Senate passes educator discipline bill
Late September, the Ohio Senate passed legislation (S.B. 34) addressing educator discipline. The bill specifies that conspiracy to commit, attempt to commit, or complicity in committing specified criminal offenses are also grounds for automatic denial or revocation of a teaching license.

It also would permit the State Board of Education to deny, suspend, revoke or limit a license if the applicant engages in an immoral act, incompetence, negligence or conduct that is unbecoming to the “teaching profession,” rather than to the applicant’s “position” as under current law.

Other key provisions of the bill include:

Permitting a school located in Ohio or another state to request that the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) provide any report of misconduct that it has received regarding an individual who is under consideration for employment and requiring ODE to provide the contents of the report to the school;

Generally prohibiting a school representative from knowingly engaging in any activity intended to assist another individual in obtaining employment with a school or county board of developmental disabilities if he or she knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the individual has committed a sex offense involving a student;

Prohibiting a person from obtaining prior knowledge of a state achievement assessment, using prior knowledge of the contents of an assessment to assist students in preparing for the assessment, and failing to comply with any rule adopted by ODE regarding security protocols for an assessment;

Requiring schools to include a written notice on all employment applications explaining that any person knowingly making a false statement on the application is guilty of falsification (a first-degree misdemeanor); and,

Requiring schools to consult ODE’s “educator profile” database before making hiring decisions.

The bill has been sent to the Ohio House of Representatives for its consideration.

Senate Education Committee considers several bills
Things have been pretty quiet at the Statehouse as legislators have been busy campaigning in their districts, but the Senate Education Committee has met and heard testimony on several bills.

S.B. 358 (co-sponsored by Senator Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo and Senator Nathan Manning, R-N. Ridgeville) proposes an extension of K-12 accountability and testing due to COVID-19. Senate Education Committee Chair Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering) still believes that it’s unlikely that states will receive approval to waive federally mandated assessments. The Ohio School Counselor Association, Canton Professional Educators’ Association, Cleveland Teachers Union and Oregon City Federation of Teachers all recently testified in support of the bill. The Ohio 8 Coalition also supports the bill, noting that the Third-Grade Reading Guarantee fall test, set to be administered in the coming weeks, cannot be taken remotely, which is problematic for districts and schools not currently offering in-person classes.

S.B. 342 (co-sponsored by Senator Steve Wilson, R-Maineville and Senator Rob McColley, R- Napoleon) would require Ohio students to take a half-unit course in financial literacy and teachers to hold a license to teach the subject. The bill appears to have bi-partisan support.

S.B. 350 (sponsored by Senator Andy Brenner, R-New Albany) would prohibit school districts from providing vouchers for public transportation to students enrolled kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2020-2021 school year. The three largest education organizations – Ohio School Boards Association, Buckeye Association of School Administrators and Ohio Association of School Business Officials – all testified in opposition to the bill.

State Board of Education update
The State Board of Education’s Integrated Student Supports Committee unanimously approved administrative rules requiring school officials to meet with parents within 10 school days after a third occurrence in the same academic year of a student being restrained or secluded. The proposed rules also specifically state that medications to restrict a student’s movement cannot be used and clarify that seclusion cannot be a substitute for education or to coerce or punish a student.

Members of the State Board’s Teaching, Leading and Learning Committee delayed action on administrative rules that regulate improvement plans required for districts and schools that receive “D” or “F” grades for “improving at-risk K-3 readers” on state report cards – and where less than 60 percent of students score proficient on the third grade English language arts assessment -- for two consecutive years.

The proposed rules would require that reading achievement improvement plans include information on how the plans will be funded and how stakeholders were involved in the development process.

In light of the fact that the legislature has paused many accountability and testing requirements for the current school year due to COVID-19, there is no urgency in moving the rules forward. The committee will continue its discussion in November.

Departments launch “ABCs of Mental Health”
Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the 2020-2021 school year looks and feels very different, resulting in feelings of stress, anxiety, sadness and anger. Physical health is important during these challenging times, as is mental health.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) are offering a new ABCs of Mental Health resource:

Ask yourself how you’re feeling;

Be aware of signs and symptoms; and,

Care for yourself and others.

