Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued an opinion in Hicks v. Clermont County Board of Commissioners, in which a public body was sued for violations of the Open Meetings Act (OMA). The Supreme Court determined that, when alleging a violation of the OMA, the plaintiff bears the burden of proving the violation. This ruling establishes that, in the…
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As you start winding down the 2022 calendar year, keep in mind the following year-end dates and deadlines:
- November 30 …
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Earlier this week, the Ohio Department of Education released updated guidance on blended learning plans, clarifying that blended learning is not be used on an emergency or contingent basis, such as for illness-related or weather-related building closures, parent-teacher conferences, professional development days, or staffing shortages. Rather, districts may only…
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Earlier this week, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and US Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) issued new resources for school districts.
Hiring substitute teachers
In recognition of the challenges districts are facing to recruit, support and retain substitute teachers, ODE has prepared new resources on its…
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This past Wednesday, Oct. 19, was Global Ethics Day, meaning this is an ideal time to think about rules governing the compatibility of public offices. These situations arise when public officials like school board members wish to serve in other public roles while on the school board. By nature, school board members are often civic-minded and community-oriented individuals involved in different community or service ventures. However, despite the best of intentions, serving in multiple public roles can create thorny…
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Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. On Oct. 4, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (DOE) released …
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The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has issued a reminder about the annual consolidated school report that each school district must file this autumn. The report for the 2021-22 school year is due by Nov. 30, 2022, and ODE has recently prepared instructions for districts to follow when filing it. At any time…
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Ohio House Bill 583, which went into effect on Sept. 23, provides resources for tutoring students that are available to all districts in Ohio. These provisions are targeted at remediating learning losses that students experienced due to school building closures related to COVID-19. The programs are implemented by the Ohio Department of Education (…
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In 2021, the Ohio General Assembly enacted the Safety and Violence Education Students (SAVE Students) Act. The Act included a variety of provisions on school security and youth suicide awareness education and training.
The purpose of the SAVE Students Act is…
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In June, Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill (HB) 99, which expands the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) and outlines training and public notice requirements for school districts that authorize individuals to go armed on school grounds. In anticipation of the bill’s effective date on Monday, Sept. 12, this blog post will answer some of the frequently asked questions we’ve received on the bill.…