As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session S. B. No. 73
2025-2026
Senators Hicks-Hudson, Ingram
Cosponsors: Senators Weinstein, Smith, Antonio, Craig, DeMora
A B I L L
To amend sections 3314.03, 3326.11, 3328.24, and
4112.01 and to enact section 3313.6612 of the
Revised Code to enact the Creating a Respectful
and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to
prohibit discrimination against an individual
based on hair texture and protective hair
styles.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 3314.03, 3326.11, 3328.24, and
4112.01 be amended and section 3313.6612 of the Revised Code be
enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 3313.6612. (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Public or private primary or secondary school"
includes all of the following:
(a) A preschool as defined in section 2950.034 of the
Revised Code;
(b) A school operated by a city, local, or exempted
village school district, a joint vocational school district, a
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community school established under Chapter 3314., a STEM school
established under Chapter 3326., or a college-preparatory
boarding school established under Chapter 3328. of the Revised
Code;
(c) A chartered nonpublic school as defined in section
3310.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Race" includes traits associated with an individual's
race, including hair texture and protective hair styles, such as
braids, locks, and twists.
(B) No public or private primary or secondary school shall
discriminate against any individual with respect to any program
or activity on account of an individual's traits that are
associated with the individual's race.
(C) Any individual alleging that a public or private
primary or secondary school has violated this section may bring
a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Sec. 3314.03. A copy of every contract entered into under
this section shall be filed with the director of education and
workforce. The department of education and workforce shall make
available on its web site a copy of every approved, executed
contract filed with the director under this section.
(A) Each contract entered into between a sponsor and the
governing authority of a community school shall specify the
following:
(1) That the school shall be established as either of the
following:
(a) A nonprofit corporation established under Chapter
1702. of the Revised Code, if established prior to April 8,
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2003;
(b) A public benefit corporation established under Chapter
1702. of the Revised Code, if established after April 8, 2003.
(2) The education program of the school, including the
school's mission, the characteristics of the students the school
is expected to attract, the ages and grades of students, and the
focus of the curriculum;
(3) The academic goals to be achieved and the method of
measurement that will be used to determine progress toward those
goals, which shall include the statewide achievement
assessments;
(4) Performance standards, including but not limited to
all applicable report card measures set forth in section 3302.03
or 3314.017 of the Revised Code, by which the success of the
school will be evaluated by the sponsor;
(5) The admission standards of section 3314.06 of the
Revised Code and, if applicable, section 3314.061 of the Revised
Code;
(6)(a) Dismissal procedures;
(b) A requirement that the governing authority adopt an
attendance policy that includes a procedure for automatically
withdrawing a student from the school if the student without a
legitimate excuse fails to participate in seventy-two
consecutive hours of the learning opportunities offered to the
student.
(7) The ways by which the school will achieve racial and
ethnic balance reflective of the community it serves;
(8) Requirements for financial audits by the auditor of
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state. The contract shall require financial records of the
school to be maintained in the same manner as are financial
records of school districts, pursuant to rules of the auditor of
state. Audits shall be conducted in accordance with section
117.10 of the Revised Code.
(9) An addendum to the contract outlining the facilities
to be used that contains at least the following information:
(a) A detailed description of each facility used for
instructional purposes;
(b) The annual costs associated with leasing each facility
that are paid by or on behalf of the school;
(c) The annual mortgage principal and interest payments
that are paid by the school;
(d) The name of the lender or landlord, identified as
such, and the lender's or landlord's relationship to the
operator, if any.
(10) Qualifications of employees, including both of the
following:
(a) A requirement that the school's classroom teachers be
licensed in accordance with sections 3319.22 to 3319.31 of the
Revised Code, except that a community school may engage
noncertificated persons to teach up to twelve hours or forty
hours per week pursuant to section 3319.301 of the Revised Code;
(b) A prohibition against the school employing an
individual described in section 3314.104 of the Revised Code in
any position.
(11) That the school will comply with the following
requirements:
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(a) The school will provide learning opportunities to a
minimum of twenty-five students for a minimum of nine hundred
twenty hours per school year.
