Ohio House Bill 8 with the Religious Released Time Amendment is on its way to Governor DeWine’s desk. God has blessed me richly in having an Ohio Senator and State Representative who are warriors in the battle to stop the Marxist March to undermine parents and families. My voiced support and opinion on the bill:
Greetings Senator Brenner and House Representative Lear,
Thank you for the hard work that you do. I do not envy you this time of year – end of session/assembly sprint. I am sending this e-mail to voice my support of H.B. 8. I am deeply saddened that today’s cultural climate requires a Parents’ Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, the Marxist March through educational institutions courtesy of entities such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), NEA (National Education Association/Ohio Education Association), and AFT (American Federation of Teachers/Ohio Federation of Teachers) needs to be formally addressed. I have read the ACLU of Ohio’s take action statement regarding H.B. 8. Per the Ohio ACLU, H.B. 8 “eviscerates the trusted relationships between students and their teachers” and “it would require school staff to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents, regardless of the impact on that student’s safety at home.” I believe that most Ohio parents are loving and caring individuals who have the best interest of their children at heart. Parents, not school personnel, are intimately involved with EVERY aspect of raising their child – education, health, and spiritual. I had a child with an IEP (individual education plan) with my local school district twenty years ago. I met with my son’s education team frequently. In addition to an education team, my son had a medical team – physicians, speech therapists, occupational therapists – I met with outside of the school district. In order to make beneficial informed decisions, I needed to know everything that was going on with my son on all fronts. As the only individual interfacing with all of my son’s needs providers, I was in the most appropriate position to be the coordinating leader of all the teams. Twenty years later, none of my son’s childhood providers are still in his life except for me and his father. Are there households where child abuse occurs – unfortunately, yes. Like teachers, I too was a mandatory reporter of child abuse under Ohio law during my clinical career and it was not a good day in my office when I had Columbus PD in a room with parent/s and Columbus EMS transporting a child to the emergency room for traumatic injuries that I could not determine were not the result of child abuse. If school staff members are in fear that “outing” a child will lead to abuse at home, laws are already in place to protect the child and school personnel are required to report. The well being of a child is best promoted and protected when ALL members of the team are working in unison and on the same page. The cynical approach being leveled by opponents to H.B. 8 dismissing the intellectual and emotional capacity of the vast majority of parents to act in their child’s best interest is mind boggling and an indictment of the silly times in which we live. I am concerned that school districts “purposely” keeping information from parents could lead to a tragedy that could result in a legal challenge. What if a child reveals to a trusted teacher that the child is in turmoil about his/her sexuality? What happens if this information is purposely withheld from the parent/s, an appropriate psychological screening (is the child at risk of harming himself or others?) is not done, and the child commits suicide shortly after confiding in the teacher? Are school districts shielded from liability in this scenario by the State of Ohio? Are school districts shielded at the federal level from a civil rights violation action? I am a firm believer in keeping things simple – makes life easier for all parties involved. First, everybody should stay in their lane and perform within the scope of their professional license. Second, parents are above school personnel on the organization hierarchy chart of child rearing. If my son had wound up in jail when he was a student in my local school district, I would have been the adult posting bail and licking my wounds for raising a delinquent.
I am most appreciative of your time and attention in considering my opinion and concerns. May you be richly blessed with the hope, peace, joy, and love of Jesus Christ this holiday season.
On to the Governor! Ohio House Passes Parents’ Bill of Rights, School Religious Released Time
doctordeplorablemf