Ohio

Ohio bill seeks to punish educators 'pandering obscenity'

Published

2 years ago

May 25, 2024

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.

“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.”

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

Ohio primary election 2026 voter guide

Published

4 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Press Room

May 5 is a primary Election Day in Ohio. Voters will choose candidates to represent their party on the ballot in the November elections. Some voters also have tax levies.

Here are The Enquirer’s primers on the top contested primary races:

For Republicans:

Ohio governor

Ohio Secretary of State

Ohio Treasurer

Ohio Supreme Court

U.S. House District 1

U.S. House District 2

Butler County Commissioner

Warren County Commissioner

Clermont County Commissioner

For Democrats

Ohio Attorney General

U.S. House District 1

U.S. House District 2

U.S. House District 8

U.S. House District 10

Hamilton County Commissioner

Clermont County Commissioner

Nonpartisan issues

School levies to watch

Full list of everything on the ballot

Go deeper

The Enquirer background-checked every local congressional candidate. What we found

Inside the two primaries for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District

Who’s paying for the congressional races?

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Ohio

Metro offering free rides across all services for Ohio’s primary election on May 5

Published

16 hours ago

April 28, 2026

Press Room

Metro offering free rides across all services for Ohio’s primary election on May 5

CINCINNATI — Anyone who needs to go to their polling location for Ohio’s primary election will be able to ride all Metro services for free Tuesday, May 5.

Metro announced all fixed-route buses will run their regular weekday schedules fare-free on Election Day. For those who need door-to-door help, Metro’s Access paratransit will be available for eligible riders, while MetroNow! — the on-demand shuttle service — will also be free to anyone who needs it.

“Access to transportation should never be a barrier to voting,” Brandy Jones, Metro’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, said in a release. “By offering fare-free service on election day, we’re helping ensure that more people can take part in shaping their community.”

Metro has already announced that it will also offer fare-free rides for the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as well.

To learn more about the different routes or transit options, download the Transit app or visit Metro’s website here.

After the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed new congressional maps last year, and some county board of elections announced polling consolidations this spring, there’s a chance your polling place has changed. If you are not sure where your polling location is, visit the Secretary of State’s website here.

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Ohio

Ohio Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Midday winning numbers for April 27, 2026

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2026

Press Room

The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at April 27, 2026, results for each game:

Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

18-31-33-36-62, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 7-6-6

Evening: 5-6-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 9-2-8-2

Evening: 6-1-5-6

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 5-7-8-3-3

Evening: 7-6-8-3-5

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Rolling Cash 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

09-10-24-30-39

Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Classic Lotto

Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

01-12-15-22-27-42, Kicker: 6-7-2-4-1-9

Check Classic Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Millionaire for Life

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 11:15 p.m.

04-15-19-21-31, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.

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