(b) The governing authority will purchase liability
insurance, or otherwise provide for the potential liability of
the school.
(c) The school will be nonsectarian in its programs,
admission policies, employment practices, and all other
operations, and will not be operated by a sectarian school or
religious institution.
(d) The school will comply with sections 9.90, 9.91,
109.65, 121.22, 149.43, 2151.357, 2151.421, 2313.19, 3301.0710,
3301.0711, 3301.0712, 3301.0715, 3301.0729, 3301.948, 3302.037,
3313.472, 3313.473, 3313.474, 3313.50, 3313.539, 3313.5310,
3313.5318, 3313.5319, 3313.608, 3313.609, 3313.6012, 3313.6013,
3313.6014, 3313.6020, 3313.6024, 3313.6026, 3313.6028,
3313.6029, 3313.643, 3313.648, 3313.6411, 3313.6413, 3313.66,
3313.661, 3313.662, 3313.666, 3313.667, 3313.668, 3313.669,
3313.6610, 3313.6612, 3313.67, 3313.671, 3313.672, 3313.673,
3313.69, 3313.71, 3313.716, 3313.718, 3313.719, 3313.7112,
3313.7117, 3313.721, 3313.753, 3313.80, 3313.814, 3313.816,
3313.817, 3313.818, 3313.819, 3313.86, 3313.89, 3313.96,
3319.073, 3319.077, 3319.078, 3319.0812, 3319.238, 3319.318,
3319.321, 3319.324, 3319.39, 3319.391, 3319.393, 3319.41,
3319.46, 3319.90, 3319.614, 3320.01, 3320.02, 3320.03, 3320.04,
3321.01, 3321.041, 3321.13, 3321.14, 3321.141, 3321.17, 3321.18,
3321.19, 3322.20, 3322.24, 3323.251, 3327.10, 4111.17, 4113.52,
5502.262, 5502.703, and 5705.391 and Chapters 117., 1347.,
2744., 3365., 3742., 4112., 4123., 4141., and 4167. of the
Revised Code as if it were a school district and will comply
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with section 3301.0714 of the Revised Code in the manner
specified in section 3314.17 of the Revised Code.
(e) The school shall comply with Chapter 102. and section
2921.42 of the Revised Code.
(f) The school will comply with sections 3313.61,
3313.611, 3313.614, 3313.617, 3313.618, and 3313.6114 of the
Revised Code, except that for students who enter ninth grade for
the first time before July 1, 2010, the requirement in sections
3313.61 and 3313.611 of the Revised Code that a person must
successfully complete the curriculum in any high school prior to
receiving a high school diploma may be met by completing the
curriculum adopted by the governing authority of the community
school rather than the curriculum specified in Title XXXIII of
the Revised Code or any rules of the department. Beginning with
students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after
July 1, 2010, the requirement in sections 3313.61 and 3313.611
of the Revised Code that a person must successfully complete the
curriculum of a high school prior to receiving a high school
diploma shall be met by completing the requirements prescribed
in section 3313.6027 and division (C) of section 3313.603 of the
Revised Code, unless the person qualifies under division (D) or
(F) of that section. Each school shall comply with the plan for
awarding high school credit based on demonstration of subject
area competency, and beginning with the 2017-2018 school year,
with the updated plan that permits students enrolled in seventh
and eighth grade to meet curriculum requirements based on
subject area competency adopted by the department under
divisions (J)(1) and (2) of section 3313.603 of the Revised
Code. Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, the school shall
comply with the framework for granting units of high school
credit to students who demonstrate subject area competency
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through work-based learning experiences, internships, or
cooperative education developed by the department under division
(J)(3) of section 3313.603 of the Revised Code.
(g) The school governing authority will submit within four
months after the end of each school year a report of its
activities and progress in meeting the goals and standards of
divisions (A)(3) and (4) of this section and its financial
status to the sponsor and the parents of all students enrolled
in the school.
(h) The school, unless it is an internet- or computer-
based community school, will comply with section 3313.801 of the
Revised Code as if it were a school district.
