Ohio educators grapple with anti‑LGBTQ law and federal special‑education overhaul

In Ohio, teachers such as Youngstown‑area middle‑school instructor Erica Putro are organizing fellow educators to understand the state’s new anti‑LGBTQ legislation, House Bill 8. The bill mandates schools to inform parents when a student requests pronouns that differ from the gender listed on their birth certificate. Putro helped launch “Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education” in partnership with the local advocacy group Mahoning Valley Queer Action to train staff and urge school boards to protect queer students. She said, “We’re supposed to make sure kids are healthy, safe, supported, challenged, and engaged.”

At the same time, Ohio special‑education advocates warn that recent federal changes – moving the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice – could disrupt services guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Advocates including Dee Marks and Jennifer Webb fear added bureaucracy, a shift toward a medical‑first model, and a rollback of long‑standing protections for students with disabilities. Marks warned, “For special education in Ohio, it means the process ... just got significantly more complicated.”