Posted by Shadya Yazback on

OSBA’s Legal Division has recently posted updates to three of its fact sheets:

The full list of fact sheets that OSBA has published can be accessed here.  

Posted by Shadya Yazback on

The Legal Division, in conjunction with OSBA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, has published a new resource page on diverse learners. The page provides some resource links that provide background, contextual information, and guidance around certain groups of students.

You can visit the resource page here: http://www.ohioschoolboards.org/diverse-student-learners

Posted by Megan Greulich on

There are some important dates coming up in relation to the College Credit Plus (CCP) program for the 2016-17 school year. CCP allows students in grades 7-12 to enroll at any public college/university and any participating nonpublic college/university on a full- or part-time basis and complete nonsectarian, nonremedial courses for transcripted high school and/or college credit.

Districts should have already provided students in grades 6-12 with information about participation in CCP by the required March 1 deadline. Districts also are required to hold an informational session by…

Posted by Sara Clark on

The Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a public entity in a construction contract dispute where OSBA’s Legal Assistance Fund (LAF) provided amicus support. The decision is a good one for school districts and other public entities, especially those interested in putting in place penalties for a construction company’s failure to complete work in a timely manner.

In 2007, the Village of Piketon solicited bids to install a traffic signal. The contract with the winning bidder, Boone Coleman…

Posted by Shadya Yazback on

The U.S. Department of Education recently observed that children from Muslim families, Arab American children, and boys from Sikh families that wear religious head coverings are at increased risk to be targets of bullying as a result of backlash from recent domestic and international terror attacks.  In the aftermath of the Paris attacks and San Bernadino shootings, the…

Posted by Megan Greulich on

On Feb. 3, the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) Office for Exceptional Children released a memo providing guidance for school districts in serving students with disabilities who are confined to community corrections facilities (CCF) and juvenile detention…

Posted by Sara Clark on

OSBA is seeking workshop presenters for its 2016 Capital Conference. One of the nation’s top education conferences, the event features more than 100 learning sessions covering topics of special interest to board members and administrators. OSBA selects workshop proposals based on innovation; relevance; proven success; strong interest; and practical, how-to information. The nomination deadline is March 11 at 5 p.m. They can be submitted online at conference.ohioschoolboards.org/nominate. There also is a link on that page to…

Posted by Megan Greulich on

This morning, the Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments in School Choice Ohio Inc. v. Cincinnati Public School District and Springfield City School District. School Choice Ohio (SCO) filed the lawsuit after the Springfield City School District denied SCO’s request for student names and addresses. In 2013, Springfield adopted a policy that stopped student names, addresses, phone numbers and other identifying data from being designated as “directory information” under the Family Education Rights and Privacy…

Posted by Shadya Yazback on

In December, the General Assembly enacted the “ban the box” law, House Bill (H.B.) 56.  The bill creates R.C. 9.73, which prohibits public employers in Ohio from including any questions about a person’s criminal background on employment applications.  School districts should take steps now to ensure compliance with the law when it becomes effective on March 23, 2016. 

While employers will no longer be able to ask about a candidate’s criminal history on employment applications…

Posted by Sara Clark on

OSBA’s legal assistance fund (LAF) supports school districts that are defending legal challenges with the potential to affect public schools statewide. The courts have recently ruled on two LAF cases.

Talawanda City School District Board of Education v. Testa

The first case, Talawanda City School District Board of Education v. Testa, deals with whether school-owned property is exempt from taxation if the property is not being used for school purposes. In the…