(i) If the school is the recipient of moneys from a grant
awarded under the federal race to the top program, Division (A),
Title XIV, Sections 14005 and 14006 of the "American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009," Pub. L. No. 111-5, 123 Stat. 115,
the school will pay teachers based upon performance in
accordance with section 3317.141 and will comply with section
3319.111 of the Revised Code as if it were a school district.
(j) If the school operates a preschool program that is
licensed by the department under sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of
the Revised Code, the school shall comply with sections 3301.50
to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and the minimum standards for
preschool programs prescribed in rules adopted by the department
of children and youth under section 3301.53 of the Revised Code.
(k) The school will comply with sections 3313.6021 and
3313.6023 of the Revised Code as if it were a school district
unless it is either of the following:
(i) An internet- or computer-based community school;
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(ii) A community school in which a majority of the
enrolled students are children with disabilities as described in
division (B)(2) of section 3314.35 of the Revised Code.
(l) The school will comply with section 3321.191 of the
Revised Code, unless it is an internet- or computer-based
community school that is subject to section 3314.261 of the
Revised Code.
(12) Arrangements for providing health and other benefits
to employees;
(13) The length of the contract, which shall begin at the
beginning of an academic year. No contract shall exceed five
years unless such contract has been renewed pursuant to division
(E) of this section.
(14) The governing authority of the school, which shall be
responsible for carrying out the provisions of the contract;
(15) A financial plan detailing an estimated school budget
for each year of the period of the contract and specifying the
total estimated per pupil expenditure amount for each such year.
(16) Requirements and procedures regarding the disposition
of employees of the school in the event the contract is
terminated or not renewed pursuant to section 3314.07 of the
Revised Code;
(17) Whether the school is to be created by converting all
or part of an existing public school or educational service
center building or is to be a new start-up school, and if it is
a converted public school or service center building,
specification of any duties or responsibilities of an employer
that the board of education or service center governing board
that operated the school or building before conversion is
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delegating to the governing authority of the community school
with respect to all or any specified group of employees provided
the delegation is not prohibited by a collective bargaining
agreement applicable to such employees;
(18) Provisions establishing procedures for resolving
disputes or differences of opinion between the sponsor and the
governing authority of the community school;
(19) A provision requiring the governing authority to
adopt a policy regarding the admission of students who reside
outside the district in which the school is located. That policy
shall comply with the admissions procedures specified in
sections 3314.06 and 3314.061 of the Revised Code and, at the
sole discretion of the authority, shall do one of the following:
(a) Prohibit the enrollment of students who reside outside
the district in which the school is located;
(b) Permit the enrollment of students who reside in
districts adjacent to the district in which the school is
located;
(c) Permit the enrollment of students who reside in any
other district in the state.
(20) A provision recognizing the authority of the
department to take over the sponsorship of the school in
accordance with the provisions of division (C) of section
3314.015 of the Revised Code;
(21) A provision recognizing the sponsor's authority to
assume the operation of a school under the conditions specified
in division (B) of section 3314.073 of the Revised Code;
(22) A provision recognizing both of the following:
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(a) The authority of public health and safety officials to
inspect the facilities of the school and to order the facilities
closed if those officials find that the facilities are not in
compliance with health and safety laws and regulations;
(b) The authority of the department as the community
school oversight body to suspend the operation of the school
under section 3314.072 of the Revised Code if the department has
evidence of conditions or violations of law at the school that
pose an imminent danger to the health and safety of the school's
students and employees and the sponsor refuses to take such
action.
(23) A description of the learning opportunities that will
be offered to students including both classroom-based and non-
classroom-based learning opportunities that is in compliance
with criteria for student participation established by the
department under division (H)(2) of section 3314.08 of the
Revised Code;
(24) The school will comply with sections 3302.04 and
3302.041 of the Revised Code, except that any action required to
be taken by a school district pursuant to those sections shall
be taken by the sponsor of the school.
