Ohio governor signs bill to protect parental rights in education
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Sharp, director of the ADF Center for Public Policy, regarding Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s signing Wednesday of HB 8, a bill that protects parental rights in education, recognizing parents’ fundamental right to make decisions about the upbringing, education, and care of their children:
“Parents know and love their children best, which is why they are best suited to make decisions about their children’s upbringing, education, and care. Thankfully, HB 8 rightfully recognizes this truth as a fundamental right. This critical legislation safeguards children from secret social transition by ensuring school officials do not hide crucial information from parents about their child’s mental health and well-being. It increases parental involvement in their child’s education by letting parents opt their child out of objectionable sexual content. And it empowers parents to give their children permission to attend religious instruction during the school day through released-time programs. We commend Rep. D.J. Swearingen and Rep. Sara P. Carruthers for their leadership on this legislation and Gov. DeWine for signing it into law. We also thank the Ohio Center for Christian Virtue for its monumental work on the bill. Now and always, it’s parents who ought to be in the driver’s seat of directing the upbringing, education, and care of their kids.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF's team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life. Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights. He has twice testified before the U.S. Congress on the importance of protecting free speech and religious liberty in federal law. Sharp also authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of nearly 9,000 students, parents, and community members asking the court to uphold students’ right to privacy against government intrusion. Sharp earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.