On Tuesday, May 27, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered flags be flown at half-staff to honor slain Morrow County Sheriff’s Office deputy Daniel Sherrer.

Flags will remain lowered until sunset on the day of Sherrer’s funeral, which had not been announced as of May 27. The deputy, 31, died in a Memorial Day shooting while responding to what officials are calling a “domestic violence situation.”

If it seems like flags in Ohio have been flying at half-staff a lot lately, well — they have been. Through 27 days of May, flags have been lowered for at least 20 of them. And that number will grow with DeWine’s latest order.

Here are all the times DeWine has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in May.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine orders flags to fly at half-staff six times in May

DeWine has ordered flags lowered six times so far in May 2025:

• Honoring Daniel Sherrer: DeWine ordered flags lowered from May 27 through the dates of his funeral.
• Recognizing Memorial Day: DeWine ordered flags to fly at half-staff from 12:01 a.m. through Noon on May 26.
• Honoring Symeon Williams: DeWine ordered flags lowered from May 17 through the May 29 funeral of Symeon Willams, a Cleveland fire cadet who died during training.
• Recognizing Peace Officer Memorial Day and Police Week: DeWine ordered flags to fly at half-staff on May 15.
• Honoring Larry Henderson: DeWine ordered flags lowered from May 4 to the May 9 funeral of Larry Henderson, the Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy killed while directing traffic on May 2.
• Recognizing the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service: DeWine ordered flags to fly at half-staff on May 4 for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service.

Why are flags flown at half-staff?

The American flag flies at half-staff when the country or a state is in mourning, according to USA.gov. Flags can be ordered to fly at half-staff by the president, a state governor or the mayor of the District of Columbia. In most cases, flying the flag at half-staff marks a significant death, such as a government official or military member; a national tragedy or a national day of remembrance, such as Patriot Day or Memorial Day.

What is the difference between half-staff and half-mast?

Half-staff refers to flags on land. Flags are flown at half-mast on nautical vessels, such as a naval ship. But the purpose is the same for both.

CINCINNATI — Education advocates were out in the Cincinnati streets Monday trying to push back against Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), which would ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in state colleges and universities.

“It is a way to erode public higher education in Ohio. So the bill is designed to eliminate programs and services that are based on identity groups,” said Kate Durso, the southwest regional captain advocating against SB 1.

SB 1, or the “Ohio Higher Education Act,” was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on March 28. The law goes into effect on June 27.

The law bans DEI from trainings, orientations, offices, positions or new institutional scholarships at state colleges or universities. Other policies in the Ohio Higher Education Act include a required American civics literacy course, prohibiting full-time university faculty from striking and automatically eliminating any university degree program that awards fewer than five degrees per year on a three-year rolling average.

SB 1’s text states that the law is meant to support “intellectual diversity” at state colleges and universities.

In February, WCPO 9 reported on SB 1 after the state’s Senate passed the legislation. One Republican senator explained why supporters are cracking down on DEI on college campuses.

“Rather than fostering equality, DEI enforces racial divisions, prioritizes group identity over individual merit and creates (the) very discrimination it claims to be fighting,” said state Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-District 19).

Watch to learn more about how advocates are challenging SB 1 and what it means for Ohio’s higher education landscape:

Volunteers look for support to fight Ohio’s ban on DEI at state colleges

An excerpt from SB 1 describes how teachers are expected to enable free thought and discussion under this legislation:

I met with Kate Durso and her team of volunteers, who disagree with the lawmakers behind SB 1.

WCPO 9 News

“I would say that this bill, in fact, does not promote more inclusive conversation. It actually creates boundaries and barriers against civil discourse,” Durso said.

A member of Durso’s volunteer team told me that SB 1 is pushing her away from her home state.

“Yeah, I graduated from UC, University of Cincinnati, in 2023, and I’m pursuing law school now. And this bill, SB 1, was one of the reasons that I’m not staying in my hometown of Cincinnati for law school; it just scares me too much,” Erin Tedtman said.

WCPO 9 News

Now, she is one of the local advocates in an initiative to move the law to a ballot issue this fall.

Advocates sent a referendum petition to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office in April. That process required 1,000 signatures. Once the AG’s office approved the first part of the referendum, the volunteers’ efforts expanded. The volunteers have to collect 250,000 signatures across at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties, as Durso explained. Their deadline is June 25.

“We need to hit a certain percentage within each of those counties based on the 2022 gubernatorial election,” Durso said.

The volunteer captain said that her team and others across Ohio are trying for as many signatures as possible, because some may be marked invalid, which could occur even with a slight mistake.

“If someone accidentally writes their first and last name in the same box instead of following the directions on the form or includes the wrong address,” Durso said.

As a lifelong educator, Durso told me this is her way of advocating for students and staff she works with.