Talking Points for HB 322 & Sub HB 327

Why Honesty in Education Matters HERE

Why These Bills Hurt Ohio HERE

Honesty in Education: Honesty in Education is the complete presentation and thorough examination of historical and current events, behaviors, and societal trends. It reflects and affirms diverse perspectives and identities, including race, sex, and faith. It is grounded in credible research, widely accepted sources, and integral narratives of lived experiences. It promotes open dialogue, debate, and written analysis. Honesty in Education develops lifelong learners and engaged citizens who address complex issues, seek collaborative solutions, and help advance society.

We Believe:

• Every child deserves a high-quality education grounded in honesty and facts, regardless of background, race, or zip code;
• Dismissing racism and discrimination, or minimizing its trauma and impact, harms individuals and communities, and prevents pathways to reconciliation and healing;
• Education that reflects and celebrates student identities, experiences, and cultures

maximizes engagement and achievement;

• Students benefit most when caring families, trained educators, dedicated school boards, and responsible legislators work together; and
• Honesty in Education is the freedom of critical thinking, reflection, and the diverse exchange of ideas that are essential to Ohio’s future, viability, and high-functioning democracy.

OBJECTIONS TO HB 327

I am not a “Divisive Concept”. The bill dehumanizes the identities, lived experiences, and complicated realities of people, communities, and cultures by reducing them to a “divisive concept”. This is a politicized label that gives legislators cover to avoid the discussion, learning, and accountability around complex social issues, past and present.

By labeling the examination and accounting of racism, sexism, and the misapplication of meritocracy as a “divisive concept,” the bill ignores the history and current realities of Black and brown, Indigineous, and People of Color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and members of other communities who have and are experiencing racism and sexism.

Ohio has a rich, but complicated, history that we should be proud of. Reducing our complications to a “divisive concept” prohibits the honest exploration of these issues and deprives all students the opportunity to understand their own history, and the history of others, and their role in helping America live up to its promises.  

Erodes Public Education: The bill is an open assault on the quality and sustainability of public education. By design, the bill creates a dishonest and incomplete approach to education that reduces Ohio’s public school system to a substandard low-quality option for students. This will drive Ohio families and professional educators away from public school options towards privatized and independent schools, schools that continue to siphon needed funding away from publics.

Public Education & Democracy: Honesty in Education and quality public education form the bedrock of a high-functioning representative democracy. Public education was created to collectively educate our nation’s participatory citizenship, understanding that our representative democracy depends on the competency of its citizens. Without honest and accurate public education, citizens will fall prey to extremist views and self-serving agendas.

Protect the Truth, Not “Feelings” About the Truth : The bill painfully demonstrates that the sponsors and cosponsors are more concerned with protecting how students may “feel” about the truth rather than protecting the truth itself.  It is wholly DISHONEST to avoid the examination and atonement of our nation’s role in the subjugation, oppression, marginalization, and manipulation of people and systems. It is irresponsible to avoid the examination and atonement for how those legacies continue to inform our systems and institutions today because it may make a particular group of students feel bad.

Honesty in Education does not teach students to hate themselves or their identity. On the contrary, it reveals the complex details, intricacies, and nuances of our past to help students learn and grow, while simultaneously challenging and empowering students to build pathways and sustainable solutions for a stronger future.

Dishonest “American nationalism” Education: The bill pressures educators to teach a myopic nationalist  narrative that intentionally dismisses and omits the atrocities, injustices, inequities, and indignities perpetrated within our nation. This is a desperate attempt to portray our country as one without flaws, and those who call out injustices and inequities as unpatriotic.

Ohio students deserve an education that confronts all aspects of our history and maximizes the opportunities to learn from it. There are age-appropriate ways to teach honestly about the wrongs of slavery, genocide, internment, and forced resettlement. More importantly, Ohio students deserve educators who are empowered to teach honestly about our nation and boldly define the rights and wrongs.

Censorship and Authoritarianism: The bill is a stark nod to authoritarian regimes and dictators who use the censorship of educators and media to silence those who do not align with their extremist ideologies or political agendas. It also harkens to bad actors who weaponize the truth in response to social progress and the advancement of civil rights. This censorship and policing of the truth smacks in the face of the First Amendment and the true sense of patriotism that compels Americans to challenge bad governance, address flawed systems, and hold leaders accountable.

Policing of Educators and Chilling Effect on Education:

​The consequences for violations are extreme compared to the assumed damage, and compared to other authentic concerns such as child abuse. Using complaints from children and families to activate enforcement is dangerous. It destroys the trusting relationship within the classroom that drives effective learning and meaningful resolution of disagreements. It subjects educators to the unhealthy possibility of being the object of a witch hunt. By connecting serious consequences to instruction this legislation makes teaching a dangerous profession. It could make the current teacher shortage even worse.

Academic Freedom & Freedom of Speech: The bill perverts the concepts of Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech at the higher education level as a protection of student rights rather than the actual definition as the right of faculty members, acting both as individuals and as a collective, to determine without outside interference: the college curriculum; course content; teaching; student evaluation; and the conduct of scholarly inquiry (definition from AFT).

Degrees and Majors: The bill is an alarming government overreach into the construction of higher education majors and undergraduate programs. By prohibiting state institutions from requiring students to complete a course that contains a divisive concept as a condition of selecting a major in an undergraduate program, legislators are prescribing what qualifies and does not qualify as a major. This would have a devastating impact on social justice majors, cultural studies, gender studies, and the like. This could discourage students from attending state institutions for lack of program options.

Teacher Shortage Crisis: The bill feeds Ohio’s growing teacher shortage crisis by adding additional  anxiety and concerns for personal safety to a workforce that is already losing quality educators to the burdens and stressors of under-resourced and underfunded districts, unreasonable legislative mandates, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copycat Legislation: The bill is an ill-conceived replica of copycat legislation dominating supermajority Statehouses across the country.  As a copycat bill, it does not reflect the wants or needs of Ohio. Rather, it is designed to feed into a manufactured crisis used to manipulate Ohioans for political gain and advantage. The bill uses intentionally vague language to threaten and intimidate educators away from any semblance of providing an honest education and addressing current social issues.