Parental Rights Bill Passes Ohio Senate: Here’s What To Know

Children in Ohio can now leave public school grounds during school hours to receive religious instruction after the State’s Senate passed a bill which also protects several parental rights.

House Bill 8 declares that “a parents has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.”

The legislation also states that, “A school district board of education shall collaborate with a sponsoring entity of a released time course in religious instruction to identify a time to offer the course during the school day.”

“While in attendance in a released time course in religious instruction, a student shall not be considered absent from school. No student may be released from a core curriculum subject course to attend a religious instruction course.”

The bill also requires school districts to make sure that “any sexuality content is age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate for the age of the student receiving the instruction” and prohibits schools from “directly or indirectly encouraging a student to withhold from a parent information concerning the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, or a change in related services or monitoring.”

“I praise God today for the leadership in the General Assembly that moved to protect parents and kids today,” said Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, who released a statement celebrating the passage of the bill.

The ACLU stood in opposition to the released time for religious instruction provision, stating that it would “disrupt the school day for students who do not attend and their teachers.”

Baer went on to state that, “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.”

“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.”

The Ohio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union was among the critics of HB 8, with the advocacy group claiming in a protest letter that the bill “puts the privacy and safety of Ohio students at risk.”

“It is imperative that trust between young people and a teacher or other school staff member remains intact. For students who do not feel safe at home, sometimes they have nowhere else to turn but to a teacher or guidance counselor,” read the letter.

“Additionally, HB 8’s provisions about ‘sexuality content’ will create a culture of censorship in our schools. Current law already allows for parental notice, review, and opting out of instruction.”

Praise God this bill passed!

If children are to receive a well rounded education and parents want their kids to receive religious instruction as part of their education, then every state should follow suit.

In addition to making it possible for children to leave the school campus to receive religious instruction, upholding the rights of parents is crucial in the day and age we live in.

Governments recognizing that children were given to parents and not to the state is a reminder to future generations of what is precious and the God-ordained order of the family and the society.

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