Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter on Friday to Gov. Mike DeWine, urging him to veto the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
After midnight on Wednesday – the final day of Ohio’s two-year legislative session – the Ohio House voted to approve it HB 8. If Governor DeWine signs the bill, it would force teachers and school staff to make LGBTQ+ youth accessible to parents and limit mention of LGBTQ+ identity in school curricula.
“This legislation…puts marginalized children at risk of molestation and abuse based on their personal identity,” Senate Democrats wrote in the letter.
In its push for a veto, it specifically noted the possibility of forcing teachers and school staff to exclude LGBTQ+ students, emphasizing that such an outcome would put LGBTQ+ students “at greater risk of abuse or mistreatment in their own homes.”
“Therefore, students who are going through something have one less safe adult to turn to,” the letter reads.
Senate Democrats also took issue with up-to-date language added this week by Republicans requiring all schools to find a time during the school day when students can leave school for religious education.
“This is likely to increase the incidence of unsafe situations for children not only by allowing them to leave school in the middle of the day, but also by disrupting the impact on the learning of all other children in the classroom as a result of this disruption,” he added. stated in the letter.
Relief time for religious instruction (RTRI) has become a balmy topic in Ohio in 2024. Local school boards across the state have grappled with the progress of Lifewise Academy, the organization that coordinates the removal of students during school day to attend Bible classes. The Lifewise program clearly states that the LGBTQ+ identity is a sin and “all sin brings anger.” [God] and it grieves Him.”
What’s next?
The vote in the House ends an almost two-year journey towards 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.
After more than a dozen House and Senate committee hearings since its introduction nearly two years ago, HB 8 opponents have provided hundreds of testimonies, outnumbering the bill’s supporters 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.
Governor Mike DeWine he had previously signaled that he would sign the billspecifically supporting the language in RTRI. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- Read the full letter from the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus Here.
- Interested parties may contact Governor Mike DeWine at 614-644-4357 and 614-466-3555.
