The Ohio General Assembly recently passed legislation that addresses several educational matters during this public health crisis. We believe that the legislation passed by the General Assembly addresses many of the issues and questions that are weighing on you, our staff, students and community.
- State and federal testing is eliminated for the 2019-2020 school year;
- State report cards will not be issued for the 2019-2020 school year (note that these are the state-issued report cards for schools and school districts, not student report cards);
- Third-grade reading guarantee retention requirements are waived;
- Schools can grant high school diplomas to students on track to graduate and for whom the principal determines that the student has successfully completed the curriculum;
- Individuals with appropriate state licenses are allowed to provide services electronically or via telehealth communication to students with special needs;
- Boards of education may use electronic communication for in-person meetings and hearings during the emergency period, but not later than Dec. 1, 2020;
- School districts may use distance learning to make up any number of days or hours necessary to meet minimum instructional hour requirements.
There will be additional guidance that follows this legislation and we commit to providing updates as information is received.