ACLU urges Ohio State to remove chalking ban, cites possible legal action

Reegan Davis
Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:49:02 +0000
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A speakerphone and box of chalk lays on the Thompson Statue, reflecting the ban on the OSU campus. Credit: Faith Schneider | Managing Design Editor

The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio sent a letter to Ohio State calling for the removal of the chalking ban and arguing that it’s unconstitutional.

The letter, sent to President Ravi V. Bellamkonda on Thursday, urged the university to immediately remove the ban on chalked messages on sidewalks, claiming that it violates the First Amendment by restricting content-based speech. The ACLU stated that if the university fails to remove the ban, the organization plans to pursue legal action in federal court.

“Students have a right to express their political views on campus free of this kind of discrimination, even if those views may offend some of their peers,” David Carey, managing legal director for the ACLU of Ohio, stated in a press release.

The letter also claims that the ban was enacted to suppress pro-Palestine and anti-Zionist speech and many community members claimed it was offensive.

“OSU lacks any compelling justification to justify this ban, and the fact that it is superficially framed in content-neutral terms will not save it,” the letter states, in reference to the claim.

After reviewing public records obtained from Ohio State, the ACLU reported that the university received 37 complaints about campus chalking between Jan. 1, 2024 and Aug. 14 2025, which is when the ban was set and announced? Every complaint that was on record showed content pertaining to pro-Palestine, anti-Zionist or anti-Israel chalked messages, the organization said.

“The complaints were hardly overwhelming in number for a university OSU’s size; in approximately 18 months preceding the ban, there were a mere 37 of them,” the letter states.

Students and legal experts have raised concerns about the ban since it took effect, arguing that the ban removes an outlet for creative expression and sets a disturbing precedent for free speech on campus, per prior Lantern reporting.?

University spokesperson Chris Booker said that the university is currently reviewing the letter.

“The Ohio State University is committed to protecting free speech and expression on our campuses, and we support the right of students, faculty and staff to speak out about issues that are important to them,” Booker stated in an email.?