Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on

Yesterday, the State Board of Education and Ohio Department of Education (ODE) made the proposed amendments to the Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) rule on transportation of students with disabilities (

Posted by Megan E. Greulich on

Just last month, the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction released Ohio’s five-year strategic plan for education, titled Each Child, Our Future. The plan, which is available on the

Posted by Megan E. Greulich on

On Jan. 16, via press release, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) announced the approval of Ohio’s state plan submitted as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Ohio was one of 11 states receiving DOE plan approval, including Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Ohio’s plan was unanimously approved by the State Board on July 11, 2017, and subsequently submitted to DOE on Sept. 15, 2017. The press release highlighted some unique features of Ohio’s plan, including its focus on serving…

Posted by Megan E. Greulich on

Just yesterday, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) posted additional draft sections of Ohio’s federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) template. Ohio released its original draft plan in Feb. 2017 after soliciting stakeholder feedback. In March, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) released a revised ESSA plan template, and as a result, Ohio is releasing a revised plan application that meets DOE’s revised template requirements.

Ohio’s final ESSA plan will be submitted to DOE in Sept. 2017. In the meantime, ODE has been posting components as they are revised and soliciting…

Posted by Megan Greulich on

Restraint and seclusion reporting

Dec. 16 is the deadline for schools to submit annual reports of student restraint and seclusion incidents to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Districts are asked to complete an online survey to fulfill their annual reporting obligations set forth under Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 3301-35-15. In an effort to improve statewide reporting accuracy, ODE has created additional guidance documents and sample reporting forms.…

Posted by Shadya Yazback on

Last month, the State Board of Education considered the first application for a pupil activity permit from a felony ex-offender holding a Certificate of Qualification for Employment (CQE). Created by Senate Bill 337 in 2012, the CQE process allows persons who have a previous felony or misdemeanor conviction to apply to the court in their county of residence to lift collateral sanctions that prohibit an individual from being considered for employment in certain fields, including education.  As of May 20, 2015, just over 300 CQEs have been issued in Ohio. 

An individual who…

Posted by OSBA Legal Ledger on

The State Board of Education has filed new draft rehabilitation rules with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR). This act begins the formal rule-making process and triggers a public hearing before the State Board. The hearing on these rules is June 18 at 11:00am.

HB 428, enacted in 2008, prohibited boards of education from employing, and required them to release, employees who committed certain crimes. Under prior law, the State Board adopted a rehabilitation rule that allowed educators who committed some less serious crimes to be rehabilitated and thus…