(25) Beginning in the 2006-2007 school year, the school
will open for operation not later than the thirtieth day of
September each school year, unless the mission of the school as
specified under division (A)(2) of this section is solely to
serve dropouts. In its initial year of operation, if the school
fails to open by the thirtieth day of September, or within one
year after the adoption of the contract pursuant to division (D)
of section 3314.02 of the Revised Code if the mission of the
school is solely to serve dropouts, the contract shall be void.
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(26) Whether the school's governing authority is planning
to seek designation for the school as a STEM school equivalent
under section 3326.032 of the Revised Code;
(27) That the school's attendance and participation
policies will be available for public inspection;
(28) That the school's attendance and participation
records shall be made available to the department, auditor of
state, and school's sponsor to the extent permitted under and in
accordance with the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C. 1232g, as amended, and any
regulations promulgated under that act, and section 3319.321 of
the Revised Code;
(29) If a school operates using the blended learning
model, as defined in section 3301.079 of the Revised Code, all
of the following information:
(a) An indication of what blended learning model or models
will be used;
(b) A description of how student instructional needs will
be determined and documented;
(c) The method to be used for determining competency,
granting credit, and promoting students to a higher grade level;
(d) The school's attendance requirements, including how
the school will document participation in learning
opportunities;
(e) A statement describing how student progress will be
monitored;
(f) A statement describing how private student data will
be protected;
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(g) A description of the professional development
activities that will be offered to teachers.
(30) A provision requiring that all moneys the school's
operator loans to the school, including facilities loans or cash
flow assistance, must be accounted for, documented, and bear
interest at a fair market rate;
(31) A provision requiring that, if the governing
authority contracts with an attorney, accountant, or entity
specializing in audits, the attorney, accountant, or entity
shall be independent from the operator with which the school has
contracted.
(32) A provision requiring the governing authority to
adopt an enrollment and attendance policy that requires a
student's parent to notify the community school in which the
student is enrolled when there is a change in the location of
the parent's or student's primary residence.
(33) A provision requiring the governing authority to
adopt a student residence and address verification policy for
students enrolling in or attending the school.
(B) The community school shall also submit to the sponsor
a comprehensive plan for the school. The plan shall specify the
following:
(1) The process by which the governing authority of the
school will be selected in the future;
(2) The management and administration of the school;
(3) If the community school is a currently existing public
school or educational service center building, alternative
arrangements for current public school students who choose not
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to attend the converted school and for teachers who choose not
to teach in the school or building after conversion;
(4) The instructional program and educational philosophy
of the school;
(5) Internal financial controls.
When submitting the plan under this division, the school
shall also submit copies of all policies and procedures
regarding internal financial controls adopted by the governing
authority of the school.
(C) A contract entered into under section 3314.02 of the
Revised Code between a sponsor and the governing authority of a
community school may provide for the community school governing
authority to make payments to the sponsor, which is hereby
authorized to receive such payments as set forth in the contract
between the governing authority and the sponsor. The total
amount of such payments for monitoring, oversight, and technical
assistance of the school shall not exceed three per cent of the
total amount of payments for operating expenses that the school
receives from the state.
(D) The contract shall specify the duties of the sponsor
which shall be in accordance with the written agreement entered
into with the department under division (B) of section 3314.015
of the Revised Code and shall include the following:
(1) Monitor the community school's compliance with all
laws applicable to the school and with the terms of the
contract;
(2) Monitor and evaluate the academic and fiscal
performance and the organization and operation of the community
school on at least an annual basis;
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(3) Provide technical assistance to the community school
in complying with laws applicable to the school and terms of the
contract;
(4) Take steps to intervene in the school's operation to
correct problems in the school's overall performance, declare
the school to be on probationary status pursuant to section
3314.073 of the Revised Code, suspend the operation of the
school pursuant to section 3314.072 of the Revised Code, or
terminate the contract of the school pursuant to section 3314.07
of the Revised Code as determined necessary by the sponsor;
(5) Have in place a plan of action to be undertaken in the
event the community school experiences financial difficulties or
closes prior to the end of a school year.
