Week in Review – 05/29/2020

Week in Review > Week in Review – 05/29/2020

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on May 29th, 2020

CORONAVIRUS

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday, May 22 that the following orders had been signed by Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton:
– Director’s Order that Reopens Gyms, Dance Instruction Studios, and Other Personal Fitness Venues, with Exceptions
– Director’s Order that Provides Guidance for Baseball, Softball, Batting Cages, Golf Courses, Miniature Golf, Local and Public Pools and Aquatic Centers, Tennis Facilities, Skills Training for All Sports, and General Non-Contact Sports including Bowling Alleys, with Exceptions.
– Director’s Third Amended Order re: the closure of all K-12 Schools in State of Ohio. (Amendment allows facility use for day camps and activities described in the “Director’s Order that Provides Guidance for Baseball, Softball,….”)

EDUCATION

Presenters at a webinar focused on the future of education amid the coronavirus said the pandemic did not create institutional problems in education but did exacerbate them and that more federal aid will most likely be needed to get K-12 schools and colleges and universities back on their feet. The Center for Community Solutions hosted the event Friday which featured panelists Melissa Cropper of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) and Ohio AFL-CIO, who presented on K-12 schools, and Sara Kilpatrick of the Ohio Conference of American Association of University Professors (AAUP), who presented on colleges and universities.

Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) has followed up on his bid to find ways to convene high school graduation ceremonies with a list of suggested methods gathered from educators and health officials.

The court-appointed attorney minding assets of the defunct Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) withdrew his proposal to spend down most of the former online charter school’s remaining cash on technology costs and unemployment compensation debt, following the objection of the school’s former treasurer. Meanwhile, in separate litigation by the state against ECOT founder William Lager, Attorney General Dave Yost filed an objection to Lager’s bid to delay the case schedule in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

The House voted by comfortable margins to extend liability protection to businesses and health care providers amid the pandemic, scale back testing required for high school students and allow Ohioans to place bets on sports as part of a lengthy calendar Thursday.

Bills passed include COVID-19 immunity measure HB606 (Grendell); sports gambling measure HB194 (Greenspan-Kelly); and academic testing reduction measure HB239 (Manning-Crawley).