Ohio Becomes Latest State to Introduce “Parents Bill of Rights” Legislation

Right on the heels of moves in other states to ensure parents’ rights in education, lawmakers in Ohio have introduced a “Parents Bill of Rights” to ensure transparency in schools and keep parents informed about their children.

The legislation would require schools to enact specific policies to keep parents informed and notify them of a change in their student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being. The bill would also prohibit school personnel from influencing students to keep any information about their health from their parents. In addition, the bill would compel schools to inform parents if they plan to include sexually explicit content in curriculum, and provide alternative learning material if parents object.

In recent months, we’ve seen an alarming number of schools enact policies to keep vital information about students from their parents. Parental rights bills are a necessary first step to reaffirm a basic truth about education – that parents, not schools, should have final say over major decisions about their children.