This week members of the Ohio State House of Representatives introduced the “Parents’ Right to Know Act.” According to Ohio Values Voters, “The goal of this legislation is to increase the transparency of sex education in Ohio schools.” They say, “Parents or legal guardians have the right to know the education their children are receiving in the classroom.”
This bill adds to the state’s already strong law that requires teaching abstinence education (also known as sexual risk avoidance education) by requiring school districts to notify parents if anything outside of the parameters outlined in the current law are planned. If instruction is planned outside of the specified guidance of the state law, a parent must opt their children into the instruction.
Another advantage of this bill is that it requires the school district to conduct an annual audit to be published regarding compliance with the new requirements.
The most important addition to the current law should this bill pass is permitting parents the ability to bring civil action against school districts that do not comply.
As pointed out by Ohio Value Voters, “Delaying sex, ideally until marriage, is associated with higher academic achievement and better health/life outcomes. Early sexual activity is correlated with the opposite: lower school performance, teen pregnancy/abortion, more substance abuse and emotional disorders, and higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This bill requires schools to inform parents completely if they plan to teach any other type of sex education. And then, schools must have written permission from parents before they teach an alternative.”
Schools across the country have been heavily influenced in the last decade (since gay marriage was legalized through a Supreme Court decision) to include instruction that encourages alternative sexual behaviors and demanding even the normalization and promotion of “sex change” through “gender reassignment.”
USPIE applauds Ohio legislators who want to protect children from sexualization through government schools. The bill could be enhanced by adding clear language to prohibit discussion of alternative sexual lifestyles except in the context of the threat of disease, and by adding language that would prevent sexuality issues across all disciplines.
USPIE recently became a national partner in the Promise to America’s Children. National partners of the Promise are a coalition of non-profit organizations who work for the wellbeing of American families and are passionate about protecting children across America.
The coalition believes that children are victims of a culture – and sadly, a government – who seek to sexualize children for the sake of a political agenda. The national coalition seeks to protect children and nurture their minds, bodies, and relationships. That’s the heart of the Promise to America’s Children. Please visit the website and sign on to the Promise to America’s Children.
Please visit uspie.org and Join the Movement to Stop Fed Ed!
United States Parents Involved in Education 