(E) Upon the expiration of a contract entered into under
this section, the sponsor of a community school may, with the
approval of the governing authority of the school, renew that
contract for a period of time determined by the sponsor, but not
ending earlier than the end of any school year, if the sponsor
finds that the school's compliance with applicable laws and
terms of the contract and the school's progress in meeting the
academic goals prescribed in the contract have been
satisfactory. Any contract that is renewed under this division
remains subject to the provisions of sections 3314.07, 3314.072,
and 3314.073 of the Revised Code.
(F) If a community school fails to open for operation
within one year after the contract entered into under this
section is adopted pursuant to division (D) of section 3314.02
of the Revised Code or permanently closes prior to the
expiration of the contract, the contract shall be void and the
school shall not enter into a contract with any other sponsor. A
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school shall not be considered permanently closed because the
operations of the school have been suspended pursuant to section
3314.072 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3326.11. Each science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics school established under this chapter and its
governing body shall comply with sections 9.90, 9.91, 109.65,
121.22, 149.43, 2151.357, 2151.421, 2313.19, 2921.42, 2921.43,
3301.0714, 3301.0715, 3301.0729, 3301.948, 3302.037, 3313.14,
3313.15, 3313.16, 3313.18, 3313.201, 3313.26, 3313.472,
3313.473, 3313.474, 3313.48, 3313.481, 3313.482, 3313.50,
3313.539, 3313.5310, 3313.5318, 3313.5319, 3313.608, 3313.6012,
3313.6013, 3313.6014, 3313.6020, 3313.6021, 3313.6023,
3313.6024, 3313.6026, 3313.6028, 3313.6029, 3313.61, 3313.611,
3313.614, 3313.615, 3313.617, 3313.618, 3313.6114, 3313.643,
3313.648, 3313.6411, 3313.6413, 3313.66, 3313.661, 3313.662,
3313.666, 3313.667, 3313.668, 3313.669, 3313.6610, 3313.6612,
3313.67, 3313.671, 3313.672, 3313.673, 3313.69, 3313.71,
3313.716, 3313.717, 3313.718, 3313.719, 3313.7112, 3313.7117,
3313.721, 3313.753, 3313.80, 3313.801, 3313.814, 3313.816,
3313.817, 3313.818, 3313.819, 3313.86, 3313.89, 3313.96,
3319.073, 3319.077, 3319.078, 3319.0812, 3319.21, 3319.238,
3319.318, 3319.32, 3319.321, 3319.324, 3319.35, 3319.39,
3319.391, 3319.393, 3319.41, 3319.45, 3319.46, 3319.90,
3319.614, 3320.01, 3320.02, 3320.03, 3320.04, 3321.01, 3321.041,
3321.05, 3321.13, 3321.14, 3321.141, 3321.17, 3321.18, 3321.19,
3321.191, 3322.20, 3322.24, 3323.251, 3327.10, 4111.17, 4113.52,
5502.262, 5502.703, and 5705.391 and Chapters 102., 117., 1347.,
2744., 3307., 3309., 3365., 3742., 4112., 4123., 4141., and
4167. of the Revised Code as if it were a school district.
Sec. 3328.24. A college-preparatory boarding school
established under this chapter and its board of trustees shall
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comply with sections 102.02, 3301.0710, 3301.0711, 3301.0712,
3301.0714, 3301.0729, 3301.948, 3302.037, 3313.474, 3313.5318,
3313.5319, 3313.6013, 3313.6021, 3313.6023, 3313.6024,
3313.6026, 3313.6029, 3313.617, 3313.618, 3313.6114, 3313.6411,
3313.6413, 3313.668, 3313.669, 3313.6610, 3313.6612, 3313.717,
3313.7112, 3313.7117, 3313.721, 3313.753, 3313.89, 3319.073,
3319.077, 3319.078, 3319.318, 3319.324, 3319.39, 3319.391,
3319.393, 3319.46, 3320.01, 3320.02, 3320.03, 3320.04, 3323.251,
and 5502.262, and Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code as if the
school were a school district and the school's board of trustees
were a district board of education.
