is not obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent.’ 

Assignments would need to be graded on 'academic standards of substance and relevance' instead on actual answers

Assignments would need to be graded on ‘academic standards of substance and relevance’ instead on actual answers

Under the law, religious expression can take place ‘before, during and after’ school hours in the same manner as extra curricular activities. 

House Democrats frowned on the decision, attacking it on Twitter. 

‘Today, @OhioHouseGOP passed a bill preventing teachers from penalizing students’ school work containing religious beliefs, even when it contradicts science,’ they said in a Wednesday tweet.

‘This is just the latest attack on truth and science from Ohio GOP lawmakers. This has to stop.’

In a statement to the DailyMail.com, the ACLU of Ohio deemed the new law ‘unnecessary.’ 

‘Protecting the religious rights of students is a laudable goal. But, their rights are already fully protected by the First Amendment & Ohio Constitution,’ explained Gary Daniels, Chief Lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio.

‘This legislation is not only unnecessary, it also seeks to elevate religious speech in ways we believe will inevitably lead to much confusion plus constitutional violations in Ohio’s public schools.’ 

House Democrats frowned on the decision, attacking it on Twitter

House Democrats frowned on the decision, attacking it on Twitter



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk