BREAKING: On to the Governor! Ohio House Passes Parents' Bill of Rights, School Religious Released Time
COLUMBUS–This evening, the Ohio House concurred with the Senate's amendments, passing the CCV-backed House Bill 8 (HB8) with a 57-31 vote. HB8 now heads to Governor Mike DeWine.
The following statement is from Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer:
"The days of the ACLU and the most fringe voices on the left driving the political debate in America are over. The age of powerful parent voices is here. The CCV-backed Parents’ Bill of Rights, which includes important provisions to protect programs like LifeWise Academy and religious released time, tells government bureaucrats across Ohio that parents are in charge of their kids' education and healthcare decisions.
"And for the Planned Parenthood employees in Ohio public schools disappointed today because they can no longer talk to 8-year-olds about their sexual orientation and gender identity, I have one message: it’s probably time to find a new line of work.
"I praise God today for the leadership in the General Assembly that moved to protect parents and kids today. I’m especially thankful for Rep. DJ Swearingen, Rep. Gary Click, Senator Andrew Brenner, and Senate President Matt Huffman."
Sponsored by Reps. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), HB8 would:
Recognize the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding their children’s upbringing, care, and education.
Require public schools to provide both advance notification to parents about the teaching of sexual content and the freedom to opt out their students.
Protect students from being encouraged by school counselors to “socially transition” to the opposite sex without their parents’ knowledge.
Require schools to notify parents if their student requests a change of gender recognition at school.
Require public school districts to adopt a policy authorizing students to be excused from school to participate in religious released-time programs like LifeWise Academy and School Ministries Ohio.
Requires public school districts to collaborate with a sponsoring entity of a released time religious instruction to set a time for the course to be offered during the school day.
Once Gov. DeWine receives HB8, he will have 10 business days to approve or veto the bill.
For more information, contact CCV at 513-733-5775 or contact@ccv.org. For media inquiries, email media@ccv.org.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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