As Concurred by the House
136th General Assembly
Regular Session Sub. H. B. No. 57
2025-2026
Representatives Jarrells, Williams
Cosponsors: Representatives McNally, Brewer, Baker, Isaacsohn, Upchurch, Brennan, Rogers, Deeter, Denson, Sigrist, Mohamed, Miller, J., Abrams, Barhorst, Bird, Fischer, Ghanbari, Glassburn, Gross, Hall, D., Hall, T., Hiner, Jones, Kishman, LaRe, Lett, Mathews, A., Mathews, T., Newman, Richardson, Robb Blasdel, Salvo, Schmidt, Stephens, Synenberg
Senators Huffman, Brenner, Cirino, Gavarone, Johnson, Patton, Reineke, Reynolds, Roegner, Timken, Wilson
To amend section 3313.6022 and to enact sections 3313.7119, 3313.7120, 3314.148, 3326.62, and 3328.40 of the Revised Code regarding school policies on the administration of overdose reversal drugs and limits on student attendance in released time courses in religious instruction.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That section 3313.6022 be amended and sections 3313.7119, 3313.7120, 3314.148, 3326.62, and 3328.40 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 3313.6022. (A) As used in this section, "released time" means a period of time during which a student is excused from school to attend a course in religious instruction conducted by a private entity off school district property.
(B) A school district board of education shall adopt a policy that authorizes a student to be excused from school to attend a released time course in religious instruction for at least one period per week, provided that each of the following applies:
(1) The student's parent or guardian gives written consent.
(2) The sponsoring entity maintains attendance records and makes them available to the school district the student attends.
(3) Transportation to and from the place of instruction, including transportation for students with disabilities, is the complete responsibility of the sponsoring entity, parent, guardian, or student.
(4) The sponsoring entity makes provisions for and assumes liability for the student.
(5) No public funds are expended and no public school personnel are involved in providing the religious instruction.
(6) The student assumes responsibility for any missed schoolwork.
While in attendance in a released time course in religious instruction, a student shall not be considered absent from school. No student may be released from a core curriculum subject course to attend a religious instruction course.
(C) A school district board of education shall collaborate with a sponsoring entity of a released time course in religious instruction to identify a time to offer the course during the school day.
(D) A policy adopted under division (B) of this section shall not prohibit students from bringing external educational and program materials into school.
(E)
A
Unless
otherwise specified in a school district's policy
adopted under division (B) of this section,
a student
shall not exceed
be
excused from school to attend a released time course in religious
instruction for longer than either
of the following:
(1) For students in an elementary or middle school, two periods in total per week;
(2) For students in high school, the amount of time that is equivalent to attending two units of high school credit per week.
(F) A policy adopted under division (B) of this section may authorize high school students to earn up to two units of high school credit for the completion of a released time course in religious instruction. In determining whether to award credit for completion of such a course, the board shall evaluate the course based on purely secular criteria that are substantially the same criteria used to evaluate similar nonpublic high school courses for purposes of determining whether to award credit for such courses to a student transferring from a nonpublic high school to a public high school. However, there shall be no criteria requiring that released time courses be completed only at a nonpublic school. The decision to award credit for a released time course of religious instruction shall be neutral to, and shall not involve any test for, religious content or denominational affiliation.
For purposes of this division, secular criteria may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) The number of hours of classroom instruction time;
(2) A review of the course syllabus that reflects course requirements and materials used;
(3) The methods of assessment used in the course;
(4) The qualifications of the course instructor, which shall be similar to the qualifications of other teachers within the district.
Notwithstanding division (C)(8) of section 3313.603 of the Revised Code, high school credit awarded to a student for a released time course in religious instruction may substitute for the same amount of credit in subjects listed in that division.
