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House Bill 197 Update
Posted on: April 2, 2020
The Ohio General Assembly on Wednesday, March 25 passed House Bill 197 in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to sign the bill into law, which will take immediate effect upon his signature.
The bill answers many questions that Little Miami and our community have had during this school closure.
The bill makes the following education-related changes:
- Eliminates state and federal testing for the 2019-2020 school year;
- Prohibits the issuance of report cards for the 2019-2020 school year and provides a one-year safe harbor from sanctions related to the report card;
- Freezes EdChoice eligibility at the 2019-2020 list of 517 buildings;
- Waives the third-grade reading guarantee retention requirement;
- Permits schools to grant high school diplomas to students on track to graduate and for whom the principal determines that the student has successfully completed the curriculum;
- Sets April 28 as the final day of voting for the March 17 primary election and prohibits in-person voting for that election;
- Permits boards of education to use electronic communication for in-person meetings and hearings during the emergency period but not later than Dec. 1, 2020;
- Permits schools to make up through distance learning any number of days or hours necessary to meet minimum instructional hour requirements.
This is only a synopsis of items in the bill. Click here to view a full summary.