next article Originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and posted on News5Cleveland.com under a content sharing agreement.
Dozens of people, including school counselors and psychiatrists, spoke out Tuesday against an Ohio Senate bill that would require schools to notify parents about “sexual” content and, in some cases, the sexuality of their students, calling it ” He testified that it was “censorship” and could be dangerous for students.
“Young people are people who have a right to their privacy,” said Mallory Gorski of Kaleidoscope Youth Center. “Young people should have the freedom to read stories that reflect their own lives and experiences.”
Ohio House Bill 8 The bill, which seeks to put control of education in the hands of parents by allowing them to opt out of certain curriculums based on “sexual” content, could be voted on this week. According to one of the bill's sponsors: State Rep. DJ SwearingenR-Huron, says the school district “will also be prohibited from notifying parents of changes in a student's health condition, and the district will also be prohibited from encouraging students to hide these issues from parents.”
Amanda Erickson, also of Kaleidoscope Youth Center, is concerned about the impact this bill will have on teachers. Not only do teachers need to talk to parents about the information they hear from students, but it can also affect teachers themselves. own life choices.
Erickson herself trained as a teacher and moved into the nonprofit sector after graduation. After the efforts of the Ohio State Legislature, a career in the classroom was and still is not appealing to her.
“Why would I want to be a teacher in Ohio when our legislators are so obsessed with gender and sexuality that they don't have time to pass legislation that actually improves our schools?” Erickson told the Senate Education Committee. he asked.
Ms. Erickson also argued that the law could prevent her or others from putting family photos on their desks because they could suggest a discussion that she said is prohibited.
“Because this bill does not define 'sexual concepts' or 'gender ideology,' some may argue that my wedding photos and the questions they may raise fall under one or the other.” said Erickson.
The committee heard from some people currently working in education, and members of the Ohio School Psychologists Association and the Ohio School Counselor Association both opposed the bill, calling it “unworkable.” He said that he is already ignoring the “guardians”. “Key Tenets in the Education of Students.”
Heather Fairs, a high school counselor and OSCA board member, said House Bill 8 goes too far “to the point of creating unworkable requirements for school counselors that could have a negative impact on students.”
The Fair Trade Commission said there should be an exception in the bill for possible child abuse or neglect.
“The school counselor's office is a safe space for students who value a neutral listener with whom they can discuss their thoughts and feelings,” Fairs told the committee.
According to Fairs, HB 8's forced disclosure provisions could destroy needed resources and trust for students.
“What do you do when a student actually comes to you to talk about their relationship with their parents?” Faires asked. “Hurrying to publicize these concerns could exacerbate tensions between parents and students.”
OSPA, which represents more than 800 school psychologists, expressed “strong concerns” about HB 8 and said it would create “professional conflict” for school psychologists, according to Executive Director Rachel Chilton. .
The requirement that school personnel notify parents of changes in a student's “mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being” (including changes requested by a student of assigned gender identification) is based on the National School Psychologists Act. Violates the association's professional ethics standards. Mr Chilton told the committee.
The standards instruct school psychologists to “respect students' right to privacy regarding their sexual orientation, gender identity, and transgender status and not to share that information with anyone without their permission.”
Resolving this conflict would require a waiver of the bill's parent disclosure requirements, similar to the waiver Fairs said would help school counselors. Chilton said the bill would force psychologists to choose between “providing appropriate and ethical care or following state law.”
“A body of research has ignored the inherent dangers of depriving vulnerable people of needed psychological care and the potential for suicide as a result,” Children told the committee. Ta.
A small number of individuals provided testimony in support of the bill, highlighting the idea that parents should have control over decision-making when it comes to their children, even in school matters.
One proponent is Lisa Chaffee, a lead party in the federal lawsuit against Hilliard City Schools. In the lawsuit, the parents accuse a “federal bureaucracy” of trying to change anti-discrimination Title IX to include sexual orientation and gender identity. This lawsuit referred to in National study of censorship laws and its implications, teachers are allowed to “specifically solicit private and intimate conversations and other questions from children about sexual behavior,” the lawsuit says. The lawsuit also alleges that religious practices are challenged in the school district.
Chaffee took a similar stance and spoke out for HB 8.
“Activist teachers are having conversations with students that they don't deserve and, on moral grounds, shouldn't have,” Chaffee told the committee. “Conversations about gender and sexual identity are conversations between children and parents.”
As testimony progressed, the committee chairman, state Rep. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), said he felt it necessary to address concerns about the bill's provisions. He said the bill still gives local school districts discretion over the bill, and that Ohio's status as a self-governing state would still have an impact.
“Basically what this is saying is that we don't want public school teachers to encourage students to withhold information from their parents,” Brenner said.
The bill is scheduled for a committee meeting as soon as Wednesday “as appropriate” and could be voted on by the Republican-majority committee. If passed, it will move to a vote on the Senate floor.
The Senate is scheduled to hold its last scheduled House session of the year on Wednesday afternoon.
