Section 3345.026 | [Enacted as R.C. 3345.024 by H.B. 353, 134th General Assembly and recodified as R.C. 3345.026 pursuant to R.C. 103.131] Religious accommodations.
Each state institution of higher education, as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code, shall adopt a policy that reasonably accommodates the sincerely held religious beliefs and practices of individual students with regard to all examinations or other academic requirements and absences for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system. The policy shall satisfy all of the following conditions:
(A) The policy shall permit a student to be absent for up to three days each academic semester to take holidays for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system or participate in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. The institution shall not impose an academic penalty as a result of a student being absent as permitted in the policy.
(B)(1) The policy shall require that students be provided with alternative accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements missed due to an absence described in division (A) of this section, if both of the following apply:
(a) The student's sincerely held religious belief or practice severely affects the student's ability to take an examination or meet an academic requirement.
(b) Not later than fourteen days after the first day of instruction in a particular course, the student provides the instructor with written notice of the specific dates for which the student requests alternative accommodations.
(2) An instructor shall accept without question the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system. An instructor shall keep requests for alternative accommodations confidential. An instructor shall schedule a time and date for an alternative examination, which may be before or after the time and date the examination or other academic requirement was originally scheduled, but shall do so without prejudicial effect.
(C) The policy shall require the institution to post both of the following in a prominent location on the institution's web site:
(1) A copy of the policy adopted under this section, which shall include the contact information of an individual who can provide further information about the policy;
(2) A nonexhaustive list of major religious holidays or festivals for the next two academic years. The chancellor of higher education shall provide each state institution with a nonexhaustive list of major religious holidays or festivals for the next two academic years at the beginning of each academic year. Each state institution may adopt the chancellor's list in its entirety or choose which holidays to include on its list.
Each time a state institution's policy is posted, printed, or published, including as described in divisions (C) and (D) of this section, the state institution shall include a statement that the list is nonexhaustive, and the list may not be used to deny accommodation to a student for a holiday or festival of the student's faith or religious or spiritual belief system that does not appear on the list.
Nothing in this section, and no inclusion or exclusion of a religious holiday or festival on the list posted by a state institution, shall preclude a student from full and reasonable accommodations for any sincerely held religious beliefs and practices with regard to all examinations or other academic requirements and absences for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system provided under this section.
(D) The policy shall require instructors to include in each course syllabus a statement regarding the institutions's policy adopted under this section. The statement shall include both of the following:
(1) A description of the general procedure for requesting accommodations;
(2) Contact information for an individual whom a student may contact for more information about the policy adopted under this section.
(E) The policy shall include a procedure under which a student may notify the institution of any grievance with regard to the implementation of the policy.
Last updated March 15, 2023 at 6:04 PM
Available Versions of this Section
- April 3, 2023 – Enacted by House Bill 353 - 134th General Assembly [ View April 3, 2023 Version ]