In April 2025, Ohio implemented House Bill 8, empowering parents to review and opt out of any instruction involving sexuality or gender identity. Schools must notify parents beforehand, and students can be excused from such lessons. This is part of a national veiled to increase “parental rights” while undermining the devastating impacts.
Why Comprehensive Sex Education Matters
1. Guarding Against Grooming & Abuse
- Lack of proper sex education leaves kids unaware of boundaries, consent, and how to report abuse, making them susceptible to grooming.
- Educated teens can more readily identify predatory behavior critical in prevention.
2. Wide National Disparities Around Sex Education
- Only 20 states + DC mandate instruction on condoms or contraception; just 18 require medical accuracy
- 37 states allow parental opt-out of sex ed, further fracturing consistency
- Only 11 states + DC require lessons on consent, healthy relationships, or sexual assault
- While ~96–97% of teens receive some sex education, far fewer get comprehensive or accurate content
3. Proven Benefits of Evidence-Based Education
- Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) delays sexual initiation, increases contraceptive use, and lowers teen pregnancy and STI rates.
- Abstinence-only programs, by contrast, correlate with higher teen pregnancy rates and fail to reduce sexual activity.
The Problem with Patchwork Policies
Confusion and risk arise when sex ed policies shift across state lines:
- Ohio’s HB 8 mirrors “Don’t Say Gay” laws that limit LGBTQ+ content and give parents broad opt-out control
- Varying definitions what’s “age-appropriate” or medically accurate leave parents and teens unclear, often enabling predators who exploit knowledge gaps.
Legal & Policy Risks of HB 8
- Restricting sex ed may violate anti-discrimination laws if it prevents access to LGBTQ+ or medically accurate material.
- Ohio schools face compliance challenges balancing parental rights with federal laws (e.g., Title IX, IDEA).
- With emerging evidence that CSE prevents abuse, limiting it could undermine student safety.
Calls for a Uniform, Survivor-Focused Sex Education
- Adopt nationwide comprehensive sex ed standards, ensuring consistent teaching of consent, boundaries, and abuse prevention.
- Set medically accurate, age-appropriate guidelines backed by expert health and education bodies.
- Limit opt-outs for critical topics like abuse prevention and consent, while allowing some parental choice in values-based curricula.
- Mandatory training for educators and parents on identifying grooming and supporting survivors.
Safety Over Silence
Ohio’s HB 8 highlights urgent tensions between parental control and students’ safety. Without strong, comprehensive sex education, kids lack vital tools to recognize abuse and seek help. States must prioritize uniform, quality programming that empowers youth, protects them from predators, and upholds their rights not just appease ideological divides.
How This Impacts Civil Cases And How Andreozzi + Foote Can Help
Policies like Ohio’s HB 8, which restrict access to sexual education and awareness, can directly impact civil litigation involving child sexual abuse. When schools fail to educate students about boundaries, consent, and reporting abuse, they may be exposing themselves to liability for negligence. In civil cases, demonstrating that a school lacked adequate prevention or failed to act on known risks strengthens a survivor’s case.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we’ve spent decades holding schools and institutions accountable for failing to protect children. Our trauma-informed, survivor-centered legal team understands the complex intersection of education policy, institutional responsibility, and civil justice. If you or a loved one experienced abuse in a school environment especially where knowledge gaps or negligence played a role we’re here to fight for your rights and help you pursue the justice you deserve.
Your Next Steps
- Parents & Advocates: Urge school boards to ensure opt-outs don’t prevent core safety lessons.
- Educators: Seek training and support to teach consent and abuse prevention effectively.
- Policymakers: Model reforms like HB 8 with safeguards ensuring no student is left behind in protection.
