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Ohio bill seeks to punish educators 'pandering obscenity'

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Ohio bill seeks to punish educators 'pandering obscenity'


COLUMBUS, Ohio — A push at the Ohio Statehouse could limit the types of material both teachers and librarians present to students in schools.

A new proposal would make it a felony if educators and librarians pander “obscene” material. State Rep. Adam Mathews, R-District 56, wants Ohio to place limits on the type of material that teachers and librarians can make available to younger students. 


What You Need To Know

  • House Bill 556 aims to prevent obscene materials from being pandered to younger students
  • The bill was recently introduced at the Ohio Statehouse and still needs to go through the committee process 
  • This proposal is getting some pushback from educators and librarians
  • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine commented on the proposal, and he believes these types of decisions should rest with parents

“This is really for our K-12 educational environments, so that parents, teachers and students have that type of relationship where you know that your kid’s getting a great education, where they go to school,” Mathews said. 

House bill 556 would make it a felony for teachers or librarians to pander obscenity. A first offense could be punished with up to one year in prison, and those convicted could also face a fine. Mathews said the bill’s intent is to protect children and help parents build trusting relationships with their schools. While the bill does not specifically define obscenity, Mathews said it would align with the definition found in Ohio’s Revised Code.

The code lists several characteristics that make something obscene. It includes things that depict sexual activity, when the only purpose of the content is sexual in nature. Mathews said librarians and teachers would not violate the law if they were using the material for certain reasons.

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“We have a very measured approach of making sure that our health teachers, biology teachers, physicians or sociologists are allowed to teach as they’re needed to as well as putting clear exceptions for bona fide reasons,” Mathews said. 

“I think it’s a swipe at the First Amendment,” said Scott DiMauro, the President of the Ohio Education Association. “It will open up educators to new levels of potential criminal liability and do so in a way that I think also could be seen as unconstitutional.” 

Columbus City Schools Librarian Courtney Johnson said sometimes she provides materials to students who identify as LGBTQIA. She believes the term “obscenity” is too broad. She said as a librarian she cares deeply about the students and wants to help them learn. She also wants to help them become very open-minded. She mentioned that, as a librarian, they already use the Miller Test to ensure no material they give students is considered obscene. 

“We have students who need to see themselves in those books,” Johnson said. “So, I worry that teachers and librarians would really start self-censoring in an effort to avoid a felony because it’s clearly undefined.” 

“It’s a bill that’s looking for a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Melissa Cropper, the president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. “And, it’s really frustrating to us that the legislature (needs) someone to introduce a bill about pandering obscenities to children, which again, is a problem that doesn’t exist, when there are so many other problems that do need to be addressed in education.”

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Mathews is the only sponsor of the proposal at this point. It is still unclear whether it could get enough to support to pass through the Ohio House and Senate. At this time, it still needs to head through committee and hear proponent and opponent testimony.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine commented on the proposal, and he believes these types of decisions should rest with parents.

“The burden of proof is on someone to show us why you need legislation in this area,” DeWine said.



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Ohio Sen. JD Vance could be next vice president. What to know about him

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Ohio Sen. JD Vance could be next vice president. What to know about him


Ohio Sen. JD Vance could be the next vice president of the United States if former President Donald Trump defeats Vice President Kamala Harris.

He has been a U.S. senator since January 2023 when he won the race to replace Sen. Rob Portman.

Here’s what you need to know about Vance.

Where is JD Vance from?

Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and often spent summers with extended family in Jackson, Kentucky.

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How old is JD Vance?

Vance turned 40 on Aug. 2. If elected, he would be the youngest vice president since Richard Nixon.

Did JD Vance serve in the military?

Vance joined the Marines Corp after high school and served as a public affairs marine in Iraq.

What is ‘Hillbilly Elegy?’

Vance first attracted national attention for his best-selling 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” In the book, Vance recounted a turbulent childhood, his mother’s struggle with substance use disorder and the life-changing influence of his grandmother, known to him as Mamaw.

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His broader commentary about the plight of the Rust Belt and Appalachia became a textbook for pundits trying to understand Donald Trump’s popularity with disaffected white Americans.

The book was later made into a movie by Ron Howard, starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams.

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Watch: Usha Vance introduces husband JD Vance at 2024 RNC

Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Donald Trump’s running mate, delivered remarks at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Who is JD Vance’s wife Usha Vance?

Vance married Usha Chilukuri Vance in 2014 after the pair met at Yale Law School. She previously worked as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson but left the firm when her husband secured the vice-presidential nomination.

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How many kids does JD Vance have?

The couple has three young children: Ewan, 7, Vivek, 4, and Mirabel, 2.

Where does JD Vance live?

Vance and his family split their time between Cincinnati and Alexandria, Virginia.

Who is JD Vance’s mom?

Vance’s mom, Beverly Aikins, was raised by Kentucky-born parents in Middletown with her brother and sister. She has two children: Vance and his sister, Lindsay.

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Aikins is 10 years sober, something Vance frequently mentions during his stump speeches. She has also traveled with him on the campaign trail.