(G) A school district, member of a school district board of education, or school district employee is not liable in damages in a civil action for injury allegedly arising during a student's transportation to or from a place of instruction when private transportation is used under a released time policy adopted under this section. This division does not eliminate, limit, or reduce any other immunity or defense that a school district, member of a school district board of education, or school district employee may be entitled to under Chapter 2744. or any other provision of the Revised Code or under the common law of this state.
Sec. 3313.7119. (A) As used in this section, "overdose reversal drug" has the same meaning as in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) A city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district that elects under section 3715.50 of the Revised Code to obtain and maintain a supply of an overdose reversal drug for use in an emergency situation shall require the district's board of education to adopt and implement a policy regarding the supply's maintenance and drug's use at each school operated by the district. A policy adopted under this section shall include all of the following:
(1) A requirement that each school conform to the requirements of division (C)(1) of section 3715.50 of the Revised Code;
(2) The amount of the drug's supply to be maintained at each school;
(3) A requirement that each school's supply be stored in a secure location that is easily accessible to school employees or contractors;
(4) A description of any training regarding the supply's maintenance and drug's use that school employees or contractors may be required to complete.
(C) A school district board of education may accept donations of money from any person or entity to purchase overdose reversal drugs. A board shall use the donations only for that purpose and shall track the expenditure of donated funds.
(D) As soon as practicable after using an overdose reversal drug in an emergency situation, the superintendent of a district described in this section shall report its use to the district board of education and the parent or guardian of the student to whom the drug was administered. The superintendent of a district described in this section shall annually report the district's use of overdose reversal drugs in emergency situations to the department of education and workforce.
(E) If the superintendent of a district described in this section determines that a persistent pattern of overdoses at the district's schools has emerged, the superintendent shall notify the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in the district.
(F) Not later than August 1, 2026, the department of education and workforce, in consultation with the department of health, shall develop a model policy regarding the maintenance and use of a supply of overdose reversal drugs. A school district board of education may adopt the department's model policy to fulfill the requirements of this section.
Sec. 3313.7120. (A) A chartered or nonchartered nonpublic school that elects under section 3715.50 of the Revised Code to obtain and maintain a supply of an overdose reversal drug for use in an emergency situation shall comply with all provisions of section 3313.7119 of the Revised Code as if it were a school district.
(B) A chartered or nonchartered nonpublic school may accept donations of money from any person or entity to purchase overdose reversal drugs. A school shall use the donations only for that purpose and shall track the expenditure of donated funds.
Sec. 3314.148. (A) A community school established under this chapter that elects under section 3715.50 of the Revised Code to obtain and maintain a supply of an overdose reversal drug for use in an emergency situation shall comply with all provisions of section 3313.7119 of the Revised Code as if it were a school district.
(B) A community school may accept donations of money from any person or entity to purchase overdose reversal drugs. A school shall use the donations only for that purpose and shall track the expenditure of donated funds.
Sec. 3326.62. (A) A STEM school established under this chapter that elects under section 3715.50 of the Revised Code to obtain and maintain a supply of an overdose reversal drug for use in an emergency situation shall comply with all provisions of section 3313.7119 of the Revised Code as if it were a school district.
(B) A STEM school may accept donations of money from any person or entity to purchase overdose reversal drugs. A school shall use the donations only for that purpose and shall track the expenditure of donated funds.
Sec. 3328.40. (A) A college-preparatory boarding school established under this chapter that elects under section 3715.50 of the Revised Code to obtain and maintain a supply of an overdose reversal drug for use in an emergency situation shall comply with all provisions of section 3313.7119 of the Revised Code as if it were a school district.
(B) A college-preparatory boarding school may accept donations of money from any person or entity to purchase overdose reversal drugs. A school shall use the donations only for that purpose and shall track the expenditure of donated funds.
Section 2. That existing section 3313.6022 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.
Section 3. No court shall award monetary damages for a claim brought under or otherwise arising out of section 3313.6022 of the Revised Code for alleged violations occurring from September 30, 2025, to the effective date of this section. This provision shall not be construed as creating a private right of action.