Sec. 4112.01. (A) As used in this chapter:
(1) "Person" includes one or more individuals,
partnerships, associations, organizations, corporations, legal
representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, receivers,
and other organized groups of persons. "Person" also includes,
but is not limited to, any owner, lessor, assignor, builder,
manager, broker, salesperson, appraiser, agent, employee,
lending institution, and the state and all political
subdivisions, authorities, agencies, boards, and commissions of
the state.
(2) "Employer" means the state, any political subdivision
of the state, or a person employing four or more persons within
the state, and any agent of the state, political subdivision, or
person.
(3) "Employee" means an individual employed by any
employer but does not include any individual employed in the
domestic service of any person.
(4) "Labor organization" includes any organization that
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exists, in whole or in part, for the purpose of collective
bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances,
terms or conditions of employment, or other mutual aid or
protection in relation to employment.
(5) "Employment agency" includes any person regularly
undertaking, with or without compensation, to procure
opportunities to work or to procure, recruit, refer, or place
employees.
(6) "Commission" means the Ohio civil rights commission
created by section 4112.03 of the Revised Code.
(7) "Discriminate" includes segregate or separate.
(8) "Unlawful discriminatory practice" means any act
prohibited by section 4112.02, 4112.021, or 4112.022 of the
Revised Code.
(9) "Place of public accommodation" means any inn,
restaurant, eating house, barbershop, public conveyance by air,
land, or water, theater, store, other place for the sale of
merchandise, or any other place of public accommodation or
amusement of which the accommodations, advantages, facilities,
or privileges are available to the public.
(10) "Housing accommodations" includes any building or
structure, or portion of a building or structure, that is used
or occupied or is intended, arranged, or designed to be used or
occupied as the home residence, dwelling, dwelling unit, or
sleeping place of one or more individuals, groups, or families
whether or not living independently of each other; and any
vacant land offered for sale or lease. "Housing accommodations"
also includes any housing accommodations held or offered for
sale or rent by a real estate broker, salesperson, or agent, by
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any other person pursuant to authorization of the owner, by the
owner, or by the owner's legal representative.
(11) "Restrictive covenant" means any specification
limiting the transfer, rental, lease, or other use of any
housing accommodations because of race, color, religion, sex,
military status, familial status, national origin, disability,
or ancestry, or any limitation based upon affiliation with or
approval by any person, directly or indirectly, employing race,
color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, national
origin, disability, or ancestry as a condition of affiliation or
approval.
(12) "Burial lot" means any lot for the burial of deceased
persons within any public burial ground or cemetery, including,
but not limited to, cemeteries owned and operated by municipal
corporations, townships, or companies or associations
incorporated for cemetery purposes.
(13) "Disability" means a physical or mental impairment
that substantially limits one or more major life activities,
including the functions of caring for one's self, performing
manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing,
learning, and working; a record of a physical or mental
impairment; or being regarded as having a physical or mental
impairment.
(14) Except as otherwise provided in section 4112.021 of
the Revised Code, "age" means an individual aged forty years or
older.
(15) "Familial status" means either of the following:
(a) One or more individuals who are under eighteen years
of age and who are domiciled with a parent or guardian having
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legal custody of the individual or domiciled, with the written
permission of the parent or guardian having legal custody, with
a designee of the parent or guardian;
(b) Any person who is pregnant or in the process of
securing legal custody of any individual who is under eighteen
years of age.
(16)(a) Except as provided in division (A)(16)(b) of this
section, "physical or mental impairment" includes any of the
following:
(i) Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic
disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the
following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special
sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs;
cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genito-urinary; hemic
and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine;
(ii) Any mental or psychological disorder, including, but
not limited to, intellectual disability, organic brain syndrome,
emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities;
(iii) Diseases and conditions, including, but not limited
to, orthopedic, visual, speech, and hearing impairments,
cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple
sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, human
immunodeficiency virus infection, intellectual disability,
emotional illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism.
