10/17/2026
Ohio is putting marriage before children into the classroom, alongside lessons about graduating and getting a job.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 276 on July 7, and the law took effect October 6. It requires school districts to teach the “success sequence” in at least one course required for high school graduation: finish high school, obtain full-time employment, and get married before having children.
The state’s Department of Education and Workforce must review and maintain curriculum and resources for grades 6–12. The framework presents those three milestones as a way to reduce the likelihood of living in poverty as an adult.
Supporters say students deserve practical guidance about decisions that can shape their financial futures. Critics argue the approach oversimplifies poverty and risks stigmatizing students raised by single parents, while overlooking challenges such as low wages, housing costs, and access to opportunity.
That puts a bigger question in the classroom: How much of financial stability comes from personal decisions, and how much depends on the opportunities people actually have?
Should schools teach marriage before children as a pathway to financial stability?