“I want people to know to reach out, to try to get help, and that recovery is hard but it’s so worth it,” Aikins recently told the New York Times.

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Dogs of 2024 election: Meet JD Vance and Tim Walz’s furry friends

JD Vance and Tim Walz might be on opposing sides, but they have one thing in common: their love for dogs.

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What is JD Vance’s net worth?

Vance and Usha Vance have a combined net worth between $3.4 million and $10.2 million, according to his 2023 financial disclosure.

How long has JD Vance been in politics?

Vance was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 after defeating former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan for an open seat in Ohio.

What has JD Vance said about Donald Trump?

Vance was not always fond of the former president.

He previously suggested Trump could be “America’s Hitler” and compared him to an opioid − a quick fix who wouldn’t actually solve the country’s problems. Vance did not vote for Trump in 2016 and joked that he would rather write his dog on the ballot than back him or Hillary Clinton.

“I think that I’m going to vote third party because I can’t stomach Trump,” Vance told NPR. “I think that he’s noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.”

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Vance changed his tune as he geared up for his 2022 Senate run, deleting controversial tweets and crediting Trump for the work he did in office. He secured Trump’s endorsement in a chaotic Republican Senate primary and is now one of the former president’s most loyal allies.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.



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Former Ohio police officer found guilty of shooting an unarmed black man

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Former Ohio police officer found guilty of shooting an unarmed black man


Andre Hill was holding his phone while walking toward a police officer when he was fatally shot

A jury in the United States has found a former police officer guilty in the state of Ohio four years after he shot a Black man holding keys and a phone in a garage.

Officer Adam Coy, who shot Andre Hill four times in 2020, faces at least 15 years in prison after the jury verdict on Monday.

Prosecutors asked that the former officer be sentenced immediately, but the judge set a sentencing date of November 25 instead.

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Coy, who is white and had served 20 years on the Columbus, Ohio police force, told jurors that he thought Hill was holding a silver revolver.

“I thought I was going to die,” he testified. It was only after he rolled over Hill’s body and saw the keys that he realised there was no gun, Coy said. “I knew at that point I made a mistake. I was horrified.”

According to a police body cam recording, 47-year-old Hill was walking out of a friend’s garage, holding his phone in his left hand while his right hand was not visible, just seconds before he was shot.

It took ten minutes for police to provide aid to Hill, who lay bleeding on the floor of the garage. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Prosecutors argued that Hill, a father and grandfather, followed Coy’s commands and was never a threat to the police officer.

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During the trial, Coy’s lawyers said that Hill’s lack of a weapon didn’t matter because the police officer thought his life was in danger. He had gone to the neighbourhood because of complaints about someone inside a running vehicle.

Police shootings

The conviction is the latest in a series of highly controversial incidents in the US involving white officers and Black victims. Brett Hankison, a former police officer in the state of Kentucky, was convicted last week of violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman whose death in a police raid ignited racial justice protests across the United States in 2020.

Taylor was shot to death by officers acting on a no-knock warrant.

Hankison was convicted on one count of civil rights abuse on Friday, with a 12-member federal jury determining that he used excessive force on Taylor during the raid.

Changes in policing

Coy was fired shortly after the fatal shooting, and the ensuing controversy over Hill’s death led to changes in the city’s policing.

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The mayor forced the city’s police chief to resign after a series of fatal police shootings of Black men and children.

Columbus later reached a $10m settlement with Hill’s family, the largest in the city’s history. The Columbus City Council also passed Andre’s Law, which requires police officers to render immediate medical attention to an injured suspect.

The settlement announcement followed other large payouts by US cities over the killing of Black people by white officers.

The city of Minneapolis reached a $27m settlement with the family of George Floyd ahead of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former officer charged in Floyd’s death.

The city of Louisville, Kentucky, agreed to pay Breonna Taylor’s family $12m and reform police practices.

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Sunday is the last day to vote early in Ohio, polls closed Monday. What to know about the election

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Sunday is the last day to vote early in Ohio, polls closed Monday. What to know about the election


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Early voting in Ohio began in October, but time is almost up if you want to cast your ballot before Nov. 5. Early in-person voting in Ohio ends on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Voting will not take place that Monday, Nov. 4, leaving only a few more days to vote early.

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“The day before Election Day (Monday) has been eliminated as an early in-person voting day,” according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, meaning that this election season, Nov. 4 is no longer an early voting day.

Here’s what to know.

Sunday, Nov. 3 is the final day to vote early in-person in Ohio

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s voting schedule, there’s no early voting on Monday Nov. 4, so voters only have until that Sunday, Nov. 3 to participate in early voting. Ohio is one of 18 states that allows voting on a Saturday and one of six states that allows early voting on a Sunday.

When time do polls open in Ohio for early voting?

For the remainder of the early voting period, polls for early voting are open from:

  • Friday, Nov. 1: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sunday, Nov. 3: 1 to 5 p.m.

When is the deadline to mail my absentee ballot?

While Oct. 29, was the deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail, they must be postmarked by Nov. 4 to be counted in the election.

When time do polls open in Ohio on Election Day?

In Ohio, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

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