SB248: Withdrawn

Our voices were heard and Senator Cafaro has taken the steps necessary to withdraw SB248--in less than 24 hours!!

I hope the proper changes are made to the proper services that can have an impact and stop this from happening again.

From her FB page:

SB 248 was never meant to be a policy debate about educating children in the home. It was meant to address weaknesses in the law pertaining to child protection. Unfortunately, the true intent of the bill to curtail child abuse has been eclipsed the by the issue of homeschooling.
After consultation with Teddy’s family, we have collectively decided the best course of action is for me to withdraw SB 248, and instead pursue a more comprehensive approach to address the current challenges in the state’s social service and criminal justice system.
It is our hope that this new focus will bring the discussion back to where it was always intended to be: protecting children. I am requesting field hearings to address the impact of current law, government agencies and nonprofit organizations on child welfare in Ohio. I will not include any content related to education in the home in a new bill, or in any other bill.
Through this process, it is our goal to craft a new bill to honor Teddy’s legacy and to protect vulnerable children like him in the future.

For your review, I have included copies of my letter to President Faber indicating my plan to withdraw SB 248 with a motion on the Senate floor, as well as my letter to Medicaid, Health and Human Services Chair Shannon Jones, to request field hearings on the topic of child abuse in the New Year.