The Ohio Senate Education Committee held a third hearing on Tuesday for SB 34, a bill that opens the door for public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and erect monuments to them on public school grounds.
Two witnesses offered in-person opponent testimony – those standing against the bill – with 11 other witnesses having also submitted testimony. Last week, two representatives from anti-LGBTQ+ faith-based organizations testified in support of the bill.
SB 34, the “Historical Educational Displays Act” would mandate that, beginning July 2026, all Ohio school boards must select at least one of the following “historical educational documents” to display in every classroom:
- The Ten Commandments
- The Mayflower Compact
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Northwest Ordinance
- The mottoes of the United States and Ohio
- The Magna Carta
- The Bill of Rights
- The United States Constitution
- The Articles of Confederation
Additionally, the bill allows schools to erect “a monument or other marker inscribed with one or more of the historical educational documents” listed above.
Here are 7 of the most striking quotes from Tuesday’s hearing.
1. “The Ten Commandments are not simply a list of basic moral rules. They are a religious text that comes from a particular religious tradition. Google the Ten Commandments and they are referred to consistently as a religious document not a historical one as this bill proposes. In fact the two proponents of this bill are both men of faith, represent religious institutions.”
–Andrea Yagoda, a 72-year-old Ohioan who testified in an attempt to dispel the argument put forth by bill sponsor Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) that the bill had “nothing to do with religion.”
2. “I believe we lead by example not by words on a plaque. Do you even hear yourselves? The party that endorses a man who admits to ‘[grabbing women by the p—-‘]; a man who has committed adultery twice; a man that defrauded students in his University; a man who raided his charity.“
-Yagoda, referencing myriad commandments broken by President Trump.
3. “If this body wanted to be true to the commandments we would have gun reform to prevent killings.”
–Yagoda. In 2022, Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 99, which allows armed teachers in schools and reduces their required training period with firearms from 700 hours to 24 hours.
4. “I do not want a religious institution having the wealth paying for a plaque of the Ten Commandments in my child’s school.”
–Yagoda, referencing a part of the bill that allows schools to accept donations or displays/monuments from any outside entities. SB 34 puts no restrictions on the identity of those entities, be they churches or the anti-LGBTQ+ Center for Christian Virtue.
5. “SB 34 is a plainly obvious attempt to impose explicit religious beliefs and practices on young, captive audiences in our public schools.”
-Gary Daniels, Chief Lobbyist, ACLU of Ohio
6. “The Ten Commandments are not the Ten Helpful Hints. They are not the Ten Friendly Suggestions. They are, as the name suggests, commandments. Religious commandments.“
-Daniels
7. “Indeed, the motivation of many SB 34 supporters is official imposition of their particular religious beliefs on those who do not share them…It is the same playbook now openly described and being fashioned to target legal same-sex marriage.:
-Daniels, on the efforts in at least five states to roll back marriage equality. In the latest development, the North Dakota Senate voted this week to advance a resolution to ask the US Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 case that guaranteed marriage equality. The North Dakota House already passed the measure. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- To access contact information for members of the Ohio Senate Education Committee, click here.
- To access The Buckeye Flame’s full 2025-2026 Guide to Ohio’s LGBTQ+ Legislation, click here.
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