School reopening bill introduced at the Ohio Statehouse

COLUMBUS — Under a plan just introduced at the Ohio Statehouse local school boards would have the sole authority to decide how and when students would return to the classroom at the end of summer following the COVID-19 crisis. The plan also expressly prohibits other public officials from closing schools.

It comes in response to Governor Mike DeWine and State Health Director Dr. Amy Acton shutting down every school district in Ohio in mid-March at the beginning of the state’s health emergency.

The proposal has the support of Miami Valley State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, who is also an medical doctor. He said local control is a top priority.

“Large city schools like Dayton are going to have their challenges but they can deal with them the way they feel best. Rural schools in Preble, Darke and Miami counties have their own challenges,” Huffman said.

Montgomery County Educational Service Center Superintendent Shannon Cox said school leaders have been meeting by telephone each week to discuss potential plans for the next school year at length. She supports the local control aspect of the proposal because local administrators and boards know their districts and facilities best. Cox added that they will be up to the challenge to protect students.

“That’s hard to ensure that they stay six feet apart, hard to ensure that we do what’s right for every kid, so we are going to keep their safety at the foremost thought as we go forward in this process,” Cox said.

Sen. Huffman said it is important for the plan to state that the Governor or anyone else from outside the district could not change the ground rules for students returning to the classroom. That way districts would be able to plan accordingly and stick with it.

“Parents, teachers, school administrators know what to plan for. They have June, July and August to make their plans and then implement them and know they can do those and it won’t be pulled out from under them,” Huffman said.

Gov. DeWine stated earlier his goal was to have students return to the classroom in the fall and not continue on-line as they ended the 2019-2020 school year.

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