We at OSBA get a lot of questions about board vacancies. This topic is tricky because often board vacancies happen unexpectedly or under less-than-ideal circumstances, and the timing requirements under RC 3313.11 can be awkward. The first step is to recognize when a vacancy occurs, so that the board can ensure that it acts within the applicable timelines. Board vacancies occur when a member resigns, moves out of the district, is removed from office, passes away or otherwise becomes ineligible to hold the office. For ..read more

The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a ..read more

In this week’s Legal Ledger Sidebar, Jennie and John talk about some of the key aspects of the newly released  Title IX regulations. More information about the new regulations ..read more

Under Ohio’s Open Meetings Act, boards and other public bodies are permitted to enter executive session to discuss specific topics spelled out in the law. In essence, executive session is a built-in exception to the general requirement that public bodies conduct their deliberations in public. This provision recognizes that the nature of certain topics makes privacy and discretion in deliberations paramount ..read more

On April 15, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC ..read more

In today’s Legal Ledger Sidebar, Sara Clark and John Price discuss committees and subcommittees, which is a topic that comes up frequently for our members. Specifically, they discuss when committees are required to comply with the Open Meetings Act and what that means ..read more

Posted by Sara C. Clark on A board member’s access to student records may be limited under federal law. The Family Educational Rights and ..read more

The last budget bill, House Bill 33, made significant changes to public education in Ohio. Over the last few months, OSBA’s legal division has been sharing information and resources developed by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to implement those changes. One of those resources, a ..read more

In the most recent OSBA Legal Ledger Sidebar, Sara Clark and Jennifer Hardin discuss voting at school board meetings, including quorum, specific requirements for votes, method of voting and executive sessions ..read more

As we approach the March 19 primary election, we’ve started receiving more calls on the legal hotline about the ability of board members and district employees to engage in political activities ..read more