People who are feeling lonely and overwhelmed with emotions are encouraged to call the Ohio Careline at 1-800-720-9616 to speak with a licensed mental health professional.

Additional information on how to acknowledge these common feelings and learn more about mental health is available online at: ABC's

INFOhio’s new partnership: Highlights Library
INFOhio’s new partnership with Highlights provides access to the open version of Highlights Library. Ohio-based Highlights nurtures optimism and promotes a love of reading, focusing on the whole child and students’ social-emotional well-being. Designed to motivate young readers, this reading platform helps them become confident and capable readers.

So, what is in Highlights Library?

More than 2,500 fiction and nonfiction digital stories on topics like animals, science, sports and social-emotional learning;

Read-aloud capabilities;

Access from any device – tablet, phone or computer; and,

Animated videos.

Available to all Ohio students, educators and parents until June 30, 2021, Highlights Library is on INFOhio’s K-5 Resources page at: Library

Model remote teaching best practices with Monday Mini Lessons Monday Mini Lessons are here – recorded videos that get straight to the heart of instructional integration and best practices for remote teaching using INFOhio’s licensed, high-quality, digital resources. Featured twice a month during this school year, Monday Mini Lessons are fewer than 15 minutes, feature an INFOhio digital resource and model a best practice to integrate these into the classroom – be it virtual or in a school building. Check out the article, Monday Mini Lessons Model Remote Teaching Best Practices – which will be updated throughout the school year -- for links to the recorded video mini lessons: Mini Lessons

Stay in the Game! Network seeks attendance success stories
As previously reported, the Ohio Department of Education has partnered with the Cleveland Browns and Harvard University’s Proving Ground to form the Stay in the Game! Network focused on improving student attendance and engagement in school. As part of this effort, the Cleveland Browns would like to hear from students who are succeeding at staying in the game this school year. One student who submits an attendance success story will win a football autographed by Brown’s quarterback Baker Mayfield. Submit a story online at: Game

ODE offers new resources
The Ohio Department of Education recently published information related to the fall third grade English language arts test and end-of-course exams which outlines considerations for schools as they plan for test administration this fall. Schools may need to revisit testing procedures and schedules depending on their current modes of instruction -- remote, hybrid or in-person – in order to keep students and staff safe and comply with local requirements. Access the resources online at: 3rd Grade

New literacy instruction within remote learning environments resources are also available. They focus on the needs of remote learners as they grow and strengthen literacy skills and include a new Kindergarten-Grade 5 Remote Literacy Planning and Discussion Guide. Access the resources online at: Literacy

Video series documents student career exploration, success
Students throughout Ohio are using their high school experiences to explore and prepare for in-demand careers immediately following graduation. A partnership between The American Graduate Project, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and CET led to the development of a video series Finding Your Pathway: Career Exploration.

Each video in the series profiles a different Ohio student as he or she prepares for success after high school. Throughout the series, viewers will see students who discover their passions, transform their attitudes about school, and challenge stereotypes about vocational education. The series is an excellent introduction to the many paths – from apprenticeships to earning industry-recognized credentials – available to Ohio’s students.

Access the videos online at: Pathway

RemotEDx Connectivity Champions support remote Internet connectivity
The Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Ohio Department of Education, Ohio’s Information Technology Centers and Management Council recently announced that Ohio’s Connectivity Champions, one of the three core supports of RemotEDx, are available online. Connectivity Champions provide additional support to Ohio’s K-12 students and families for remote learning. They will help schools and families implement the connectivity funded by a $50 million grant from BroadbandOhio that recently was distributed to more than 900 schools and districts throughout the state.

Connectivity Champions provide Ohio districts and schools with additional support to get their students connected to the Internet from home. They collaborate closely with Information Technology Centers to help support students and their families with household connectivity to enable remote learning.

Administrators and parents can reach Ohio’s Connectivity Champions directly by webform at: Champions, by email or text at: connectme@ohio-k12.help, or by phone at (844) K12-OHIO [(844) 512-6446]