New Law Puts Focus on Jewish Holiday Absences
CINCINNATI — Ohio’s new school absentee law now tells observant Jewish students two things at once: They may miss school for religious holidays without academic penalty. But those same excused hours can still count toward chronic absenteeism.
The state’s revised attendance rules come through House Bill 96, which took effect Sept. 30, 2025, and required school districts to adopt new policies by Aug. 1, 2026. A student is considered chronically absent after missing at least 10% of required instructional hours for any reason – including illness, unexcused absences and excused religious observances.
The changes follow a statewide rise in absenteeism. More than one-quarter of Ohio students were chronically absent during the 2024–25 school year, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
Originally enacted in 2024, Ohio Revised Code Section 3320.04 guarantees public-school students up to three “religious expression days” each year. Parents must identify the requested dates in writing within 14 school days of the beginning of school. Districts cannot impose an academic penalty for those absences. Students must receive alternative arrangements for missed examinations and may participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities.
For traditionally observant Jewish students, three days may not cover the full religious calendar. Rosh Hashanah begins after sundown Friday, Sept. 11, and continues through Sunday, creating no full-school-day conflict this year. The first two days of Sukkot also fall over a weekend, as do Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Yom Kippur continues through Monday, Sept. 21. Cincinnati Public Schools, including Walnut Hills High School, will be closed to students. Sycamore Community Schools, Indian Hill Schools and Mason City Schools are scheduled to hold classes.
Passover creates the greatest number of school-day conflicts. In traditional observance, Jews refrain from school and work during the first two and final two days. In 2027, those dates fall on April 22–23 and April 28–29.
All four Cincinnati-area districts are scheduled to hold classes on each of those dates. A traditionally observant student would therefore need four religious absences in Cincinnati Public Schools and five in Sycamore, Indian Hill or Mason. Passover alone requires one more day than Ohio specifically guarantees.
“The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, through its public affairs arm of the Jewish Community Relations Council, is proud of the role we played to help pass legislation that codified the right of Jewish students in Ohio to observe religious holidays in 2024, including providing expert testimony at the Statehouse,” said Danielle Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. “We continue to support any efforts that remove barriers to students fully participating in Jewish life.”
The three-day provision is not necessarily a ceiling. Districts may adopt broader policies for multi-day religious absences, and the law requires “full and reasonable accommodations” for sincerely held religious beliefs.
The state’s nonexhaustive holiday list includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah and Passover. It does not include Sukkot, although traditionally observant students may not attend school on its principal festival days.
How districts handle observances beyond the three protected dates will depend on local policy. Even when those absences are excused, however, the hours still count toward chronic absenteeism. They do not count toward habitual truancy, which considers only unexcused absences.
Parents with questions or concerns about the new attendance requirements should contact their school administrators and review their district’s attendance and religious-accommodation policies.
Editor’s note: The American Israelite will continue to follow the implementation of Ohio’s new attendance requirements. Families who have already been affected by the changes are invited to contact the newspaper.
