Journalist: Philip Hill (ORU)
The Bill known as Educator Protections and Student Accommodations act of 2025 was a very
divisive bill that was introduced and passed this afternoon. This bill states that a public school
teacher would have the option and the freedom to say the perceived gender of the student at their
request. It doesn’t mandate it, and seemed to have the majority of backing.
If it wasn’t for one topic: Parental consent. According to House Member Mason Lewis of ORU,
the main issue with the bill isn’t the typically divisive issue of inclusion. It is the fact it doesn’t
mandate letting the parents know. According to him, parents should have the right to say no to
the kid.
On the other hand, Charlie Johnson of OSU and the writer of this bill, thinks that the schools
should be a safe space for the students. Inspired by her research project in the philosophy of
words, she wants to help protect students from maybe harmful situations at home. She states
“(this bill)…Just create something that betters peoples learning environment.”. She restates that
the reason she didn’t add anything about letting the parents know, is because schools need to be a
place where students can find themselves and be recognized for it.
This bill represents a massive divide in American culture. The divide between wanting to keep
tradition, versus wanting to allow others to find their own way. The major questions this brings
up is significant, and will without a doubt create the new culture for the next generations. On one
hand, freedom of speech is important. A teacher should be able to treat the student in ways they
believe is fair. On the other, a parents job is to guide their children. Would this maybe hinder
their ability to teach them according to their values? Or is the child’s mental health more
important?