• House Session scheduled for November 16, 1pm
• Senate Session scheduled for November 16, 1:30pm

• Notify the parents of students prior to instruction involving materials that include sexually explicit content and identify the specific instructional material and sexually explicit subjects.
• Allow the parent of a student to review instructional material that includes sexually explicit content and, at the parent's request, provide that student with alternative instruction that does not include sexually explicit content.

• Notify a student's parent of any change in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being or the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student.
• Provide notice to parents that reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children, and that the school district shall not inhibit parental access to the student's education and health records maintained by the school.
• Prohibit school district personnel from discouraging or prohibiting parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being. However, the policy shall permit school district personnel to withhold such information from a parent if a reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect; that belief shall not be based on a parent's religious or political beliefs.

• At the beginning of the school year, notify parents of each health care service offered at their student's school and work with parents to create a health care plan for each student that is approved by the student's parent.
• Permit a parent to file with the school district a written concern regarding a topic addressed in this section. 
  • The policy shall establish a process to resolve such concerns within 30 days after their receipt. Under the policy, school districts shall notify parents of their right to file a written concern.

NEXT MONTHLY MEETING: October 11 & 12, 2022 

SBOE Website HERE
SBOE Members HERE
Meeting Materials HERE
Watch Meeting HERE

Proposed Resolution to Support Parents, Schools, and Districts in Rejecting Harmful, Coercive, and Burdensome Gender Identity Policies

State Board of Education member Brendan Shea introduced an amended version of the Resolution to Support Parents, Schools, and Districts in Rejecting Harmful, Coercive, and Burdensome Gender Identity Policies at the September Board meeting. The resolution attempts to invalidate federal Title IX protections in schools for LGBTQ+ youth, spreads harmful falsehoods about LGBTQ+ people, directs schools to out LGBTQ+ children to their parents no matter the circumstances, bans transgender youth from participating in sports or using facilities that align with their gender identity, and advocates that state lawmakers allocate state taxpayer dollars to pay for any penalties incurred by school districts for ignoring Title IX legal protections. Learn more HERE

Nearly 100 people submitted written or presented in-person comments about the resolution at the September meeting, with less than 10 in support.
Watch Testimony | Read Testimony

During the meeting, the resolution was moved to the October meeting agenda for a possible vote. Shea stressed his urgency for passing the resolution next month, signaling its use as campaign leverage for the midterm elections in November.

Details of the Resolution:

• Opposes recent changes to Title IX regulations, released by the US Department of Education on June 23, 2022
• Sides with a lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General David Yost and 21 other state attorneys general opposing rules connecting federal nutrition funds to the adoption of Title IX sexual discrimination policies
• Requires the Ohio state superintendent  to send a letter directing all Ohio school districts to oppose recent Title IX changes, disregard the Title IX guidance, and not amend district policies
• Asks the State to provide stopgap funding to schools not complying with recent Title IX regulations;
• Requires Ohio schools to report student identities, alternative names, and pronouns to families regardless of possible risk for youth
• Prohibits trans youth in sports and school facilities
• Asks General Assembly to pass legislation prohibiting classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3
• Rejects “harmful, coercive, and burdensome gender identity policies”
• Repeats harmful stereotypes and incorrect scientific assertions including that transgender girls are predatory and that gender-affirming care is medically harmful

TAKE ACTION
The resolution will be in on the October meeting agenda for a possible vote. 
TAKE ACTION NOW to stop this dangerous resolution in its tracks. There are several actions to take now and at the October Board meeting. Show Up and Speak Out for LGBTQ+ youth!

October State Board of Education Meeting
Tuesday & Wednesday, October 11 & 12
Public Comment on Wednesday, October 12, 8am

  TAKE ACTION HERE  
 

State Board of Education Elections

 

There are five State Board seats up for election in November:

• District 2 - Kirsten Hill, current member, not running, 2 challengers
• District 3 - Charlotte McGuire, current member, unopposed
• District 4 - Dr. Jenny Kilgore, current member, 1 challenger
• District 9 - John Hagan, current member, 1 challenger
• District 10 - Tim Miller, current member, 2 challengers

Learn about the State Board of Education races and candidates HERE
Learn about the non-compliant and illegal State Board districts HERE