Ohio's new law: What it means for educators, LGBTQ+ students
Public News Service - April 2, 2025
By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State NewsLab-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.
Ohio’s House Bill 8, known as the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” will take effect April 9.
The bill was signed into law in January. It requires K-12 public schools to adopt a policy for parents to be notified by their child’s school if they have “any substantial change in the student's services, including counseling services,” or in their “mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.”
This includes any request by the student to “identify as a gender that does not align with the student's biological sex,” meaning if they are not already out to their parents, schools will be required to do it for them.
Advocates for LGBTQ+ youth worry the bill will cause unnecessary anxiety for students.
“It’s part of such a long string of attacks against [queer and trans students’] identities and their very right to exist,” said Mallory Golski, civic engagement and advocacy manager at Kaleidoscope Youth Center. She says young people are considering leaving the state because, “while this legislation just targets K-12 schools right now, they know it’s only a matter of time until their lives are impacted beyond that.”
And educators worry that the bill will cause conflicts between district guidelines and state law.
“It really puts counselors and other people in this rock and a hard place position because it’s so absolutist,” said Carrie Frederick, a school counselor at East Columbus High School.
The bill says parents have “a fundamental right” to make decisions about their children in schools.
Ohio State Rep. ...(Read More)
Reproductive justice takes more than passing laws in Ohio, U.S.
Public News Service - April 1, 2025
By Jade Prévost-Manuel for Yes! Media.
Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Yes! Media-Public News Service Collaboration
Taylor Young has never wanted to be a mom. ...(Read More)
Ohio struggles to retain young adults
Public News Service - March 31, 2025
By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.
Around 1,000 more people moved into Ohio than moved out of it in 2023, according to Census data.
At the same time, Ohio is aging: Between 2010 and 2024, the percentage of Ohioans aged 65 and older increased from 14.1% to 18.7%, which is about one percentage point higher than the national average.
“Younger people are more likely to move to pursue job opportunities, and there are lots of opportunities in Ohio, but they're not all evenly distributed,” said Robert J. Graham, senior research scholar and associate director of Scripps Gerontology Center at Ohio’s Miami University.
Because younger adults tend to concentrate in urban areas for jobs, rural areas are experiencing the impact of an aging population the most.
“There are some [people] that say, ‘Hey, I want to go to college. I want to increase my education and get new opportunities,’ or ‘I'm looking for jobs,’ and those jobs tend to be created in more urban areas, or suburban [areas], and the rural areas in particular are seeing the face of that,” Graham said.
“They're having an increasing aging population and decreasing number of young adults and people to fill important services that are needed in their communities,” he added.
On the other hand, according to a 2025 data study from SmartAsset, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland saw an influx of new residents in 2023. ...(Read More)
Report: OH RECLAIM a model for juvenile justice reform in other states
Public News Service - March 28, 2025
A new report examined differences in state juvenile justice system financing, looking at how local control can improve outcomes.
The report, "Transforming Juvenile Justice Through Strategic Financing," compared seven states and highlighted Ohio's RECLAIM initiative as influential. RECLAIM began in 1993 and encouraged courts to implement community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, with the aim of decreasing the likelihood of repeated arrest.
...(Read More)
Debate intensifies over major cuts to Ohio's Fair School Funding Plan
Public News Service - March 27, 2025
At the Ohio Statehouse, proposed budget cuts to the Fair School Funding Plan have sparked debate among lawmakers and educators.
Also known as the Cupp-Patterson plan, it is in its fourth year of a six-year implementation, designed to address disparities in school funding across the state. Backers are urging the full completion of its phase-in.
...(Read More)
Federal job cuts could affect thousands of Ohio workers
Public News Service - March 26, 2025
A report indicated layoffs in federal agencies by the ad hoc Department of Government Efficiency could affect a significant number of Ohioans and substantially undercut the state's budget.
There are approximately 114,000 federal employees in the state. A Center for Community Solutions study found if all federal employees in Ohio were to lose their jobs, the unemployment rate would increase by almost 40%.
...(Read More)
Older Ohioans struggle with rising credit card debt
Public News Service - March 25, 2025
Nearly half of Americans age 50 and older are using credit cards to pay for basic living expenses, according to a new AARP survey but experts said there are ways to keep debt from mounting.
In the same national survey, almost nine in 10 respondents said unexpected expenses have contributed to their credit card debt.
