House Bill 616, 134th General Assembly

UPDATE

House Bill 616 was not passed during the 134th General Assembly, which ended in December 2022. The language of this bill may be re-introduced in a future legislative session.

​​SPONSORS
Rep. Mike Loychik (R- Bazetta, Dist. 63)
Rep. ​Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland, Dist. 65)

​TARGETS K-12 SCHOOLS
School Districts
STEM
Community
Nonpublic enrolling students in state scholarship program

PROHIBITS 
Promotion and Endorsement of Divisive and Inherently Racist Concepts
Education & Material about Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity

IMPACTS
​Model Curriculum & Curricula Standards
Teaching, Instruction, Discussion
Training, Professional Development

PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS
Admonishment, Suspension & Revocation of Licensure
Withholding of State Funding

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Details of House Bill 616
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​Ohio House Bill 616
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Ohio House Bill 616 (HB 616) is pending legislation that prohibits the promotion, endorsement, teaching, instruction, training, and professional development about  "divisive or inherently racist concepts", sexual orientation, and gender identity in Ohio K-12 schools.

Bill Targets: 
  • ​School Districts
  • STEM
  • Community
  • Nonpublic enrolling students in state scholarship program
Why these bills hurt...
​
Students
Families
Educators
Ohio
Democracy

Sponsors & Committee

Primary Sponsors: 
Rep. Mike Loychik (R- Bazetta, Dist. 63)
​Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland, Dist. 65)

​Introduced: April 4, 2022
Committee: House State and Local Government
Sponsor Hearing: Tuesday, May 31, 2022 WATCH Hearing | READ Schmidt Testimony | READ Loychik Testimony
Bill Information:
  • Read Bill As-Written HERE
  • Read Status of Bill HERE
  • Read 3-Way Comparison of HB 322, HB 327, HB 616 HERE

Bill Prohibits:

1) Promotion or endorsement of "divisive or inherently racist concepts", defined as:
  • Critical Race Theory
  • Intersectional Theory
  • The 1619 Project
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Outcomes
  • Inherited Racial Guilt
  • Concepts defined State Board of Education
Includes:
  • State Board of Education adoption of standards, model curricula, professional development resources, classroom resources or assessments
  • School district board selection of textbooks, instructional material, or academic curriculum
  • School's teaching, use of curriculum and instructional material, and assignments
  • Training or professional development
  • Continuing education credits or other credit required for licensure renewal or program​
2) Teaching, use of, or provision  of any curriculum or instructional material on sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K-3
3) Teaching, use of, or provision of any curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity in any manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for grades 4-12
Enforcement & Penalties
State Board of Education
  • Will establish the procedure to file a complaint against a teacher, school, administrator, or school district superintendent 
  • Will offer a hearing for the accused teacher, administrator, superintendent

Penalties
If superintendent of public instruction rules against teacher, school administrator, school district superintendent, or school district, penalties include:
  • Admonishment, suspension, or revocation of teacher, school administrator, school district superintendent licensure, depending on the severity of the offense
  • Withholding funds from district based upon the severity of the offense and the time frame the district complies
    • May include a tiered funding penalty, terms for restoration, and any other procedures the Dept. of Education finds necessary


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