Ohio State Profile

Ohio’s Sex Education Snapshot

The State of Sex Education

Advocates have faced a continuously uphill battle toward advancing sex education in Ohio, most recently cumulating in the introduction of several anti-abortion and restrictive sex education bills. House Bill 110, enrolled as the Ohio Operating Appropriation and effective June 30, 2021, allocates $2 million towards abstinence-only programming. This law requires that parental consent is obtained if sex education beyond the mandated topics is provided. Further, House Bill 110 requires an annual audit on each locality’s sex education instruction.

In 2019, Representative Niraj Antani introduced House Bill 90 in a regressive attempt to require the State Board of Education to develop an instructional program regarding the “humanity of the unborn child.” While this effort was ultimately unsuccessful, it is part of a larger pattern of legislative attempts to undermine access to abortion care in the state. In addition to undermining access to abortion care, bills like House Bill 90 impose moral judgments upon abortion care and remove the agency of young people.  Sex education must provide a medically-accurate, judgment-free depiction of the decision to obtain an abortion. Additionally, Senate Bill 121 was introduced by Senators Vernon Sykes and Stephanie Kunze in an unsuccessful attempt to allow each school district to develop their own standards and curriculum for “venereal disease education,” that would require curriculum to emphasize abstinence. Further, Senate Bill 121 would also require the State Board of Education to develop health education standards. If implemented correctly, transparent health education standards could advance sex education curriculum statewide.

Sex education is mandated in Ohio and schools are required to provide instruction on abstinence, “venereal disease education,” laws related to sexual activity with minors, healthy relationships, dating violence prevention, and personal safety and assault prevention. However, curriculum is not required to be comprehensive, medically accurate, or include instruction on topics such as consent, sexual orientation or gender identity, or contraceptive options. This leaves local school districts to decide what additional sex education curriculum they provide.

Local control over sex education presents unique challenges that have resulted in a glaring disparity regarding the quality of sex education that students receive. Such discretion allows for the implementation of policies and curriculum that stigmatize marginalized youth, such as students of color and LGBTQ youth, and presents further challenges in ensuring that low income districts have access to the resources needed to implement comprehensive sex education. While districts like Dublin City Schools provide more comprehensive instruction that includes topics such as sexual harassment, dating safety, and contraception, other schools report not teaching sex education at all despite the state mandate. Some students report that schools in Cuyahoga County provide abstinence-only or “sexual risk avoidance” instruction that is shame-based, misleading, and un-affirming of LGBTQ young people.

Right now, advocates can take action to ensure young people in their community have access to quality sex education. After contacting their local school board, advocates can determine what topics are missing from sex education instruction, such as instruction on consent, sexual orientation and gender identity, and contraceptives. Advocates can also focus on ensuring that curriculum is medically accurate or culturally responsive to the needs of young people of color. They can then vocalize the important need for advancing sex education requirements in their community. Advocates are encouraged to take action on pending legislation that seeks to advance or restrict the principles of comprehensive sex education. For a current overview of pending legislation, see table below. Additionally, reach out to EducateUS to get connected to local advocacy groups. Further, advocates can contact their representatives to discuss the critical need for advancing comprehensive sex education requirements statewide. Advocates are encouraged to use the SIECUS Community Action Toolkit to guide local efforts to advance sex education.

State Sex Education Policies and Requirements at a Glance

• Ohio schools are required to teach sex education.
  • Curriculum is not required to be comprehensive.
  • Curriculum must emphasize abstinence.
• Curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Curriculum is not required to include instruction on consent.
• Upon written request of a parent or guardian, a student may be excused from receiving any or all sex education instruction. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy. Further, if any education beyond the mandated topics is provided, prior parental consent must be obtained. This is referred to as an “opt-in” policy.
• Ohio has no standard regarding medically accurate sex education.

State House Highlights

This section highlights sex education bills that were introduced during the 2021 state legislative session as well as bills that have been introduced thus far in 2022. These proposed bills ​provide a brief overview of both recent and current legislative action taken to advance or restrict sex education. For a more comprehensive look at relevant legislation concerning sex education and related topics such as reproductive health care, LGBTQ rights, racial equity and justice, parental rights, bullying and harassment, mental health, assault and violence prevention, and HIV/STIs as it impacts youth, continue reading on to the “State Legislative Activity” section of Ohio’s profile.

2022 Legislative Session

No bills have been introduced concerning sex education to date.

2021 Legislative Session

House Bill 110 (enacted): Creates appropriations for FY 2022-2023 that include increasing funding for abstinence-only curriculum, requiring parental consent if additional, advanced sex education is provided, and imposing further limitations on access to abortion care while increasing funding for crisis pregnancy centers.

House Bill 105 (pending): Aims to require age-appropriate instruction on sexual abuse prevention in grades K-6 along with sexual violence prevention in grades 7-12.

House Bill 240 (pending): Aims to require school districts to provide written notice and receive parental consent prior to providing additional sex education instruction outside of the required topics.

