To amend sections 3313.60, 3314.03, 3326.11, and 3328.24 and to enact sections 3301.0717 and 3313.6031 of the Revised Code regarding success sequence and character education curriculum.
HB269 would require the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to develop a model “success sequence and character education” curriculum for grades 7-12 by January 1, 2026. The model curriculum centers on the “success sequence” — finishing high school, working full-time, and getting married before having children — and adds instruction on a set of character traits and values, including trustworthiness, responsibility, family obligations, kindness, respect for authority and law, patriotism, religious faith, marriage, fidelity, gratitude, charity, and courage.
The bill also directs school districts to develop their own success sequence and character education curriculum beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, with the option to adopt the state model. Districts would have to consult parents, educators, and community members when creating the curriculum, and submit it to the department for approval. The department would maintain a list of district curricula, report annually on the curriculum’s impact on discipline and academic achievement, and may accept public or private funds to support implementation. The bill further authorizes districts to make school premises available for after-school programs that teach justifications for the success sequence and character traits, including philosophical, historical, traditional, or religious justifications, subject to parental consent and viewpoint-neutral access rules.
HB269 would amend Ohio’s general school curriculum law, community school law, STEM school law, and college-preparatory boarding school law to incorporate the new success sequence and character education requirement and to add related compliance references. It would also require community schools and other covered schools to comply with the new section as part of their statutory obligations. In practical terms, the bill would expand state curriculum oversight and add a new required instructional topic for many public schools and charter-type schools, while preserving parental opt-outs for some existing health and safety instruction provisions already in law.
Because the bill was only introduced and has no recorded votes or committee testimony in the provided materials, there is no formal legislative record of support or opposition yet. The bill’s language suggests a generally values-oriented, pro-family, and pro-parental-involvement approach, but it also raises potential concerns about the inclusion of marriage-before-children messaging, references to religious justification, and the extent to which the state would be directing moral instruction in public education. Those issues are likely to be the main points of debate if the bill advances.
HB269 would create a new section of the Revised Code requiring the Department of Education and Workforce to develop a model success sequence and character education curriculum, and it would amend existing school curriculum statutes to require districts, community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools to incorporate or comply with that curriculum framework. It would also add a new statutory authorization for after-school programs on school premises related to the curriculum. The bill would therefore expand state-level curriculum requirements and oversight, while giving districts some discretion to adopt the model curriculum or develop their own version subject to department approval.
No committee hearings or votes were provided, so there is no recorded legislative sentiment in the materials. Based on the bill text, the proposal appears to be framed positively by its sponsors as a character- and family-oriented education measure, with an emphasis on parental involvement and traditional values. At the same time, the bill’s content suggests it may draw criticism from those concerned about religious content, moral instruction in public schools, or the state mandating a particular social message.
The main points of contention are likely to be the bill’s endorsement of the “success sequence,” especially the instruction that students should get married before having children, and its inclusion of values tied to religion, marriage, sexual abstinence, and parental authority. Another likely issue is the provision allowing after-school programs to teach philosophical, historical, traditional, or religious justifications for the curriculum, which could raise concerns about viewpoint neutrality and the role of religion in public schools. Supporters are likely to emphasize character formation, parental rights, and student outcomes, while opponents may argue the bill imposes a moral or ideological framework on public education.