Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine announced that he has authorized a study that will focus on K-12 students who are quarantined due to meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The study is in response to school district superintendents expressing concerns about the number of students being quarantined.
We know it may be difficult to travel for professional development opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Don’t forget that OSBA has many resources that allow you to learn on your schedule, at your pace and from the comfort of your home. These include:
Ohio Controlling Board
The Ohio Controlling Board approved a request to use $6 million from the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Fund for K-12 mental health assistance to support capacity development, connection to community resources and implementation. The funding will be provided to ESCs that received funding through a competitive grant opportunity for preventive education funding in House Bill (HB) 166. Click here to read the application.
Save the date: Feed and Fuel Your Future Career virtual learning series
The Supreme Court of the United States Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Sept. 18, 2020. Appointed in 1993, Justice Ginsburg served on the court for 27 years. Justice Ginsburg will be remembered for her colorful dissents and ardent support of statutes to provide equal rights for women and men.
Resources to address racism and bias in our schools
The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have ignited social activism across the country, including a movement to acknowledge and eradicate racism in our education system. Schools are the heart of their communities, and students look to their school leaders to set an example and take a stand against injustice.
Senate activity
The Senate passed House Bill (HB) 17 by a vote of 32-0. The bill allows an enhanced homestead exemption for surviving spouses of public safety personnel killed in the line of duty. The bill will now be sent to the governor.
Last week, the U.S. District Court concluded that the territory transfer law enacted in the 2019-2020 biennial budget bill violated the Ohio Constitution. As a result, six territory transfers enacted under the law were halted and two territory transfer matters that were to be on the ballot in November are now moot.
The August issue of the OSBA Journal examines steps schools took to reopen.
Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill (HB) 606. The bill prohibits bringing a civil action for damages for injury, death or loss to person or property against businesses, the state, local governments and schools, among others, if the cause is due to exposure to COVID-19. Click here to read an analysis of the bill.