More on sex ed in Ohio…

State Law

Ohio Revised Code Sections 3313.60 and 3313.6011 require both sex education and human immunodeficiency (HIV)/sexually transmitted infection (STI) instruction, stating that the board of education of each school district must establish a health education curriculum for “all schools under their control.” The health education curriculum must include “[v]enereal disease education,” which must emphasize that “abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is [100 percent] effective against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease [STD], and the sexual transmission of a virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS].” Additionally, it must:

1. Stress that students should abstain from sexual activity until after marriage;
2. Teach the potential physical, psychological, emotional, and social side effects of participating in sexual activity outside of marriage;
3. Teach that conceiving children out of wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society;
4. Stress that STDs are serious possible hazards of sexual activity;
5. Advise students of the laws pertaining to financial responsibility of parents to children born in- and out-of-wedlock; and
6. Advise students of the circumstances under which it is criminal to have sexual contact with a person under the age of 16, pursuant to section 2907.04 of the Revised Code.
7. Emphasize adoption as an option for unintended pregnancies.

Upon written request of a parent or guardian, a student may be excused from receiving any or all of this instruction. This is referred to as an “opt-out” policy.

State Standards

Ohio law does not permit the State Board of Education to adopt the Health Education Standards in Ohio. However, the Ohio Department of Education does provide guidance on the overall health education curriculum requirements, K-6 health education requirements, 7-8 health education requirements, and 9-12 health education requirements. Under these requirements, students receive additional instruction on healthy relationships, dating violence prevention, and personal safety and assault prevention.

State Legislative Activity

State legislative activity related to sex education does not take place in isolation from the broader embroiled political and policy climate. Attacks on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ) individuals, attempts to restrict or prohibit instruction on “divisive concepts” such as Critical Race Theory, and efforts to limit access to abortion care and other reproductive health care services prevent students from receiving comprehensive sex education and accessing sexual and reproductive health care services. Below are highlights of current legislative activity related to these topics. Ohio’s 2022 session convened January 4, 2022. 

Youth Sexual Health Data

Young people are more than their health behaviors and outcomes. While data can be a powerful tool to demonstrate the sex education and sexual health care needs of young people, it is important to be mindful that these behaviors and outcomes are impacted by systemic inequities present in our society that affect an individual’s sexual health and well-being. To learn more about Ohio’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results, click here.

Ohio School Health Profiles Data 

In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the School Health Profiles, which measure school health policies and practices and highlight which health topics were taught in schools across the country. Since the data were collected from self-administered questionnaires completed by schools’ principals and lead health education teachers, the CDC notes that one limitation of the School Health Profiles is bias toward the reporting of more positive policies and practices. In the School Health Profiles, the CDC identifies 20 sexual health education topics as critical for ensuring a young person’s sexual health. Below are key instruction highlights for secondary schools in Ohio as reported for the 2017–2018 school year.

Reported teaching all 20 critical sexual health education topics

• 7.2% of Ohio secondary schools taught students all 20 critical sexual health education topics in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 33.0% of Ohio secondary schools taught students all 20 critical sexual health education topics in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching about the benefits of being sexually abstinent

• 65.9% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about the benefits of being sexually abstinent in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 92.0% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about the benefits of being sexually abstinent in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching how to access valid and reliable information, products, and services related to HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy

• 54.3% of Ohio secondary schools taught students how to access valid and reliable information, products, and services related to HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 92.0% of Ohio secondary schools taught students how to access valid and reliable information, products, and services related to HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching how to create and sustain healthy and respectful relationships

• 69.4% of Ohio secondary schools taught students how to create and sustain healthy and respectful relationships in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 92.5% of Ohio secondary schools taught students how to create and sustain healthy and respectful relationships in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching about preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health

• 51.6% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
•  89.1% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about preventive care that is necessary to maintain reproductive and sexual health in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching how to correctly use a condom

• 15.4% of Ohio secondary schools taught students how to correctly use a condom in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 51.4% of Ohio secondary schools taught students how to correctly use a condom in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching about methods of contraception other than condoms

• 28.8% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about methods of contraception other than condoms in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 77.9% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about methods of contraception other than condoms in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching about sexual orientation

• 25.8% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about sexual orientation in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 60.7% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about sexual orientation in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported teaching about gender roles, gender identity, or gender expression

• 26.1% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about gender roles, gender identity, or gender expression in a required course in any of grades 6, 7, or 8.
• 55.4% of Ohio secondary schools taught students about gender roles, gender identity, or gender expression in a required course in any of grades 9, 10, 11, or 12.

Reported providing curricula or supplementary materials relevant to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) youth

• 42.4% of Ohio secondary schools provided students with curricula or supplementary materials that included HIV, STD, or pregnancy prevention information relevant to LGBTQ youth.

(Visit the CDC’s School Health Profiles report for additional information on school health policies and practices.)

***The quality of sex education taught often reflects funding available for sex education programs. To learn more about federal funding streams, click here.