(b) "Physical or mental impairment" does not include any
of the following:
(i) Homosexuality and bisexuality;
(ii) Transvestism, transsexualism, pedophilia,
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exhibitionism, voyeurism, gender identity disorders not
resulting from physical impairments, or other sexual behavior
disorders;
(iii) Compulsive gambling, kleptomania, or pyromania;
(iv) Psychoactive substance use disorders resulting from
the current illegal use of a controlled substance or the current
use of alcoholic beverages.
(17) "Dwelling unit" means a single unit of residence for
a family of one or more persons.
(18) "Common use areas" means rooms, spaces, or elements
inside or outside a building that are made available for the use
of residents of the building or their guests, and includes, but
is not limited to, hallways, lounges, lobbies, laundry rooms,
refuse rooms, mail rooms, recreational areas, and passageways
among and between buildings.
(19) "Public use areas" means interior or exterior rooms
or spaces of a privately or publicly owned building that are
made available to the general public.
(20) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as in
section 3719.01 of the Revised Code.
(21) "Disabled tenant" means a tenant or prospective
tenant who is a person with a disability.
(22) "Military status" means a person's status in "service
in the uniformed services" as defined in section 5923.05 of the
Revised Code.
(23) "Aggrieved person" includes both of the following:
(a) Any person who claims to have been injured by any
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unlawful discriminatory practice described in division (H) of
section 4112.02 of the Revised Code;
(b) Any person who believes that the person will be
injured by any unlawful discriminatory practice described in
division (H) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code that is
about to occur.
(24) "Unlawful discriminatory practice relating to
employment" means both of the following:
(a) An unlawful discriminatory practice that is prohibited
by division (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), or (F) of section 4112.02
of the Revised Code;
(b) An unlawful discriminatory practice that is prohibited
by division (I) or (J) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code
that is related to employment.
(25) "Notice of right to sue" means a notice sent by the
commission to a person who files a charge under section 4112.051
of the Revised Code that states that the person who filed the
charge may bring a civil action related to the charge pursuant
to section 4112.052 or 4112.14 of the Revised Code, in
accordance with section 4112.052 of the Revised Code.
(26) "Race" includes traits associated with an
individual's race, including hair texture and protective hair
styles, such as braids, locks, and twists.
(B) For the purposes of divisions (A) to (F) of section
4112.02 of the Revised Code, the terms "because of sex" and "on
the basis of sex" include, but are not limited to, because of or
on the basis of pregnancy, any illness arising out of and
occurring during the course of a pregnancy, childbirth, or
related medical conditions. Women affected by pregnancy,
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childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the
same for all employment-related purposes, including receipt of
benefits under fringe benefit programs, as other persons not so
affected but similar in their ability or inability to work, and
nothing in division (B) of section 4111.17 of the Revised Code
shall be interpreted to permit otherwise. This division shall
not be construed to require an employer to pay for health
insurance benefits for abortion, except where the life of the
mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or
except where medical complications have arisen from the
abortion, provided that nothing in this division precludes an
employer from providing abortion benefits or otherwise affects
bargaining agreements in regard to abortion.
Section 2. That existing sections 3314.03, 3326.11,
3328.24, and 4112.01 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 3. This act shall be known as the Creating a
Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act.
Section 4. The General Assembly, applying the principle
stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that
amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of
simultaneous operation, finds that the following sections,
presented in this act as composites of the sections as amended
by the acts indicated, are the resulting versions of the
sections in effect prior to the effective date of the sections
as presented in this act:
Section 3314.03 of the Revised Code as amended by H.B. 8,
H.B. 214, H.B. 250, S.B. 168, S.B. 104, S.B. 208, and S.B. 234,
all of the 135th General Assembly.
Section 3326.11 of the Revised Code as amended by H.B. 8,
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H.B. 47, H.B. 214, S.B. 104, S.B. 168, S.B. 208, and S.B. 234,
all of the 135th General Assembly.
Section 3328.24 of the Revised Code as amended by both
S.B. 208 and S.B. 234 of the 135th General Assembly.
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