Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: local decision-making

  • With school vaccine mandates banned, lawmaker wants mask requirements outlawed, too

    With school vaccine mandates banned, lawmaker wants mask requirements outlawed, too

    State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell. (Photo from Ohio Senate website)

    By Tyler Buchanan and Ohio Capital Journal

    State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell. Photo from Ohio Senate website.

    Ohio schools will soon be barred from mandating that students be vaccinated against COVID-19. A Republican state lawmaker wants to also prohibit schools from mandating students and others wear face masks.

    State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell. (Photo from Ohio Senate website)

    Senate Bill 209, introduced by state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, is unlikely to impact school districts’ decisions for the fall, as lawmakers are on break until after most schools return to class. But the bill reflects continued attempts from those in the Ohio General Assembly to block public mitigation efforts of a virus that has killed more than 20,000 Ohioans to date.

    SB 209 would prohibit the state school board, the Ohio Department of Education or individual school districts’ boards of education from requiring anyone to wear facial coverings in a public education setting.

    K-12 schools and universities would not be able to require masks for students, teachers, staff members or visitors. Masks would not be required for in-class learning, any school athletic event or other school function.

    “An individual may choose to wear a facial covering but shall not be required to do so,” the bill states.

    Such mandates could still come from outside the education system, as SB 209 notes that health departments retain the authority to take “action to prevent the spread of a communicable or contagious disease.”

    A separate provision in SB 209 deals with mask mandates imposed by private businesses. The businesses would be able to require masks, but “shall post notice of the requirement in a conspicuous place.” The notice must “state that an exemption to the requirement exists for individuals that have a documented medical condition that contraindicates the wearing of a facial covering.”

    Brenner helped to enact the recent law barring public schools from issuing vaccine mandates — a law that does not go into effect until mid-October.

    Shortly before lawmakers recessed for the summer, Brenner added the amendment to an unrelated bill involving education for children with parents in the military.

    The Republican supermajorities, which have been critical of public mandates throughout the duration of the pandemic, swiftly approved that bill.

    Gov. Mike DeWine had pledged to veto any bill that would “discourage vaccination,” but nevertheless quietly signed it into law last week. 

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is seen at a coronavirus press conference in 2020. He had pledged to veto bills that discouraged vaccination. Photo courtesy The Ohio Channel.

    A year ago, when Ohio districts weighed a return to in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year, Brenner argued such decisions should be made at a local level, not by the state government.

    “Why would you not trust your local school boards and superintendents who know their schools districts the best, taking information from state and local health departments to be able to determine whether or not their local school districts should be open?” Brenner asked in June 2020.

    The legislature has since taken away local decision-making regarding school vaccine mandates, and under Brenner’s SB 209, the same would be true for mask requirements.

  • Late start for the school year proposal stirring up controversy

    Late start for the school year proposal stirring up controversy

    Statehouse could withhold funding for schools that start before September 3rd

    ““Bills that reduce the flexibility of that local control are cause for concern.” 

    – Loveland City School Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse

    Loveland, Ohio – School starting after September 3rd? Well I’m sure the students wouldn’t mind!

    The Ohio General Assembly Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 549 would both require the state to hold education funds if school districts started their school year before September 3rd. The bills do state that schools would be able to make the decision to start before September 3rd, without losing any state funding, only if the school board of that particular district held a public hearing 30 days before the decision would be put into action.

    Local School Openings for 2018

    Loveland: August 21

    Milford: August 15

    Little Miami: August 13

    Kings: August 15

    Sycamore: August 15

    Loveland City School Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse strongly supports the local decision-making ability of the Board of Education.

    “Bills that reduce the flexibility of that local control are cause for concern,” Crouse said when asked her opinion on the two bills, “Planning the school calendar takes into consideration many factors and the school boards need to be able to respond to changing local and state factors that might impact the student experience.”

    The majority of the School District Business Administrators as well as Ohio’s Superintendent Association oppose the bill stating that it gets in the way of the boards required “local flexibility” in meeting the educational needs of the students.

    “Some factors are ‘fixed’ that we need to consider. These include things like: Fall sports schedules, increasing student instructional time prior to testing dates for Advanced Placement courses, ACT, or state assessments, planning around holiday breaks, the number of day or hours required by the state, and the number of days in staff contracts. Some factors are locally driven like planning for weather, construction projects, or local community needs,” Crouse said.

    Read the Senate version S. B. No. 34

    State Bill 34 states that it will not make any adjustments to the state’s testing schedule or make any decisions in regards to the school’s calendars. According to Crouse, “The impact of any school start date is reflected in the number of days provided at holiday break times and in the date for the last day of school.”

    A whopping 59 percent of Ohio residents, according to a poll taken by The Ohio Travel Association, supports Ohio schools starting after September 3rd and preferably on the same day to get a sense of uniformity across the state. Ohio residents agree that the later start date would not only benefit students with summer jobs and internships, but also family vacations.

    Read the House version House Bill 549_00_IN

    One of the most interesting statistics pointed out by voters in this poll is that 71 percent claimed that teaching students in the August heat is actually more detrimental to their learning than helpful. Ohio teachers agreed with the voters adding that starting school before Labor Day would be detrimental to their learning as well because they would no longer have as much time to pursue advance degrees and added training over the summer. Unfortunately, advanced learning would also be hard for students seeking college course credits because their high school schedule would no longer align with Ohio’s University schedules.

    With all the pressure being put on the Ohio General Assembly to make a decision on this controversial matter there’s no doubt that a decision will be made sooner than later. Loveland residents can only hope that the final decision made benefits those that matter most; the students and the teachers.

    Want to contact the State House to weigh in on the pending bills?

    These are the House members representing the 45140 zip code. Click the image to contact them.

    Contact your Ohio Senator

     

     

    RP Diamond Printing & Embroidery

      RP Diamond is the exclusive retailer of LOVELAND HIGH SCHOOL SPIRIT WEAR Welcome to  RP Diamond Printing & Embroidery located at 370 Loveland Madeira Road.