Some students return to the classroom as early as this week, but a bill before the Ohio House aims to change the way social studies is taught.

Supporters say it's meant to keep controversy out of the classroom, but it's facing strong opposition though from multiple groups who say the bill is pushing a political agenda.

House Bill 103 is currently stalled in committee. It's purpose is to develop new academic standards for social studies, beginning with the upcoming school year.

Lawmakers are looking to adopt a specific model for teaching history, called the "American Birthright," which was developed by the Civics Alliance. This alliance is a right-wing coalition looking to "...improve every aspect of American social studies instruction by inspiring America's state education departments to provide social studies standards that teach American students their birthright of liberty."

However, there's discussion of civil rights for example, being framed as something that's been overcome and in the past now. Local groups are taking issue with things like that, calling the bill harmful and unfair.

"We don't need legislators in the state with a particular agenda thinking that they're speaking on behalf of parents or speaking on behalf of students because they're not," Amariah McIntosh, Ohio Council of Churches Reverend Doctor, said.

The Ohio Federation of teachers said in part, "...while these standards certainly include many important topics – most, or all, of which are already included in current standards – there is also a strong bias in how topics are framed and discussed. For example, the stated intent of this document is to promote social studies standards that eliminate anything seen as "multiculturalism" or "anti-racism." This self-admitted bias limits American Birthright's usefulness as a source for statewide standards; more importantly it completely disqualifies American Birthright as something that could be used as the sole basis for new standards."

There is also concern that if the bill passes, it would take on sort of an authoritarian rule and teacher's jobs could be at stake.

"This is what we tell you to teach and this is what you have to teach and if you don't teach it the way we want it, educators could find their employment at risk," McIntosh said. "I don't see anything democratic or fair about that process," she said.

The National Council for Social Studies said in part, "If implemented in schools, these suggested standards would have damaging and lasting effects on the civic knowledge of students and their capacity to engage in civic reasoning and deliberation...we view these suggested standards as an attempt to return to a time when United States social studies classrooms presented a single narrative of U.S. and Western history that glorified selected aspects of history, while minimizing the experiences, contributions, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community..."

"It takes out a teacher looking for accurate historical information, and wants to replace it with a curriculum that they promote," McIntosh said. "And won't allow for any questions, any inquisition," she said.

The bill's sponsors did not comment