COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio General Assembly is considering House Bill 8, also known as the "Parents' Bill of Rights," a proposal that focuses on sexual content, parental notification, and religious instruction in schools.
The bill passed the Ohio House in June of 2023 and is currently working its way through the Ohio Senate. Critics argue the bill unfairly targets LGBTQ+ youth.
Key provisions of House Bill 8
The bill outlines several significant measures:
- Ban on sexuality content: Prohibits teaching sexuality-related content to students in kindergarten through third grade.
- Parental notification and review: Requires schools to ensure any sexuality-related content is age-appropriate. Parents must be notified, allowed to review the material, and given the option to excuse their children from lessons.
- Health services transparency: Mandates schools to inform parents about changes to their child's mental, emotional, or physical health services. This includes notifying parents if a child requests to be identified as a gender that does not align with their biological sex.
- Communication restrictions: Prohibits school personnel from encouraging students to withhold health or well-being-related information from their parents.
In a recent interview with our TEGNA sister station WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Dwayne Stewart, the executive director of Equality Ohio, expressed fears about the bill’s implications for LGBTQ+ youth.
"The teacher would have to inform a parent about a student's sexuality or gender identity, which is forced outing, and it will be dangerous," he said. "Very dangerous for LGBTQ youth."
State Sen. Andrew Brenner, a Republican from Powell who also serves as the chair of the Senate's Education Committee, emphasized the importance of refining the language.
"We wanted to make sure the language in this was correct and protected parents and schools," he explained, "so that's why we made several amendments."
Recent amendments
The Senate Education Committee recently introduced an additional requirement for school districts to adopt a policy allowing students to be excused from school to attend religious instruction. Students can leave during non-core curriculum courses, meaning students will not be able to leave during classes like English, math, science, or social studies. This amendment marks a shift from current law, which allows but does not require districts to implement such policies.
On Wednesday, the committee also approved amendments to HB8 that clarify aspects of the bill involving mandatory reporting laws, as well as career and academic mentoring.
The bill must now pass the Senate, then go back through the House for final approval.