In case you missed it, here are a few updates of importance from this past week:

  1. Governor nominates new DEW Director. Governor DeWine announced that he nominated Stephen Dackin as the Director of the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW). The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation. More information about the state education governance transition is available on the DEW website.
     
  2. OCR releases Dear Colleague Letter. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released a new Dear Colleague Letter reminding schools of their legal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide all students, including students who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab, or Palestinian, a school environment free from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
     
  3. OSEP provides resources for military-connected children with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs released resources to support states, parents, families and others to meet the unique needs of military-connected children with disabilities and ensure the timely provision of required early intervention and special education and related services.
     
  4. U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in social media cases. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases – O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed – that could affect how and when public officials like school board members may block members of the public from their individual social media accounts. A ruling in the cases is expected by the end of the court’s term next June.
     
  5. OSBA hosts 2023 Capital Conference and Trade Show. OSBA’s annual conference will take place Nov. 12-14. We’ll be taking next week off from posting updates on the OSBA Legal Ledger, but we hope to connect with you down at the Greater Columbus Convention Center during the conference!

If you have any questions about any of these updates, please reach out to OSBA’s division of legal services at (614) OSBA-LAW.

Posted by Sara C. Clark on 11/10/2023