The Legal Ledger

The Ohio Ethics law requires certain elected officials, candidates for elected offices,

Ohio Department of Education (ODE) recently published new graduation pathways for the 2020-21 school year that are derived from the recently enacted House Bill 67. The first pathway is curriculum-only. The second pathway is curriculum requirements and OhioMeansJobs-readiness Seal.

There have been a few important new guidance documents issued from the Ohio Departments of Education (ODE) and Health (ODH). Here’s a quick overview of their key elements.

ODH guidance document

On April 1, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released additional information regarding Remote Learning Pathway Considerations 2021-2022.

Many board members question if they have a conflict of interest whether due to relationships, attempting to sell goods or services to the public agency they serve, or seeking employment with the agency they serve.

While most of the conversations in schools about gender transition has been focused on students, schools need to be aware that transgender employees may be involved in gender transition as well.  Federal laws against sex and disability discrimination make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, harass, or otherwise discriminate against transgender employees&nbs

This has been another active week in the world of school law. Please see below for a quick recap of some of the noteworthy school law news that occurred this week.

For reasons that are evident to everyone, there has been renewed focus on whether and when vaccinations can be required. For the most part, the case law on vaccines is older law; the important vaccination cases in the United States court system are typically from the early part of the 20th century.  However, a case did surface out of New York during 2020 and the plaintiffs are trying mightily to get it into the Supreme Court of the United States. The case involved routine childhood vaccinations, but it is a good preview of how COVID vaccine challenges may fare in the courts. 

Late on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Department of Education (USDOE) release updated guidance to support school districts as they continue the return to in-person instruction.

On Feb. 2, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) released updated guidance on the K-12 School Staff Vaccination Program. The new guidance includes an updated K-12 school vaccination timeline as well as more specific definitions as to which K-12 personnel are eligible for the vaccinations.

More specifically, ODH states the following in the new guidelines: