Ohio Gov. DeWine signs parental notification bill into law

Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed the new law, saying parents are the first teachers for their children and should be informed about everything happening in their children’s lives. The new legislation will require public schools to notify parents of any planned lessons involving content about sexuality and gender ideology, and allows parents to opt their child out of such instruction. The so-called Parents’ Bill of Rights also mandates that districts must allow students to leave school during the day to attend religious instruction and requires school officials to tell parents when their student seeks out counseling or other healthcare services. Under the new law, content involving sexuality or gender ideology cannot be taught to students in kindergarten through third grade. The bill is scheduled to take effect 90 days after the bill was signed.

What other measures did DeWine sign this week? The governor on Wednesday signed 29 bills into law that lawmakers passed at the end of last year. Among them are a bill that established harsher criminal penalties for sextortion of a minor and legislation that requires students who are expelled for making a threat to undergo a psychological assessment before they are allowed back at school.

Dig deeper: Read Sharon Dierberger, Elizabeth Russell, and Grace Snell’s report in World Magazine about school choice measures dividing Republicans.