Latest news with #HouseBill187
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bipartisan bill would require daily moment of silence in Ohio schools
School lockers in a hallway. Getty Images. A proposed bill would require Ohio school districts to have a moment of silence every day. Ohio state Reps. Gary Click, R-Vickery, and Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, gave sponsor testimony on House Bill 187 Tuesday during the House Education Committee. State law currently allows teachers to have a moment of silence in the classroom, so this bill would change one word in the law — from may to shall, creating a new mandate. The bill leaves the implementation up to the teacher. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'This bill does not ask for much and is extremely non-prescriptive,' Click said in his sponsor testimony. 'It does not say where, when, or how long. It just says simply a moment. … Mindfulness is becoming a lost art in the hustle and bustle of modern society and is a discipline worth teaching.' Students are constantly being bombarded with technology, Synenberg said. 'While we as lawmakers can't solve every mental health challenge students face, we do have the ability to create a space for a brief opportunity of peace and quiet,' he said. Students have the right to leave the classroom if they do not wish to participate in the moment of silence under the bill, but Synenberg said the legislation can't prevent a student who chooses not to participate from getting bullied or made fun of. 'That will have to be dealt with on an individual basis by the teachers (and) administration at school,' he said. 'Hopefully, students are not going to do that. I'm sure it could happen, but we unfortunately can't prevent that.' Lawmakers on the committee had a lively discussion weighing the pros and cons of the bill. 'We've been having a lot of discussion in the committee so far about how to roll back some of the mandates and regulations in our schools, and obviously this one says shall, as opposed to may,' Education Committee Chair Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Ashtabula, said. 'So how do you propose that fits into the context of trying to be less burdensome and not adding costs to the local districts?' Click responded by saying there would be no cost to this bill. 'This could be defined as a mandate,' Synenberg said. 'It is sort of an anti-mandate mandate. So it's do this, but really what we are having you do is for a small part of the day telling you don't have to teach, you don't have to instruct, you don't have to be disciplining students. You'll just be present with your students for that time.' State Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, asked what currently prevents a school from having a daily moment of silence? 'There's nothing that prevents them,' Click said. 'And yet, for some reason, not everyone does, and we just think it would be a good practice to implement across the state in every school.' State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan, D-Parma, said he would occasionally do a moment of silence in his classroom. 'In today's day and age — with the mental health crisis that we have on our hands — I think it's wise,' he said. Brennan asked the lawmakers how having a daily moment of silence could help students foster mindfulness, empathy, and gratitude. 'I don't know if our young people are consistently taught the value of just being still,' Click said. 'I think that is a discipline that is worth teaching, and some teachers might want to expand on that and teach their students how to meditate.' Ohio's new religious release time law — which passed during the last General Assembly — also changed one word in the law from may to shall, requiring school districts to come up with a religious release time policy. Click sponsored a religious release time bill and language from that bill was eventually added to another education bill that was later signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this year. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Required moment of silence proposed for Ohio schools
[WATCH: In the video player above, learn how Ohio schools are graded.] (WJW) — A new effort by Ohio lawmakers would require schools to provide a moment of silence each day for students. If passed, House Bill 187 would amend Ohio Revised Code to require school districts to provide a moment of silence for 'prayer, reflection, or meditation upon a moral, philosophical or patriotic theme.' Person struck by multiple vehicles on I-271: Coroner Under current law, districts 'may' offer a moment of silence. The amendment instead says districts 'shall' offer it. The bill would not require students to participate. Lawmakers in other states have recently proposed similar legislation. Last week in Texas, lawmakers advanced bills that would not only allow districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours but would also require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, The Associated Press reported. In West Virginia, a proposed bill calls for 1 minute of silence at the beginning of each school day. Ohio's proposal does not specify how long the moment of silence must last. 7 pets suspected dead after barricaded man starts fire: Police Opponents of similar measures have argued it promotes prayer in school. Ohio's proposal has bipartisan support, and is sponsored by state Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Eric Synenberg (D-Beachwood). Click here to follow the bill's status on the Ohio House website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House Bill 187 could limit banking deserts in Eastern NC
PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) — Many areas in Eastern N.C. are considered banking deserts. Not having a bank nearby can have a negative impact on your financial health. Now, there is a bill floating around the state legislature that could help. Rural and underserved communities become banking deserts and can cause people to travel miles for basic services. These are just some of the counties in Eastern North Carolina that have lost banks in the past 10 years. House Bill 187 would help eliminate barriers for credit unions to help these communities. 'It becomes more expensive for folks in those communities to borrow and then, of course, on this on the savings side, where you save your money, where you have help with investment funds, those options don't really exist,' President and CEO of Carolinas Credit Union League Dan Schline said. 'Or you have to sort of drive a significant distance to get there. So there's a real impact to communities when there's not a physical bank or credit union branch. It might not be the most profitable branch or it may not be profitable at all, but the folks in that community need that service and as a not for profit credit union, we're structured in a way that allows us to do that, that help.' The bill would make it easier for people in these areas to join a credit union. Credit unions are not for profit, unlike banks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
