On Wednesday, the Ohio Senate passed the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
HB 8 will force teachers and school staff to make LGBTQ+ youth accessible to parents and limit mention of LGBTQ+ identity in school curricula.
HB 8 was one of the first eight bills introduced by Republicans in 2023, establishing it as one of the top priorities for this two-year term.
The bill requires teachers and school staff – including school social workers, counselors, and psychologists – to notify a student’s parents of “any change in services to the student, including counseling or monitoring services related to the mental, emotional, or physical health of the student or his/her well-being.” existence.”
The legislation clearly defines transgender identity as requiring parental notification, and previous testimony has confirmed that disclosing sexual orientation would also result in contact with parents.
The bill also prohibits any mention of “sexual content” in grades K-3 and requires that such content be “age appropriate” for all other grades. Sexual content is defined in the bill as “written instructions, presentations, depictions or descriptions of sexual concepts or gender ideologies.” “Gender ideology” is not defined anywhere in the bill.
Last week, the bill was amended to add a directive requiring all schools to develop a policy on exemptions for religious education classes. On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee changed that language, ordering all schools to find time during the school day when students can leave school for religious education. The committee then voted along party lines to send the bill to the full Senate.
Senate approval
LGBTQ+ advocates have labeled the bill the “Dangerous Students Act,” the “Ban Gay/Trans Talk Act,” and a threat to all LGBTQ+ youth in Ohio public schools.
Opponents included the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which has repeatedly testified that HB 8 violates their professional guidelines and all principles of a sound therapeutic process by violating students’ “rights and desires for privacy.”
Republican lawmakers were not swayed by these arguments about ethics and professional standards, choosing instead to repeatedly portray teachers and school staff as bad actors who withheld information from parents, a position they continued on the Senate floor.
“Schools should not have broad authority to keep secret information about someone else’s child,” said Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware).
“Parents are the primary educators of children,” said Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland). “There should be no secrets from parents.”
Several Democrats in the Senate strongly opposed the bill.
“There is no redeeming quality to this bill,” said Sen. William DeMora (D-Columbus). “This puts students at risk. This may be the worst bill we have ever voted on in the entire General Assembly.”
DeMora also opposed the portion of the bill specifying the duration of exemption from religious instruction (RTRI). Across the state, local school boards are grappling with the progress of Lifewise Academy, an organization that coordinates transportation of students to Bible classes during the school day. The Lifewise program clearly states that the LGBTQ+ identity is a sin and “all sin brings anger.” [God] and it grieves Him.”
“This is crazy,” Demora said. “Do we no longer care about the United States Constitution and the separation of church and state?”
LGBTQ+ Senator Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) hinted at lawsuits in response to the bill and expressed concern about the impact the bill could have on both students and teachers.
“There they are [young people] who are listening to us in this debate because we are talking about their lives and whether they feel safe,” said Antonio. “The question was asked: ‘What are we afraid of?’ “I fear that more children will hear our debate, understand that we have changed the rules and understand that there are fewer adults to whom they can turn and who are safe.”
Antonio called the bill ironic in airy of HB 68, which prevents parents and guardians from seeking health care for transgender minors.
The bill passed almost along party lines, with Sen. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) breaking ranks with his party to vote against the bill.
Senator Blessing explained that he is Catholic and strongly supports religious education. But he said local school districts already have HB 8 grant authority to approve RTRIs and that passing the bill would result in years of litigation.
“We will end with a severe rebuke from the courts or the ballot or both,” Blessing said. “I can’t shake the feeling that the General Assembly is embarking on a journey that will bring more headaches than happiness.”
The Ohio House must now approve changes made by the Senate, including those regarding RTRI.
If the House does not approve the changes by the end of the 2024 legislative session on December 31, the entire bill would have to be reintroduced in January. If the House passes the amended HB 8 bill, it will ask Gov. Mike DeWine for approval, which he has already announced he will grant. 🔥
START ACTION
- LGBTQ+ organizations are calling on interested parties to contact their House representative to express their views on the HB. Find state legislators and their contact information here: findmydistrict.ohiosos.gov
