Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 8 (the “Parents’ Bill of Rights”) on Wednesday. He did this behind closed doors, not on television as he did with another bill he signed the same day.
HB 8 will force teachers and school staff to make LGBTQ+ youth accessible to parents and limit mention of LGBTQ+ identity in school curricula.
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.
“I think the bottom line for me is that if you’re a parent, you want to be informed about what’s going on in your child’s life,” DeWine told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “Parents are the best teachers.”
“This is about creating the right kind of educational culture in Ohio,” added Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.
DeWine was specifically asked by reporters about the part of HB 8 that would result in the expulsion of LGBTQ+ students.
“We love these students as much as anyone else. They are welcome not only in Ohio, but also in our schools. We want to protect them just like we protect every other student. However, I believe that parents are the most likely person to lend a hand this child,” DeWine said.
The bill passed by the Ohio Legislature in the last hour of the legislative session on December 19 also included a language requirement requiring all schools to find time during the school day when students could leave school for religious instruction.
DeWine had he had previously signaled that he would sign the billin particular approving the wording regarding dismissal time for religious classes.
LGBTQ+ groups provide answers
LGBTQ+ organizations in Ohio quickly responded to the governor’s signature.
TransOhio Executive Director Dara Adkison wanted to remind Ohioans that HB 8 will not remove transgender students, faculty and parents from Ohio schools.
“No law can erase us, no matter how much some people want to,” Adkison said. “We are here, we are queer and we are part of Ohio schools.”
Adkison also said HB 8 is a perilous violation of First Amendment rights for both faculty and students, particularly free speech and the separation of church and state.
“TransOhio will do everything we can to mitigate the intended harms of this bill in coalition with partners who, unlike some of our elected officials, also care about Ohio students, Adkison said.
Equality, Ohio Executive Director Dwayne Steward emphasized that HB 8 had bipartisan opposition in the state legislature because it “did nothing to create a school that welcomes Ohio’s LGBTQ+ students for who they are and did nothing to support teachers in creating a sheltered environment to study.”
“It is deeply disappointing that Governor DeWine signed HB 8 even though it was opposed by teachers and the LGBTQ+ community, because it punishes teachers and staff for supporting LGBTQ+ students who are already targets of bullying and harassment,” Steward said. “We will continue to fight for an Ohio where all students feel safe in their schools.”
Bill travel
DeWine’s signature ends a nearly two-year journey toward a Parents’ Bill of Rights.
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. 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.
In more than a dozen House and Senate committee hearings since it was introduced nearly two years ago, opponents of the bill provided hundreds of testimonies, outnumbering supporters of the bill by a margin of more than 100 to 1.
Opponents included the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which did so He testified many times that HB 8 violates their professional guidelines and all principles of a sound therapeutic process, violating students’ “privacy rights and desires.”
Republican lawmakers have not been swayed by these arguments about ethics and professional standards, choosing instead to repeatedly portray teachers and school staff as bad actors who withhold information from parents.
The act will enter into force in 90 days. 🔥
