To amend section 3301.0718 and to enact section 3301.0733 of the Revised Code to enact the Food Literacy and Nutrition Education Act to require the Department of Education and Workforce to adopt food literacy standards for grades kindergarten through twelve.
Summary
HB907, the Food Literacy and Nutrition Education Act, would require the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to adopt food literacy standards for grades K-12 by December 31, 2026. The standards must be based on current national and state standards and include instruction intended to help students make informed healthy food choices, including how to prepare meals and how food is grown.
The bill also requires the department to post the standards publicly and distribute them to school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools. Schools would have to post the standards on their own websites, and they could choose whether to incorporate them into curriculum. If a school does not use the standards in instruction, it must still provide students access to them. Parents or guardians could request that a student be excused from food literacy instruction aligned with the standards.
Impact
HB907 would create a new statutory section in the Revised Code establishing statewide food literacy standards and would carve out an exception to existing limits on state adoption of health standards in section 3301.0718. It would also repeal the current version of that section and replace it with language preserving legislative oversight over health standards except as provided for the new food literacy standards. The bill would affect the Department of Education and Workforce and all public school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools by requiring notice and access to the standards, while leaving local districts discretion over whether to use them in curriculum.
Sentiment
The bill appears to be positively framed and policy-oriented, with no recorded votes or committee testimony in the provided materials. Its sponsors and cosponsors suggest support for expanding nutrition and practical life-skills education in schools. Because the bill is only introduced and has not yet advanced through committee in the available record, there is no documented opposition or formal debate to indicate broader legislative sentiment.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the bill’s interaction with existing state control over health education standards. HB907 creates a specific exception to the general rule that health standards and curriculum require approval by concurrent resolution, which could raise concerns about legislative oversight or precedent. Another possible area of debate is local control: districts may choose whether to use the standards, but they must still provide access if they do not, and some stakeholders may question whether the mandate is sufficiently flexible or whether it should be more prescriptive. The parental opt-out provision may also be relevant to discussions about implementation and family choice.
To amend sections 3517.12, 3517.13, and 3517.155 of the Revised Code to modify the Campaign Finance Law regarding foreign nationals and statewide initiatives and referenda and to declare an emergency.
To amend sections 3505.01 and 3505.10 of the Revised Code to modify the deadline for a political party to certify its nominees for President and Vice-President to the Secretary of State.
To amend sections 3517.12, 3517.13, and 3517.155 of the Revised Code to modify the Campaign Finance Law regarding foreign nationals and statewide initiatives and referenda and to declare an emergency.
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