Education Information/Alerts from Honesty for Ohio Education

 

This week we wanted to open with our gratitude and joy. We so appreciate our vibrant coalition, and all of the hard work we can accomplish together! We were recognized this month by the Ohio Education Association with the Friend of Education Award, which recognizes a person and/or organization whose leadership, actions, and support have contributed to the improvement of public education.  Winning this award also brought members of our coalition in from all corners of the state to be in one room together!  Thank you to every coalition member who has fueled this powerful work.

The Week Ahead... This week, the Statehouse is moving ahead with House Bill 68, the ban on gender-affirming care, and Senate Bill 83, the Higher Education Destruction Act. LGBTQ+ organizations and families from across the state are mobilizing to protect some of Ohio's most vulnerable young people. The state budget is working its way through the Ohio Senate. The State Board of Education will next convene on June 12 & 13.   Florida's race to the bottom The NAACP has issued a travel advisory for Florida, sharing that "the travel advisory was initially proposed to the Board of Directors by NAACP's Florida State Conference," and that "NAACP's collective consideration of this advisory is a result from unrelenting attacks on fundamental freedoms from the Governor and his legislative body." Take action with the NAACP to fight against Florida's regressive policies here.   New column from coalition partner Many thanks to Jeanne Melvin for a new column in the Ohio Capital Journal highlighting the potential damage that House Bill 103 could create. HB 103 replaces Ohio educator-developed social studies curriculum and standards with the American Birthright curriculum, developed in large part by the Heritage Foundation: Read Jeanne's excellent column here, and learn more about HB 103 here.    Coming up... REGISTER Building Momentum: Amplifying Freedom to Learn May 30, 7pm REGISTER More events below

EDUCATION UPDATES

STATEHOUSE WEEKLY ACTION ALERTS HERE Legislative Calendar HERE Senate Committee Schedule HERE House Committee Schedule HERE Honesty for Ohio Education Legislative Tracker HERE   Spotlight: House Bill 171 Last week, a coalition of Ohioans and organizations who believe in honest education introduced House Bill 171 and launched the Educating for Ohio's Future campaign: Educating for Ohio's Future ensures that the rich cultures, histories, migrations, contributions, and lived experiences of the communities that call Ohio home are reflected in K-12 curriculum. With support from groups like OPAWL, CAIR-Ohio, The Freedom BLOC, the Young Latino Network, and Honesty for Ohio Education, House Bill 171 was introduced by Rep. Mary Lightbody. Join the campaign to support this bill as an individual HERE or as an organization HERE. Learn more about the campaign and bill HERE, or see the legislature's page for HB 171 HERE.   UPCOMING HEARINGS Senate Education Committee Tuesday, May 23, 3pm, South Hearing Room Agenda • Watch SB 112 - Sponsor Testimony Enacts Ohio Childhood Safety Act • Learn More SB 99 - Sponsor Testimony Enacts Sarah's Law regarding seizure action plans • Learn More   House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Tuesday, May 23, 4pm, Room 116 Agenda • Watch HB 71 - Sponsor Testimony Establishes Community Connectors Workforce Program • Learn More HB 147 - Sponsor Testimony Regards teacher licensure revocation, hiring practices, conduct • Learn More  HB 135 - Proponent Testimony Requires school districts to grant excused absence for 4-H and FFA • Learn More    House Public Health Policy Committee Wednesday, May 24, 9:30am, Room 121 Agenda • Watch House Bill 68 - Opponent Testimony Bans gender-affirming healthcare for minors, creates a statewide registry of gender-affirming care services, and imposes penalties for violations  •  Learn More   House Higher Education Committee Wednesday, May 24, 10:30am, Room 17 Agenda • Watch SB 83 - Sponsor Testiimony Higher education bill banning required DEI training, policies based on gender and race, partnerships with China, and employee strikes; requires online posting of syllabi and disciplinary measures for violations • Learn More HB 164 - Sponsor Testimony Establishes Foster-to-College Scholarship Program • Learn More  HB 98 - All Testimony Prohibits reduction of financial aid for private scholarship award • Learn More    House Session   Wednesday, May 24, 2pm • Watch   HOUSE BILLS - TAKE ACTION Please TAKE ACTION on these fast-moving, high-priority bills.  Stop House Bill 6, the trans student athlete ban  HB 6 bans transgender students from participating on female sports teams in Ohio K-12 schools, colleges, and universities • Learn More Contact the House Higher Education Committee  Call Committee HERE Email Committee HERE  Stop House Bill 8, the Unsafe Students Act HB 8 forces schools to out LGBTQ+ students to parents, regardless of harm or danger to student; requires teachers to report the use of any "sexually explicit material" to parents and provide alternative material; bill offers vague definition of "sexually explicit material" that targets LGBTQ+ identities and experiences • Learn More Contact the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Call Committee HERE Email Committee HERE  Stop House Bill 12, the State Takeover of Public Education State takeover of public education; shifts oversight of State Board of Education and Dept of Education to governor; strips significant roles and duties from State Board and state superintendent (companion bill to Senate Bill 1) Learn More Contact the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Call Committee HERE Email Committee HERE Stop House Bill 68, the gender affirming care ban Bans gender-affirming care for minors, including referrals for mental health care treatment, exempts intersex people or people with disorders of sexual development Learn More Contact the House Public Health Policy Committee HERE Stop House Bill 103, the extremist overhaul of K-12 Social Studies  HB 103 creates a Social Studies Standards Task Force (with appointees of the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker) to overhaul Ohio K-12 social studies standards using the extremist American Birthright: The Civics Alliance's Model K-12 Social Studies Standards • Learn More Watch last week's HB 103 proponent testimony HERE Contact the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee  Call Committee HERE Email Committee HERE   Follow these bills and more on our Legislation Tracker

