Ohio Rev. Code § 3313.602 : — EDUCATION-LIBRARIESBOARDS OF EDUCATION — Pledge of allegiance - principles of democracy and ethics - Veterans' day observance

(A) The board of education of each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district shall adopt a policy specifying whether or not oral recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be a part of the school's program and, if so, establishing a time and manner for the recitation. However, no board of education shall prohibit a classroom teacher from providing in the teacher's classroom reasonable periods of time for the oral recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag. The policy adopted under this division, and a teacher who includes recitation of the pledge in the classroom, shall not require any student to participate in the recitation and shall prohibit the intimidation of any student by other students or staff aimed at coercing participation.

No board of education or employee of a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district shall alter the words used in the oral recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag from the words set forth in 4 U.S.C. 4.

(B) In the development of its graded course of study, the board of education of each city and exempted village school district and the governing board of each educational service center shall ensure that the principles of democracy and ethics are emphasized and discussed wherever appropriate in all parts of the curriculum for grades kindergarten through twelve.

(C) Each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school board shall adopt policies that encourage all certificated and noncertificated employees to be cognizant of their roles in instilling ethical principles and democratic ideals in all district pupils.

(D) The board of education of each city, local, joint vocational, chartered community, and exempted village school district, and the Cleveland scholarship and tutoring program, shall require each district school to devote time on or about Veterans' day to an observance that conveys the meaning and significance of that day. The amount of time each school devotes to this observance shall be at least one hour or, in schools that schedule class periods of less than one hour, at least one standard class period. The board shall determine the specific activities to constitute the observance in each school in the district after consultation with the school's administrators.

R.C. §3313.602

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9,HB 1, §101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 08-01-2002 .