“Democracy dies in darkness” is the official slogan of The Washington Post, the meaning being that a society governed by the decisions of the people will only function effectively if it is informed by truth and facts. Students in Ohio must take a government class to learn the function and structure of democracy. Prior to the 2024-25 school year, this class included the requirement of 15 hours of community service.
Starting this year, government classes are no longer required to achieve service hours. There are many reasons for this change that are outlined and evaluated in the In-Depth section of this issue. Based on those changes, the editorial board weighed the positives and negatives of required service hours in high school and voted that community service should be a requirement.
Each year it seems that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce changes the regulations of graduation requirements, the lessons that schools must teach in terms of safety and inclusivity, and even curriculum resources. For example, beginning in the 2023-24 school year, incoming freshmen and beyond are required to take a financial literacy class.
If students do not learn how to give to the community, then they may lack the knowledge and connection that comes with volunteering. Being involved in a community is a simple way that students make a bigger impact. As reflective of the editorial board’s discussion, decreasing numbers of service hours from Ohio schools have the possibility of diminishing student character.
Before this year, students worked over the course of five months in their government classes to gain 15 hours of community service. The assignment was 20 percent of their final grade. Students signed up for service hour opportunities on weekdays and weekends. Not only did the act of service have a positive impact on the students’ education, but the act of coordinating when to perform the service also taught them time management skills and responsibility.
So why are service hours such a big deal for students specifically? From Nov. 10-11, East held a craft show where over 195 artisans set up booths to sell crafts and items that they create themselves. A majority of volunteers that help make this event possible are students. Leading up to the craft show, morning announcements and other efforts made students aware that the leadership of the event was in desperate need for volunteers. This outcome was directly an impact of the service hour requirements being abolished.
Other events and organizations in the community are beginning to feel the lack of volunteers. As found by WOSU Public Media, the rate of formal volunteering dropped from 34 to 27 percent in Ohio alone. Although there is no direct association between this decrease and Lakota removing their volunteer requirement, it can be implied that volunteering is on the decline.
Currently, the only graded community service at East is at the freshman level. For a grade, students are required to achieve five hours of community service under the service learning project that all freshman honors English classes partake in. Also, in order to apply to be a member of National Honor Society (NHS) as a senior, students must have 30 hours of service. Once in the society, students must achieve an additional 30 hours of service.
Although it seems like there are extensive efforts for all students to still be required to volunteer, only around half of the student population are in an honors English class, and NHS averages less than 100 members each year, which is only around 4 percent of East’s total enrollment.
The availability and access for students to sign up for service hours on their own time was never the problem. But, following the change in volunteering requirements as a grade, the nonprofits that rely on volunteers to operate are facing volunteering shortages. Due to the lack of student volunteers for certain programs and organizations, the existence of some of these nonprofits is in jeopardy now more than ever.
