The Protect All Students Act, sponsored by State Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena), was recently signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine.
The Act requires that multi-occupancy restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms and overnight accommodations in schools and higher education institutions be designated exclusively for male or female students.
“We are grateful to the Governor for doing what is right and what is best for all Ohio students in kindergarten through college,” State Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena) said in a Nov. 27 press release. “The Protect All Students Act will keep our children safe from exposure to the opposite sex while in private spaces.”
The legislation, supported by school leaders and parents across Ohio, was introduced in response to concerns about student privacy in shared facilities.
The law goes into effect on Feb. 24, 2025.
“The bottom line of this legislation is to protect students. I don’t see that as a controversial issue,” bill co-sponsor State Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) said on the bill. “Many Ohioans don't want their local schools to allow the opposite sex into a restroom or locker room. The Protect All Students Act will eliminate difficult situations for school leaders and will create consistent policies across the state.”
Lear sponsored the bill in 2023.
“The push from the Biden administration and the demands from the federal level are causing a lot of the boards and the superintendents and administrations to capitulate and allow boys and girls to share these facilities,” Lear told the Mount Vernon News in 2023. “The majority of the legislators feel that that’s unsafe. So do the majority of the school board members and superintendents with whom I’ve spoken.”
Lear defeated challenger Democrat David Hogan in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on Nov. 5, 2024. Lear received 61.8% of the vote, while Hogan, a Democrat, garnered 38.2%.
