Posted in: Education

August 2, 2021 On July 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) published a joint resource to provide information about school districts’…

July 22, 2021  On July 7, 2021, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in Ison, et al. v. Madison Local School Dist. Bd. of Edn., regarding a challenge to the public participation policy adopted by the Madison Local School…

July 12, 2021 On July 1, 2021, Governor DeWine signed H.B. 110, Ohio’s 2022-2023 biennial budget, into law, which allows local, city, exempted village and joint vocational school districts (“school districts”) to request to use an “online…

June 2, 2021 Although the pandemic is seemingly subsiding in the U.S., public school districts in Ohio still face the challenge of how to use multiple forms of pandemic-related government funding. Notably, the task of navigating the permissible…

May 17, 2021 Ohio’s health orders will end on June 2, 2021, more than a full year after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine first enacted the orders. Prior restrictions will remain in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but all other…

March 25, 2021 Effective immediately, Ohio House Bill 67, which Governor DeWine signed into law on March 20, 2021, extends the state spring testing windows for the 2020-2021 school year, waives the administration of the state American History…

February 18, 2021 Stressing the importance of in-person learning, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released guidance to open and operate K-12 schools in ways that mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (COVID). The CDC’s…

January 13, 2021  As COVID-19 vaccines become more available, Ohio school districts will need to decide whether to implement mandatory immunization requirements for employees. Governor DeWine has prioritized school staff to begin receiving…

November 19, 2020  With today’s passage of Ohio House Bill (“HB”) 404, the legislature officially has extended the effectiveness of the HB 197 provisions granting authority to public bodies to hold and attend meetings and conduct and…

September 4, 2020  The Director of the Ohio Department of Health ("ODH") issued an order on September 3, 2020 requiring reporting and notification regarding COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools (the “Order”). The Order requires all K-12…

8/14/2020 On August 13, 2020, the Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Health (the “Director”) issued an order requiring use of facial coverings in K-12 schools (“Order”). The Order, which became effective on Friday, August…

July 17, 2020  To assist school districts in developing remote learning plans for the 2020-2021 school year, the Ohio Department of Education recently released guidance addressing student attendance during remote learning activities. At…

July 6, 2020  On July 2, 2020, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released new guidance regarding the re-opening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year. This guidance, which is titled “COVID-19…

June 22, 2020  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Ohio House Bill 164 (H.B. 164) on Friday, June 19, 2020, also known as the Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act of 2019. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, H.B. 164 goes beyond its religious…

June 18, 2020  Several Ohio agencies are providing guidance regarding serving children with disabilities who are transitioning from Part C Early Intervention to Part B special education preschool services. The guidance, developed by the…

May 5, 2020  School-building closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have Ohio districts preparing for a very different kind of student graduation this year. The Ohio Department of Education is urging all school districts to utilize alternative…

March 30, 2020  On March 27, 2020, the Ohio Department of Education issued updated guidance clarifying its previously issued guidance document of March 18, 2020 entitled “Considerations for Students with Disabilities during Ohio’s Ordered…

        March 23, 2020 On March 18, 2020, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) issued guidance entitled Consideration for Students with Disabilities during Ohio’s Ordered School-Building Closure. The…

March 16, 2020  On March 14, 2020, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) issued a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document designed to “help school and district leaders think through important local-level decisions.”  The FAQ document…

Although the economy has improved, money remains tight for school districts. While all school districts vigilantly guard their revenue, not all districts are engaged in protecting their tax base through property tax complaints. Getting involved…

Beginning October 17, 2019, a student’s medically excused absences are no longer included in Ohio school districts’ calculations toward “excessive absences” under Ohio truancy laws. Since 2017, Ohio school districts have been required…

Ohio’s two-year state budget calls for funding for new support services outside Ohio’s public school classrooms, changes how money is spent on low-performing school districts and places new graduation requirements on the class of 2023.…

The Ohio Board of Education recently adopted changes to rules for students who ride in school transportation vehicles (O.A.C. 3301-83-08) and established clearer policies for bus drivers (O.A.C. 3301-83-13). These changes will go into effect…

The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) has certified Walter | Haverfield attorney Margaret O’Bryon as a specialist in workers’ compensation law. O’Bryon is the only Ohio attorney to have received such certification in 2018. The OSBA…

Walter | Haverfield attorney James McWeeney says that post-Parkland school protests present complicated legal questions that districts must be prepared to handle. McWeeney’s article appeared in the Ohio School Boards Association Jour…

The Family Policy Compliance Office (“FPCO”) now offers school districts a tentative framework for responding to parents’ requests for videos. Often such footage – a security video of a cafeteria fight, for example – includes images…