COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio advocates are proposing a bill that would require schools to notify parents if their child identifies as LGBTQ+ and would allow parents to opt out of so-called “sexual” content. is warning against. Republicans deny it’s homophobic and say it’s just a way for parents to get information.
Lawmakers are trying to pass everything they can in the final week of scheduled lame-duck sessions. The bill under discussion is House Bill 8.
State Rep. DJ Swearingen (R-Huron) and State Rep. Sarah Carruthers (R-Hamilton) want to educate parents about their children’s mental, physical, and emotional changes, including whether they identify as LGBTQ+. He introduced a bill that would require schools and teachers to provide notice. . TransOhio’s Dara Atkinson explained that this could lead to “forced expulsion” of students.
“When people are out and they don’t have supportive parents, LGBTQ youth homelessness becomes an epidemic,” Atkinson said. “There are parents who don’t approve of their children and wish their children not to become theirs.”
The law also requires notifications about so-called “sexual” content.
“For students with gay family members, discussing them as part of the community is not acceptable in the early childhood curriculum,” they said.
But Carruthers denied that her bill was homophobic, saying in a floor speech that it would simply keep parents informed about their children.
“There’s no hidden agenda here,” Carruthers said. “Enacting a Parent Bill of Rights is about getting parents back into schools and letting them know they still have a say in their children’s education.”
He added that the bill is not “anti-LGBTQ” and that “you can’t do anything these days without hurting others.”
Schools already have policies on sexual conduct, and parents are legally allowed to view the curriculum. But Mr Carruthers said this would require schools to be proactive and protect parents’ rights.
“All this bill seeks is to promote age-appropriate education and parental involvement in the public school system,” she added.
The bill passed in the House in 2023 along largely partisan lines, with state Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) the only Democrat voting against it.
However, the bill faces several challenges when it returns to the House for a consent vote.
The Senate added an amendment requiring public schools to allow children to suspend classes to receive religious instruction.
RELATED: Bill to lift religious instruction in public schools supported, opposed in Ohio Senate committee
House Speaker Jason Stevens is not a fan of the new bill, but he can’t “speculate” whether he will agree to it.
I asked him to explain his opposition and call for a “clean bill.”
“I think you’re saying more by saying less…If you add a lot of other things, you’re talking about the potential for unintended consequences, the lack of sufficient scrutiny in the bill. There may be content that has not been discussed,” Stevens responded.
HB 8’s message could be confused by unrelated provisions, he added.
“It would have been easy to cram in a lot of different things on our side, but we wanted to make a clear, clean statement in that legislation. Parents should be able to understand what’s happening at school with their children “You have a right to know,” he said.
After that day’s session, I took issue with this statement, considering that Stevens had agreed to other bills put together at the last minute.
“We were able to pass a lot of Senate bills and a lot of House bills that we’ve voted on so far,” he responded. “We’re trying to implement good policy.”
I asked specifically about HB 8 and his dislike of this amendment.
“I’m sure there are things that we voted for today that the Senate might not like. Amendments, things that we added,” Stevens said. “It’s just part of the legislative process.”
Atkinson hopes the infection won’t spread.
“It’s going to hurt a lot of kids, it’s going to make schools less safe and it’s going to be even more scary for LGBTQ youth,” Atkinson said.
Gov. Mike DeWine said he would sign the bill once it reaches his desk, as long as some changes are made to the bill. He supports adding a religious release bill because he favors “statewide” policies.
Senate Education Chairman Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) said if the bill is not passed before the end of the lame duck period, it will become a priority in the next General Assembly session.
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