Kevin O'Laughlin, a certified financial adviser, said the results are not surprising, as rising consumer costs take a bite out of people's savings and Social Security payments cannot always keep pace. ...(Read More)
Doula access in Ohio at risk in Nursing Board certification controversy
Public News Service - March 24, 2025
Tensions are rising in Ohio between doulas and the state Board of Nursing, as only a small number of doulas have been able to be certified for Medicaid reimbursement - despite a statewide push to reduce infant mortality.
More than 60,000 births in Ohio each year are covered by Medicaid. Research shows having a doula can lower risks for both moms and babies. ...(Read More)
Ohio's rural Gen Z faces job dilemma: Will talent stay or go?
Public News Service - March 21, 2025
New research indicated less than half of rural Gen Zers believe they can find a good job in their communities.
Despite Ohio's predominantly rural landscape, more than 50% of its residents live in just 10 of the 88 counties, including Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Montgomery, Summit, and Stark.
Zach Hrynowski, senior education researcher for Gallup, noted while rural Gen Zers are not more likely to move than their urban peers, they often face limited access to certain opportunities.
...(Read More)
Ohio's SB-1 parallels national administration's anti-DEI sentiment
Public News Service - March 20, 2025
Debates over academic freedom and diversity initiatives have intensified nationally and in Ohio.
Senate Bill 1, known as the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, proposes significant changes to the state's public higher-education system. The bill aims to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs, prohibit faculty strikes and mandate post-tenure reviews for professors.
...(Read More)
Ohio Supreme Court case could set precedent for solar energy projects
Public News Service - March 19, 2025
By Kathiann M. Kowalski for Canary Media.
Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration
A regulatory board’s rejection of a permit for a large solar farm in southwestern Ohio has “essentially rewritten” state law to give local governments veto power over clean energy projects, an attorney for the project’s developer argued last week before the Ohio Supreme Court.
The Ohio Power Siting Board’s 2022 decision denying Vesper Energy the right to build a 175-megawatt solar facility in Greene County is the subject of a high-stakes legal challenge with potentially “devastating” consequences for the state’s ability to grow its electricity generation capacity, the developer’s attorney said.
“All of Ohio’s energy infrastructure will be affected by this decision,” said Michael Settineri, who represents Vesper’s Kingwood Solar project, in an oral argument before the court on March 13.
The company claims the siting board failed to follow state law in its analysis of whether its project is in the public interest — one of eight criteria that power generation projects must meet to receive a site permit. Instead of evaluating the merits of opponents’ arguments, the board used the mere existence of local government opposition as reason to deny the permit, Kingwood Solar’s attorney said.
A lawyer for the Ohio Power Siting Board argued that it has wide discretion to make policy judgments and that members used “a broad lens” to make their decision.
Local criticism has killed multiple Ohio solar projects
Renewable energy permitting has become especially difficult in Ohio over the last four years. ...(Read More)
Ohio educators alarmed over proposed elimination of DOE
Public News Service - March 18, 2025
The potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education has sparked concern in Ohio.
Threatened moves by the Trump administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency have Buckeye educators and union leaders worried about the effects on students and schools across the state.
...(Read More)
Fixing one problem, creating another? Ohio's lead pipe replacements
Public News Service - March 17, 2025
Ohioans are seeing changes in their water infrastructure as cities work to replace lead service lines, a requirement under federal regulations.
But concerns have risen over the materials being used for replacements.
Teresa McGrath, chief research officer with the group Habitable, said while lead exposure poses significant health risks, she cautions against replacing these pipes with polyvinyl chloride due to its environmental and health implications.
...(Read More)
Ohio leads nation in bird flu cases, consumers face rising costs
Public News Service - March 14, 2025
A Food and Water Watch report claims Ohio egg producers are profiting from the bird flu outbreak.
Ohio, a top egg producer, has lost nearly 15 million birds since December and leads the nation in the number of birds infected with avian flu.
With egg prices now averaging $6 per dozen - compared with $1.79 a dozen in 2021 - Rebecca Wolf, a senior food policy analyst for Food and Water Watch, said her group's research indicates large, corporate egg producers are using the crisis to inflate prices even further, despite production costs remaining nearly flat.
...(Read More)
Doubling down on care: Ohio’s push for caregiver tax relief
Public News Service - March 13, 2025
In a significant development for family caregivers across America, AARP is spearheading initiatives at both federal and state levels to provide tax relief for those caring for loved ones. The organization is championing the Credit for Caring Act, which proposes a $5,000 federal tax credit, while also pursuing similar legislation at the state level in Ohio.
Jenny Carlson, AARP Ohio state director, said it's a comprehensive approach to supporting the 48 million Americans who serve as family caregivers.
...(Read More)
