Ohio Parents Bill of Rights before Ohio lawmakers

(The Center Square) – School systems would have to have policies that allow parents to be more active in their child’s education, give parents notice of sexually explicit materials and create a health care plan for students with their parents if a proposed Parents Bill of Rights becomes law in Ohio.

The bill would also require school systems to allow parents to review sexually explicit instruction materials and ask for alternative instruction that does not include sexually explicit content.

The bill defines sexually explicit content as “any description of or any picture, photograph, drawing, motion picture film, digital image, or similar visual representation depicting sexual conduct.”

“This bill does not grant parents any authority that they do not already have, but rather statutorily protects their ability to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their minor child,” Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, recently testified before the House Primary and Secondary Committee. “The intent of this legislation is to have parental oversight regarding classes that are sexually explicit in their subject matter. This legislation would give the parents the ability to read over the material and, if it is their decision, to remove their kids from that class and go to another.”

House Bill 8, which does not have a second hearing date set, would also prohibit school personnel from encouraging a student to withhold information about their mental, emotional or physical health from their parents.

The bill also would require public schools to:

• Notify parents prior to instruction that involves materials consisting of sexually explicit content. In notifying the parents, the public school must specifically identify the instructional material and sexually explicit subjects.
• Notify parents about changes to the mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being services provided to their children or the public school’s ability to provide a safe learning environment. The notice must reinforce the parents’ right to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children and note the school will not limit their access to the school’s student education and health records.
• Notify parents at the start of each school year of the health care services offered by the public school and create a parent-approved health care plan for each student.
• Permit parents to file with the school written concerns related to topics addressed in this bill, notify parents of this permission, and establish a process to resolve the concern within 30 days of its receipt.