Howard Wilkinson, long-time political reporter, analyzes the parent bill of rights being sent through Ohio legislature. Originally published by WVXU.
One of the last things they did at the Ohio Statehouse, before the legislature shut off the lights until the new year, was to pass a kitchen-sink piece of legislation called House Bill 8 — now on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk to potentially be signed into law before Jan 10.
House Bill 8 is a mish-mosh of new rules on two fronts: sexuality and religion. Its supporters call it the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” as if the parents are assumed to share the socially conservative views of Ohio’s Republican lawmakers. And we all know that many parents do not share those beliefs.
Opponents of the bill say it is the Ohio equivalent of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
In short, this is what House Bill 8 will do:
- It requires that parents are notified about “sexuality content” in K-12 classrooms so they can opt their kids out.
- It also requires school employees notify parents of changes in a child’s physical or mental health, such as a request for counseling. That includes informing parents if a child had gender identity questions or wants to be referred to by a different name or pronoun.
- Republicans in the Senate added to House Bill 8 a requirement that K-12 school districts allow students to leave school during the day for religious instruction, though districts can develop their own policies for that release time. Present law says school districts “may” allow release for religious instruction. House Bill 8 changes “may” to “shall.”
