(JNS) — A bill protecting students on campus, including from Jew-hatred, passed the Ohio State of Representatives on Wednesday.
The state legislature’s Jewish Caucus helped write the Campus Accountability and Modernization to Protect University Students (CAMPUS) Act, which Republican state representatives Justin Pizzulli and Dontavius Jarrells co-sponsored.
“The CAMPUS Act is essential for fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful educational environment,” Pizzulli said on the state House floor. “This bill not only safeguards students but also promotes a campus culture grounded in respect and understanding, essential for the academic and personal growth of every student.”
Among the bill’s requirements are to require Mike Duffey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, “to establish a task force on combating antisemitism and other forms of racial, religious and ethnic bias, harassment and intimidation at institutions of higher education.”
The legislation (HB 606), which became part of SB 94 and heads back to the state Senate for a vote, also requires colleges and universities to create and enforce policies combatting and “comprehensive” staff training on “racial, religious and ethnic harassment and intimidation” and to establish procedures for investigating complaints of alleged racial, religious and ethnic harassment, per a state House release.
The Senate bill also calls on each college and university and each higher education nonprofit to “create a campus task force on combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Christian discrimination and hatred, harassment, bullying or violence toward others.”
The three state representatives who make up the Ohio legislature’s Jewish Caucus — Casey Weinstein, Dani Isaacsohn and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, all of whom are Democrats — played an important role in drafting the CAMPUS Act, per an Ohio House release.
“We owe it to our students to do two things at once: protect the freedoms enshrined in the first amendment while also making sure that all students live and learn in an environment free from harassment, discrimination and hate,” the trio stated last month.
“We have seen unacceptable levels of antisemitism and other forms of ethnic or religious prejudice,” they added. “This bill is about transparency and accountability on our campuses, and empowering students to foster trust and build bridges across differences. That is how we move forward as a community.”
