(Fox News) Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law expanding the religious freedom for students in public schools that was criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
The Student Religious Liberties Act, introduced by Republican Rep. Tim Ginter in March 2019, passed with a near-unanimous vote and was signed Friday.
“We were seeing increased pressure on our schools from groups biased against Ohio students’ religious freedoms,” Ginter said in a statement. “Many school officials are confused, and frankly intimidated by the threat of litigation from these well-funded groups.”
Students testified in committee hearings for the bill that their high school clubs were being treated differently for being religious in nature. For example, they were not included in the yearbook or given the same access to facilities for meetings.