COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Gov. Mike DeWine signed the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” into law, to take effect April 9. Here’s what it entails. Watch coverage of DeWine signing the law in the video player above.

House Bill 8 is a sweeping K-12 education bill that would allow parents to opt their students out of “sexuality content,” require educators to notify parents of various changes in their children’s wellbeing and require public schools to adopt a policy permitting religious release time, or excused absences for students who attend religious instruction during the school day. 

HB 8 earned its nickname from its new requirement for districts to implement specific policies to promote parental involvement in public schools.

At the start of each school year, districts will be required to list all health care they provide, including state-required care. Parents will have the opportunity to review these practices and may opt their students out of any health care, including care for mental and behavioral health. Parents must also approve any health care given to their students, except for emergency situations or if the student has a disability care plan.

Much of the bill involves sexuality content, which legislators defined as “any oral or written instruction, presentation, image or description of sexual concepts or gender ideology provided in a classroom setting.” Sexuality content does not include teaching about sexually transmitted infections, or sexual violence or abuse.

Before any sexuality content is taught, parents will now have the ability to review the instructional material and can pull their students out of the content in favor of an alternative assignment. Districts will be required to ensure any sexuality content taught by schools or school-sponsored third parties must be age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate. Sexuality content is not permitted to be taught to students in kindergarten through third grade.

Districts must also notify parents of any changes in students’ mental, emotional or physical health, including any requests from students to identify as a gender that does not align with their biological sex at birth. School staff will also now be prohibited from encouraging a student to withhold information from a parent in any way unless it results in abuse, abandonment or neglect.

RTRI programs are religious instructional programs that are allowed to teach public school students during the school day so long as they have parent permission, don’t use school resources and occur off of school property. Senators in the final sessions of the 135th General Assembly updated Ohio’s RTRI policy under HB 8 to require, rather than allow, districts to implement RTRI policies.

HB 8 also asks districts to collaborate with RTRI programs to plan when to offer the course, and allows high school students to receive up to two hours of credit for attending RTRI programs, depending on how comparable the curriculum and instructors are to the district’s standard of instruction. After back and forth between senators, districts are also permitted to require background checks for any instructors or volunteers working with students.

Dubbed “Ohio’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill” by opponents, the law has stirred criticism from education groups and LGBTQ+ advocates.

“It’s deeply disappointing that Gov. DeWine has signed HB 8 when it was opposed by educators and the LGBTQ+ community alike because it punishes teachers and staff for supporting LGBTQ+ students who are already targets of bullying and harassment,” Equality Ohio Executive Director Dwayne Steward said. “We will continue to fight for an Ohio that makes all students feel safe and secure in their schools.”

Those in favor of the bill say it will help guarantee a family’s right to raise their children how they want to, including in public education. State Sen. Michelle Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) cosponsored the bill and worked to include the RTRI provision.

“Parents don’t sign away their rights when their son or daughter goes to school, they have every right to know what is going on inside the classroom, and any suspected abuse possibly coming from inside the home can be reported to law enforcement,” Senate Republicans spokesperson John Fortney said. “There is absolutely no reason for information to be concealed from responsible parents and attempts to do otherwise have questionable if not predatory motives.”

LifeWise Academy, a Christian-based RTRI program headquartered in Hilliard, was founded in Ohio and is one of the largest RTRI programs in the nation. LifeWise CEO and founder Joel Penton was at the signing of HB 8, and applauded the governor for passing the legislation.

“We are especially grateful that any local programs that had been put on hold will be able to resume their growing programs and that communities will now have the clarity they need to provide families with the opportunity to choose Bible-based character education for their child,” Penton said.

Indiana parent and founder of the group Parents Against LifeWise Zachary Parrish advocated against HB 8’s passage. He said despite opposing the bill and RTRI programs, he was grateful the bill included provisions for background checks and left room for districts to implement policies that work for them. Parrish worked with school board members and lawyers to draft a sample RTRI policy for districts.

“I don’t know if they (school districts) know they have options,” Parrish said. “We just want them to be aware they don’t have to follow any old policy word for word. They can add whatever they want to these policies.”

Ohio school districts have until the law takes effect to draft and implement their new policies.