Ohio Republicans Introduce Parental Rights in Education Bill Modeled After Florida Anti-Grooming Bill

Ohio House Republicans introduced a bill on Monday similar to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education. The Ohio bill, dubbed House Bill 616, was introduced by Representatives Mike Loychik and Jean Schmidt.

Loychik announced on Twitter that he, “introduced a bill to ban curriculum about sexuality and gender identity until 3rd grade in Ohio.”

Curriculum about gender identity and sexuality has no place in K-3 classrooms, period.

That’s why I just introduced a bill to ban curriculum about sexuality and gender identity until 3rd grade in Ohio.

— Rep. Mike Loychik (@MikeLoychik) April 5, 2022

Schmidt also released a statement.

“The classroom is a place that seeks answers for our children without political activism,” Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, said in a statement. “Parents deserve and should be provided a say in what is taught to their children in schools.”

Ohio’s bill prevents any textbook, instructional material, or academic curriculum that promotes, “any divisive or inherently racist concepts.”

The bill lists 6 items as “divisive or inherently racist concepts.”

• Critical Race Theory
• Intersectional Theory
• The 1619 Project
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion learning outcomes
• Inherited racial guilt
• Any other concept that the state board of education defines as divisive or inherently racist, in accordance with the rule adopted under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code

The bill also prevents school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and nonpublic schools that participate in the state scholarship program from teaching or providing curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill goes further than the Florida bill by preventing instruction that is not age-appropriate for grades 4-12 based on state standards.

It seems the Florida Parental Rights in Education bill has been infectious throughout the nation with both Ohio and Georgia joining in on the efforts to protect kids from woke racial and sexual agendas. Hopefully, more Republican-controlled legislatures will join in on the efforts to protect the nation’s future.

Despite the positive changes that these bills offer, it is a fair critique to say they do not do enough. Tulsi Gabbard recently came out and proposed that the new Florida law does not actually protect children to a reasonable extent. 

Both the Florida law and the Ohio bill only protect children from kindergarten to third grade. The Ohio bill allows ‘age-appropriate’ instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. The lack of protection for children past third grade should be a source of concern for parents nationwide, especially since the protections virtually drop off at a point where children are still very impressionable by educational authorities.

These bills represent a step in the right direction, but more can be done to protect the nation’s future from the destructive ideologies of the radical left. Children are the most important, yet most vulnerable in any society and they need protection.