The Supreme Court of the United States recently provided a decision in a First Amendment retaliation claim.  In the case, the board of trustees of the Houston Community College (HCC) censured David Wilson, one of its board members, and barred him from holding officer positions on the board or from receiving travel reimbursements. Wilson alleged that the censure violated his First Amendment right to free speech. The district court ruled against him, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed.

Governor activity

OSBA’s division of legal services will be participating in two training opportunities next week.

Senate activity
The Senate accepted a motion, without objection, to insist on its amendments to House Bill (HB) 126 and request a conference committee. The House and Senate will now appoint members to the conference committee.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is easing requirements for COVID-19 case reporting by K-12 schools. As of March 10, K-12 schools are no longer required to:

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 9. The bill requires the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and other state agencies to reduce regulatory restrictions by 30% by 2025. The bill also includes an appropriation of $9 million to assist local boards of elections with administering the May 3 primary election.

As districts that will have collective bargaining negotiations this year are gathering information and preparing proposals, the State Employment Relations Board’s (SERB) site has a plethora of data to assist your work.

Governor activity