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION NEXT MONTHLY MEETING June 12 & 13, 2023, 8am Meeting Materials | Watch Board Meetings The State Board of Education will next meet on June 12 & 13. By that meeting, we may have more information about the state budget, the fate of the retention provision in the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, and the initiation of a new search process for a permanent superintendent.

LOCAL SCHOOLS 2023 Ohio TORCH Winners The 2023 Teachers of Ohio Representing Character and Heart (TORCH) have been announced! Congratulations and immense gratitude go to:  Mary Miller, Leader in Me teacher at Belpre Elementary School in Belpre Carrie Burnworth, music teacher at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in Lancaster Denise Robertson, French and humanities teacher at Tippecanoe High School in Tipp City Bryan Trego, social studies at Botkins High School in Botkins Kathy Patron, speech, debate and communications teacher at Perry High School in Massillon We appreciate every Ohio teacher who is doing their best to serve every student in their classroom every day! Learn more HERE.   OHSAA rules changes: student athletes who transfer schools This week, Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools passed 12 of 13 proposed revisions to the OHSAA constitution and bylaws. Key impacts include changes that impact transferring students, or students placed on indefinite athletic suspension at other schools. All changes go into effect on August 1. Learn more HERE.   Want STEM resources that are out of this world? NASA invites Ohio educators and their classes to join NASA’s Next Gen STEM SPARX (Sparking Participation and Real-world eXperiences in STEM). SPARX is a free unique educator professional development opportunity. Educators receive professional development and can connect live to NASA subject matter experts throughout the experience so students can learn more about STEM careers. There are several upcoming information sessions; learn more HERE!   Apply to be a green ribbon school! The US Department of Education recognizes schools with environmentally friendly facilities, programs and education with a green ribbon. The application process is open now; apply HERE.   Local District News Beachwood City Schools: Beachwood teachers collecting stones to honor Holocaust victims in Poland Columbus City Schools: Security increased as students return to class following Hilltop schoolyard shooting Dayton Public Schools: High school students plan for success at Montgomery County Youth Leadership Summit Highland Local Schools: Ohio high school senior wins state team track title all by herself Indian Creek Local School District: Indian Creek teachers in line to receive one-time bonus as part of retention effort Westlake City Schools: Westlake computer science teacher receives state, national recognition

COMMUNITY REPORTING

Got news? Share it on the Community Reporting page today! Use our Community Reporting form to share celebrations, issues, and developments about honest education happening in schools, the State Board of Education, and the Ohio Statehouse. Shere HERE

EVENTS

REGISTER Building Momentum: Amplifying Freedom to Learn May 30, 7pm REGISTER