State legislation, rescinding of COVID restrictions on NwOESC meeting | Local Education

On Tuesday evening, Brian Baker, liaison to the Ohio General Assembly, shared that Gov. Mike DeWine had signed into law SB 9. The bill requires the Ohio Department of Education 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.

Baker also reported that DeWine signed into law SB 11, a bill that makes changes to paid leave for Juneteenth. It requires school districts to grant regular nonteaching school employees who are employed on an 11-12 month basis paid leave and removes the requirement that school districts grant paid leave to regular nonteaching school employees who are employed on a 9-10 month basis.

The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee held a second hearing on HB 583, which would require the State Board of Education to issue a temporary short-term substitute teaching license to an approved applicant who will teach five or fewer consecutive days in the same classroom. The bill also would require the state board to issue a temporary substitute teaching license to an approved applicant who will teach six or more consecutive days in the same classroom, if certain requirements are met, and allow a student teacher to work as a substitute teacher for up to five days.

Superintendent Kerri Weir shared that the North Central district superintendent search has concluded with the selection of Michael Bute to lead the district effective Aug. 1. The Wauseon treasurer posting closed recently and a meeting with the board is scheduled to review the applicants.

Weir also said that Four County Career Center will be utilizing NwOESC to assist in the coordination of the superintendent search coming up soon as Tim Meister will be retiring effective Jan. 1, 2023.

As of March 10, said Weir, the director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) officially took action to rescind the Sept. 3, 2020, director’s order requiring reporting and notification regarding COVID-19 cases in K-12 schools. As a result, schools now only must report positive results for tests performed by the school.

Schools are no longer required to maintain a COVID reporting system for parents to report positive COVID-19 cases; have a designated district coordinator; notify parents of positive cases among staff, students, or coaches; or report positive cases to the local health department, unless the school tests the student and the result is positive.

Although the reporting standards have been rescinded, reported Weir, the quarantine and isolation measures set forth in the “mask to stay, test to play” protocols remain in effect. Additional reporting requirements remain in effect for preschool.

In other news, the board:

• accepted a donation of $250 from Liberty Center United Methodist Church for the Summer Honors Academy snacks.

• approved annual service agreements with the following districts for the 2022-23 school year: Holgate Local Schools; Patrick Henry Local Schools; and Wauseon Exempted Village Schools.

• accepted retirements of Sherry Renner, paraprofessional, effective July 31; and Deborah Wittenmyer, intervention specialist, effective May 31.

• accepted resignation of Nichole Hussey, paraprofessional, effective March 4.