Overview:
This briefing document summarizes Ohio House Bill No. 43 (H.B. No. 43), introduced in the 136th General Assembly. The bill proposes to waive certain state requirements regarding minimum instructional hours for Ashtabula Lakeside High School for the 2024-2025 school year. This waiver is specifically due to the school building being unusable as a result of winter weather that led to a gubernatorial state of emergency. The bill outlines two key provisions related to this waiver.
Main Themes and Important Ideas/Facts:
- Reason for the Bill: The primary impetus for H.B. No. 43 is the unusability of the Ashtabula Lakeside High School building during the 2024-2025 school year. This unusability is directly attributed to winter weather that resulted in the Governor declaring a state of emergency.
- Quote: “Due to the Ashtabula Lakeside High School building being unusable as a result of winter weather for which the Governor declared a state of emergency…” (Page 1, Lines 5-7)
- Waiver for Twelfth Grade Students: The bill proposes a waiver of the minimum required instructional hours for twelfth-grade students at Ashtabula Lakeside High School under specific conditions.
- Condition: The waiver is contingent upon an application from the Ashtabula City School District and approval by the Department of Education and Workforce.
- Scope: The waiver applies to the requirement for twelfth-grade students to “complete the minimum hours of course instruction required to earn the units required for high school graduation under section 3313.603 of the Revised Code” (Page 1, Lines 10-14).
- Limitation: The waiver is applicable only if the student did not complete the required units “as a result of the building being unusable” (Page 1, Lines 14-15). This suggests a direct link between the building closure and the student’s inability to complete the necessary coursework within the standard hour requirements.
- Quote: “Upon application from the Ashtabula City School District and approval by the Department, waive the requirement for a twelfth grade student who attended that school building to complete the minimum hours of course instruction required to earn the units required for high school graduation under section 3313.603 of the Revised Code if the student did not complete the units as a result of the building being unusable;” (Page 1, Lines 9-15)
- Waiver of Minimum School Building Operation Hours: The bill also addresses the requirement for the minimum number of hours the school building must be open for instruction with students in attendance.
- Reference: This requirement is specified under section 3313.48 of the Revised Code.
- Purpose of Waiver: The waiver is specifically “for the purposes of the school district’s eligibility to receive state funds under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code” (Page 2, Lines 18-20). This indicates that the inability to meet the standard operating hour requirements due to the building being unusable would not jeopardize the school district’s state funding.
- Quote: “Waive the required minimum number of hours the school building must be open for instruction with students in attendance under section 3313.48 of the Revised Code for the purposes of the school district’s eligibility to receive state funds under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code.” (Page 1, Line 16 – Page 2, Line 20)
- Specific School Year: It is important to note that these waivers are specifically for the 2024-2025 school year. This suggests that the legislature intends this to be a temporary measure directly addressing the impact of the winter weather event.
- Quote: “…for the 2024-2025 school year:” (Page 1, Line 8)
Conclusion:
Ohio House Bill No. 43 is a targeted piece of legislation designed to provide relief to Ashtabula Lakeside High School and its twelfth-grade students due to the unforeseen circumstance of the school building becoming unusable as a result of severe winter weather. The bill seeks to ensure that graduating seniors are not unduly penalized for instructional time lost due to this emergency and that the Ashtabula City School District’s state funding eligibility is not negatively impacted by its inability to meet standard school building operation hour requirements. The proposed waivers are contingent on application and approval by the Department of Education and Workforce and are specific to the 2024-2025 school year.