Class is back in session for Ohio students, but across the state we’re seeing academic freedom missing from the syllabi. Our educational institutions are intended to be places for creativity, diverse perspectives, and new ideas. Yet Ohioans are continuing to witness state-sponsored attacks at all academic levels, from book bans and campus censorship to the comingling of religion and public schools. At its core, the ACLU of Ohio is dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights and reminding students: Your rights don’t get checked at the proverbial school-house gate. .
We’re keeping a watchful eye on the impact of already-enacted legislation, as well as the potential dangers of bills moving through the Statehouse.
The 2026-2027 academic term marks the second full year for public universities operating under Senate Bill 1, the massive overhaul of higher education signed by Governor DeWine in March 2025. The ACLU of Ohio opposed SB 1 from its introduction, warning lawmakers that the overly broad bill threatened to undermine free speech on campuses and impose unconstitutional restrictions on content. Since its enactment in June 2025, several colleges and universities have closed their doors to their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and DEI-related offices, with other institutions cutting degree programs to maintain compliance. Faculty have noted the chilling impact SB 1 has had, citing the difficulty of the bill’s broad, unclear language.
Shortly after SB 1 went into effect, Ohio State University imposed a campus-wide chalking ban, claiming it was put in place due to “continued complaints regarding chalking on campus and the significant amount of administrative time spent evaluating chalking.” Yet through vigorous public records requests, the ACLU of Ohio found evidence suggesting the opposite. During approximately 18 months preceding the ban, OSU received only 37 complaints. Moreover, our attorneys found that every complaint that cited the content of the chalk included pro-Palestine, anti-Zionist, and/or anti-Israel chalked messages.
In response to these findings, we sent a letter to OSU President Ravi V. Bellamkonda in August demanding that his administration rescind the chalking ban on campus, on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment. Our public records request findings demonstrate that the ban unfairly targeted specific areas of speech, a direct act of censorship. This letter comes on the heels of a recent legal win in our case defending an OSU student who was wrongfully expelled for engaging in protected political speech.
Outside of institutions of higher education, Ohio lawmakers are attempting to blur the lines between church and state in K-12 schools through bills such has House Bill 486 and Senate Bill 34 – both opposed by the ACLU of Ohio. HB 486, which has already passed the Ohio House and is now making its way through the Senate, allows for public school teachers and faculty to teach the positive impacts of Christianity. Aside from being unnecessary, HB 486 fails to mention any other religion and creates a slippery slope for constitutional concerns and indoctrination by allowing public institutions to teach their version of one religion while ignoring others.
SB 34 is another blatant attempt to weave religion into public schools, and, if passed, it would permit schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and on school grounds. While lawmakers in favor of this bill claim that the Ten Commandments’ historical significance deems it suitable for display, the ACLU of Ohio sees this as what it is: a clear way to impose religious beliefs on Ohio students. SB 34 has already passed the Ohio Senate and is now moving through the Ohio House.
Attempts to censor diverse viewpoints in educational institutions or force specific beliefs among students haven’t changed over the years, just their bill numbers have. The ACLU has been fighting to protect First Amendment rights within the classroom for decades, and we’ll continue to call out these coordinated attacks on our freedom to learn.
