Earlier this week, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance documents on Section 504 (Sec. 504) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Sec. 504 prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities by public schools and other institutions receiving federal funds. The four new guidance documents provide assistance to school districts on Sec. 504 rights of students with specific conditions.
Recently, we’ve received several calls on the OSBA legal hotline about the ability of a board member to serve in different capacities within the community. Being an effective board member requires a combination of skills and traits, and a commitment to the welfare of the educational community.
OSBA’s popular Special Education Law Workshop is just two weeks away! This year, the workshop is taking place on Friday, February 23, 2024, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. We’re offering the workshop as a hybrid event for your convenience. You can either join us in person at OSBA’s offices at 8050 North High St. in Columbus or join us virtually on Zoom.
For 2024, the OSBA legal division has decided to bring back a popular blog feature: question of the month. We will be focusing on questions that apply to many school board members and come up frequently in phone calls and presentations.
2024's first question of the month is: Can a school board member sell anything to the district? There are a couple of laws that apply to this question.
Most school boards in Ohio rely on Robert’s Rules of Order to help them run effective and efficient school board meetings. Although there are aspects of Robert’s that you will never use as a school board member, there are several you’ll find yourself using more regularly. Let’s discuss a few topics that members frequently call us about on the OSBA legal hotline.
Earlier this week, the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) issued a guidance document designed to assist district personnel with administering legally required literacy assessments to students with disabilities.
As reported in an August Legal Ledger blog post, Ohio’s 2024-25 fiscal year budget bill included changes to district obligations to students in reading instruction.
Welcome to 2024! As we kick off a new year, please remember that OSBA offers many tools and resources to help you organize your board and keep track of approaching legal deadlines, upcoming workshops and seminars, and other important dates.
As we close out calendar year 2023 and embark on a new year, school officials need to be aware of their obligations in the area of school attendance and truancy. Student attendance is critical for positive outcomes, and the law is clear that school officials cannot remain passive when a student is excessively absent from school.
In this Legal Ledger Sidebar, OSBA attorneys Jennifer and John discuss the Ohio Ethics Law restrictions on gifts, entertainment and other things of value. The conversation covers the key aspects of the laws as they apply to school board members and school employees.
