Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law Wednesday that requires schools to notify parents of their child’s gender confusion.
The law requires that all schools within the state adopt policies mandating parents be notified of any changes to their child, including changes to mental, emotional and physical health. The law also requires parental consent before the child can receive any health services through the school, according to the bill’s text. Parents are also encouraged to increase their involvement in their child’s education, with the bill declaring parents have a “fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care” of their children.
At the beginning of each school year, schools must notify parents of the health services being offered at or in cooperation with the institution and allow parents to opt out of any of the services, the bill says.
Schools must also ensure sexual content is “age-appropriate” and allow parents to opt their kids out of any such lessons under the law. School officials are prohibited from encouraging students to withhold information from their parents.
DeWine’s move breaks from states like California, whose Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom passed legislation in July 2024 that prevents schools from enacting policies requiring parental notification in these cases. The law has since faced several lawsuits with parents complaining that the impacts on children are “potentially devastating.”
In another effort to protect kids, the Ohio governor passed a law in November preventing schools from allowing males into women’s spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms.
DeWine’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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