Akron Public Schools must now give parents advance notice before teaching lessons that include “sexuality content,” including sexual orientation and gender identity — and offer a formal opt-out for students.
The change in procedure is due to the Parents’ Bill of Rights, a state law passed on Jan. 8. Ohio mandated public school districts comply with House Bill 8 by July.
HB 8 states: “The general assembly maintains that a parent has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parent’s child.”
In Akron, Policy 5780.01 has been on the books since June, but it’s undergoing minor revisions, said school board member Bruce Alexander, who chairs the Legal, Policy and Contracts subcommittee. Alexander said the school board is scheduled to discuss the revisions during Monday’s full board meeting.
The policy impacts all grades.
What changes in a student’s well-being will lead to parent notification?
The law lays out several areas that define student well-being, and “substantial changes” in these areas can trigger mandatory parental notification.
According to a legal analysis by the firm Bricker Graydon, these areas are:
- Academic performance
- Significant sickness or physical injury, or any psychological trauma
- Harassment, intimidation or bullying, as defined in section 3313.666 of the Revised Code, by or against a student in violation of school district policy
- Request by a student to identify as a gender that does not align with the student’s sex assigned at birth
- Exhibition of suicidal ideation or persistent symptoms of depression, or severe anxiety, or other mental health issues
How is Akron Public Schools changing its implementation of the state law?
The Legal, Policy and Contracts subcommittee of Akron’s Board of Education is working to amend portions of the policy, including tightening implementation details.
In essence, the policy guarantees parent notification of substantial changes to their children’s counseling or health services, including mental or emotional well-being, and any request by a student to identify with a gender different from their sex assigned at birth.
It also provides an opportunity for parents to opt-out of lessons that include sexuality content. Parents will have an opportunity to review materials before lessons begin.
How will parents of Akron Public Schools’ students be notified?
The current policy states parents must be notified immediately, but does not detail the process. The school board’s amendments are poised to allow notifications via phone or email.
Does the Parents’ Bill of Rights change anything else?
The policy offers parents additional transparency about how and what students are taught in Ohio’s public schools. Parents now have a clearer path to obtaining educational and health records from school officials, and schools are required to notify parents of upcoming lessons that fall under the state law’s purview.
The law also ensures students can be excused from instruction and permitted to participate in an alternative assignment.
What do critics say of the bill?
The bill was initially drafted in part to push back on lessons that incorporate LGBTQ or other topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity taught in public schools.
Critics, who dubbed the policy the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, say the notification portion of the policy, especially around questions of gender identity, could cause harm to public school students.
If a student isn’t prepared — or doesn’t feel supported at home — to express a gender or sexual identity different from their sex assigned at birth, opponents argue that notifying parents could push students into a crisis.
Said Alexander: “That could turn into an issue because kids may not want their parents to know.”