On Tuesday, Judge Jaiza Page of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas ruled that Ohio’s EdChoice voucher program violates the state constitution. However, Judge Page acknowledged that the decision would likely be appealed and has allowed the program to continue operating until a…
Posted by John R. Price on
In this week's Legal Ledger Sidebar, OSBA attorneys Jennifer Hardin and John Price talk to Scott Gerfen about the new school disciplinary provisions enacted in House Bill 206.
Our attorneys talk about the basics of Ohio's school discipline statutes, the…
Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on
Every June, people around the country wait eagerly for the Supreme Court of the United State to issue opinions in the cases they have heard in the session that began in October. OSBA reported on one education-related case in last week’s legal ledger blog. Another one of the key cases before the current Court was decided last Thursday, June 5.
The case, Ames v. Ohio Dept. of Youth Servs., 605 U.S. _____ (2025), involves an allegation of…
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
On May 22, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court that blocks the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, a proposed religious charter school. This decision, Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, reached through a 4-4 split (with Justice Amy Coney Barrett abstaining), leaves the Oklahoma court’s ruling intact but sets no national…
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
In this…
Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on
Starting this month, Auditor of State (AOS) Keith Faber’s office will be issuing financial health indicator (FHI) reports for school districts. This AOS program to identify and monitor signs of financial stress in public agencies began nine years ago with cities and counties and is now expanding to include school districts.
AOS has explained that FHIs provide early warning signs of financial distress, allowing public agencies to address issues before they develop into major problems. Each district’s FHI report will use the traffic light system to highlight where they fall in 16…
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
Last Thursday, federal courts granted injunctions that block the enforcement and implementation of several recent actions of the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). These decisions specifically enjoin enforcement of the Title VI certification request issued several weeks ago that asked school districts to certify that their practices comply with Title VI in light of the administration’s interpretation of the law related to “illegal DEI.” This request was discussed in a…
Posted by Jennifer A. Hardin on
Earlier this month, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) issued a revision of the model policies boards may adopt to implement the requirements for the education of children with disabilities. The law requires board to adopt policies implementing federal and state requirements related to special education. Boards may do so by adopting the ODEW model or…
Posted by Sara C. Clark on
On April 7, 2025, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), …
Posted by John R. Price on
Last Friday, the federal government issued an announcement introducing the “Title IX Special Investigations Team” (SIT). The announcement indicated that SIT will be a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Justice (DOJ) and will consist of attorneys and investigators from both…