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New Classroom Quarantine Guidelines 

The Ohio Department of Health issued a new fact sheet  K-12 School Quarantine Guidelines. The new guidelines stem from a study that showed children who had close contact (defined as within six feet for 15 minutes) to infected individuals and appropriately masked had rates of COVID-19 that were similar to children with no known COVID-19 exposure in school.

The new guidelines apply to students and adults who have been exposed to COVID-19 in K-12 schools. The guidelines provide that these exposed students and…

On Aug. 27, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)  released additional questions and answers…

Yesterday, the interim director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) issued an order requiring reporting and notification of COVID-19 cases in k-12 schools…

Earlier this afternoon, Gov. Mike DeWine announced the release of two guidelines for the re-opening of schools in the fall. One is health focused and the other is for school administrators. Staff of the OSBA division of legal services are reviewing the documents in detail and will provide more information soon.

At his press conference today, Gov. DeWine began discussing how parents are the best and first teachers, and we all have an obligation to educate our children. He further stated that, in Ohio, schools are controlled by locally elected school board members and that school…

On May 19^th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its” interim guidance on how schools and other establishments can safely open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) “…

Families First Coronavirus Response Act  (FFCRA) has many provisions to assist the country in this time of pandemic, the focus here will be only on emergency sick leave and…

Across the country, individuals have been required or encouraged to limit face-to-face meetings and practice “social distancing” to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). In light of these guidelines, OSBA has received numerous questions regarding the applicability of Ohio’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) during the pandemic. Because these state directives are changing on a day-to-day basis, boards should consult with legal counsel before making decisions about their meetings.

Can we cancel our school board meeting?
Boards of education are…