“It does not impose any new regulations on teachers. What it does is it removes the invisible shackles that often hinder the full transparency in the teaching of American history,” said Click. He is joined on the measure by Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea.
Click told the House Education Committee he’s heard from teachers who have refrained from incorporating strong ties to religion and America’s formation in their lessons due to either a belief that it’s not allowed under law or a belief that they’ll face professional or social backlash.
Rep. Sean Brennan, D-Parma, a former public school teacher, asked Click if he expected teachers who hold this fear to come in to testify in support of the bill. Click said the nature of that fear would likely lead many of those teachers to opt not to testify.
Click told his colleagues that this topic has been a grievance for him for some time, but he was motivated to do something about it following the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk last month.
“Charlie Kirk was known, obviously, for being a conservative. Charlie Kirk was also known for being a Christian, and Charlie often brought to light those historical facts from our history, and people didn’t like to hear that,” Click said. “I think that incited hate amongst some people, and that incited violence.”
Aside from an express clarification of what public school teachers and state university professors are currently allowed to teach, HB 486 would assert in law that an “accurate and historical account of the influence of Christianity on the freedom and liberties ingrained in our culture is imperative to reducing ignorance of American history, hate, and violence within our society.”
Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, who is Jewish, raised concerns with the fact that HB 486 does not specifically mention other religions. Her concern was centered on the Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
A similar clause exists in the Ohio Constitution, which states: “No person shall be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or maintain any form of worship, against his consent; and no preference shall be given, by law, to any religious society; nor shall any interference with the rights of conscience be permitted.”
“This bill only talks about Christianity, so I’m trying to sort out how this specific legislation would not violate the Establishment Clause in that it is only focused on one religion,” Brown Piccolantonio said to Click.
In response, Click said he believes “every religion should be spoken of as it appears in history.” He said his bill specifically focuses on Christianity because of its close connection to America’s founders and political leaders.
Piccolantonio also asked Click if he’d be willing to amend HB 486 to include an option for parents to opt their child out of lessons that explore the connection between Christianity and American history, in a vein similar to a recently passed Ohio law known as the Parents Bill of Rights, which gives parents the “fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.”
Click said he didn’t believe the lessons he’s talking about fit the mold.
“I don’t think this fits that narrative. We’re teaching history, we’re not teaching religion, we’re not teaching why Christianity is better or even saying Christianity is better,” Click said. “ … We’re not telling people what to believe, we’re telling people — or allowing teachers to tell people — (that) this is what history reports. That does not mean that you have to accept that religion as factual, or make it personal or make it your own. We’re just saying that this is what happened in history.”
More House Education Committee hearings on HB 486 can be expected, which will give the public the chance to testify in favor of or in opposition to the proposal.
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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