OHIO — The new year is upon us and with it comes major political changes for the Buckeye State.
Several new laws will take effect in 2025, including allowing religious expression days in schools and banning transgender students from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity.
Parliamentary Bill 214: January 1, 2025
Governor Mike DeWine signed the invoice in July, known as “Religious Expression Days” or “RED” law.
The bill requires each public school to adopt policies reasonably appropriate to the religious beliefs and practices of students and requires policies regarding certain expectations related to the performance of professional duties of staff members.
School policies must meet certain requirements, including allowing a K-12 student to be absent up to three days per school year for reasons of faith, religion or spiritual belief system. The district cannot impose an academic penalty if a student is absent as policy allows.
Students will also be able to participate in interscholastic athletics or other extracurricular activities on days they are absent from school due to a religious expression day. School principals will require teachers to create and provide the alternate exam time, or academic requirement, if the absence conflicts with it.
Schools will be required to provide alternative accommodations to students with respect to exams or academic requirements that are missed due to a speaking day.
Principals may approve no more than three written requests per school year from parents or guardians for absscenes on a religious expression day. Although principals must approve without review the sincerity of a student’s religion or spiritual belief system, they may verify the request by contacting the parent or guardian whose signature appears.
School principals can deny the application if a parent or guardian disputes signing it.
Parliamentary Bill 183: January 1, 2025
DeWine signed the invoice on November 27, also known as the “Protecting All Students Act” regarding single-sex access to restrooms in primary schools, secondary schools and universities or institutes of higher learning. The law will not apply to school employees, emergency workers or those who help young children or people with disabilities.
Schools will still need to provide single-use and family toilets. They must also designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and overnight accommodations based on the sex assigned to the student at or near birth. There are at least 11 states with similar laws barring transgender women and girls from women’s restrooms in public schools and, in some cases, government buildings.
A total of 26 states have passed laws restoring or banning gender transition care for transgender minors. There are 24 states with laws dictating which sports competitions transgender girls and women can participate in.
The bill was debated for 19 months before the GOP legislature took action on November 13. It was added to a separate piece of legislation by the Ohio House related to the College Credit Plus program. The program allows high school students to earn college credits.
Minimum wage increase: January 1, 2025
Minimum wage will increase on New Year’s Day, from $10.45 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.25 per hour for tipped employees to $10.70 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.35 for tipped employees.
The increase is 25 cents for non-tipped workers and 10 cents for tipped workers.
The minimum wage will apply to employees of businesses whose annual gross revenues total more than $394,000 per year.
The minimum wage increases each year due to a constitutional amendment passed in November 2006 stating that Ohio’s minimum wage increases on January 1 of each year based on the rate of inflation. Ohio’s minimum wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and office workers for the 12 months through September.
From September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024, the consumer price index increased by 2.4%.
In small businesses with annual gross receipts of $394,000 or less after Jan. 1, and for 14- and 15-year-olds, the state minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. The state wage is tied to the federal minimum wage, which requires an act of Congress and the president’s signature to change.
House Bill 250: School Cell Phone Policies
In May, DeWine signed the invoice requiring each school district in Ohio to establish an official policy regarding cell phone use during school hours, aimed at minimizing student use in K-12 schools.
Policies should emphasize that cell phone use by students be limited during the school day, reduce distractions caused by cell phones in the classroom, and, if deemed appropriate by a school board, or if included in a student’s individual education program, allow students to use cell phones. telephones or other electronic communication devices for student learning, to monitor a health problem, or to resolve a health problem.
Schools must adopt their policies by July 1, 2025, prior to the 2025-2026 school year.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce had to create a model policy that districts can use when developing their policies.
Spectrum News 1 digital producer Lydia Taylor and the Associated Press contributed to this report.