Ohio private school voucher program

If the applicant was convicted or plead guilty to certain crimes listed, the school cannot employ the individual. The cost of the criminal records check is borne by the school, but may be passed on to the applicant if notified beforehand.

Chartered nonpublic schools must comply with written requests for student records from entities investigating complaints of child abuse and neglect unless the school determines they are prohibited by law and files a motion with the court. If known, chartered nonpublic schools will be notified by the prosecuting attorney if an employed, licensed teacher is convicted or pleads guilty to certain criminal violations. Nonpublic school teachers, principals and administrators may use reasonable corporal punishment whenever such punishment is reasonably necessary to preserve discipline, subject to the school's own policies.

Transportation Students in grades k through eight, who are enrolled in and attend nonpublic schools may be eligible for transportation from their public school district of residence, providing the distance to travel between the public school to which the student was assigned and the nonpublic school is within 30 minutes travel time by school bus, on a school day and during the hours a school bus would normally operate.

School boards may provide students in grades nine through 12 transportation to and from nonpublic schools, but only if transportation is provided for students attending the public high school s.

The boards must provide transportation as requested for students with disabilities in accordance with standards adopted by the State Board of Education. Transportation is conditioned on the school's nondiscrimination in the selection of pupils, faculty members, and employees based on race, color, religion or national origin.

Transportation for students attending sectarian schools does not violate the Ohio constitutional provision prohibiting religious control over state school funds. Honohan v. Holt , NE2d School districts may lease buses to nonpublic schools located within the district for school-related activities that would be approved to be offered by a public school. The cost must not exceed the costs of operating the buses.

Textbooks State allocations paid to local school districts for chartered nonpublic schools may be used for loaning textbooks or electronic textbooks to pupils attending nonpublic schools within the district or to their parents upon the request of nonpublic school pupils or parents. Requests must be submitted to the school district in which the nonpublic school is located. Testing Chartered nonpublic schools may participate in the administration of the Ohio achievement tests if the chief administrator submits a written request to the superintendent of public instruction prior to Aug.

Ohio's grade three to eight achievement tests currently are in reading, mathematics, science, social studies and English language arts and aligned to Ohio's academic content standards.

These assessments measure students on what they know and are able to do in mathematics, reading, science, social studies and writing, and have replaced the previously used Ohio's proficiency tests. Students attending chartered nonpublic schools must pass all five parts of the Ohio graduation tests OGTs in order to receive high school diplomas. These tests replace the Ohio ninth-grade proficiency tests, which were aligned to learning outcomes. The OGT are aligned to Ohio's academic content standards, which were adopted by the State Board of Education in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

These standards have been carefully designed to ensure that students are armed with the knowledge they need to be successful in their pursuit of higher education as well as jobs and careers. State allocations paid to local school districts for chartered nonpublic schools may be used for supplying pupils attending nonpublic schools within the district such standardized tests and scoring services as are in use in Ohio's public schools.

Special Education The Ohio DOE will consult with chartered nonpublic schools regarding the provision of sign language interpreters for the instruction of hearing-impaired children. Nursing and Health State allocations paid to local school districts for chartered nonpublic schools may be used for 1 speech and hearing diagnostic services; 2 physician, nursing, dental, and optometric services; 3 diagnostic psychological services; 4 therapeutic psychological and speech and hearing services; and 5 guidance and counseling services.

No school district shall provide health or remedial services to nonpublic school pupils unless the same services are available to pupils attending the public schools within the district. Nonprofit private schools eligible to participate in food service programs should apply to the State Board of Education for assistance. Technology State allocations paid to local school districts for chartered nonpublic schools may be used to purchase or lease secular, neutral, and nonideological computer software including site-licensing , digital video on demand, wide area connectivity and related technology as it relates to Internet access, mathematics or science equipment and materials generally used in the public schools.

Professional Development There is no state policy at this time. Reimbursement for Performing State and Local Functions The superintendent of public instruction is required to annually reimburse each chartered nonpublic school the actual cost for mandated administrative and clerical costs incurred by that school during the preceding school year "in preparing, maintaining, and filing reports, forms, and records, and in providing such other administrative and clerical services that are not an integral part of the teaching process as may be required by state law or rule or by requirements duly promulgated by city, exempted village or local school districts.

Tax Exemption The sale of food to students in a cafeteria maintained in a private or parochial school is exempt from sales tax. Public Aid for Private Education Constitutional Provisions: According to the Ohio Constitution, a religious sect may not control any part of the state's school funds.

Ohio Constitution Art. VI, Sec. The EdChoice voucher program provides taxpayer-funded vouchers to students who want to go to a private school instead of their community's public school. Attorney Mark Wallach, who's representing the districts and plaintiffs in court, said the lawsuit argues Ohio's expanded EdChoice voucher program for private schools is unconstitutional because it goes against the section of the state constitution that said Ohio must "secure a thorough and efficient system of common schools throughout the state.

Greg Lawson with The Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank, opposes the lawsuit, saying there should be a market available to families when it comes to which school they want to go to.

He notes the U. Supreme Court ruled 20 years ago in favor of the voucher program specifically tailored to Cleveland schools.

Lawson makes the argument that several pro-voucher groups also stated after news of the lawsuit started to spread, that the EdChoice program is about school choice and removing barriers to access for families who want their kids to go to private school but can't afford it. And this is about adults fighting over control and resources, not about what children and families want," says Husted.

But the voucher program was rolled into the larger budget bill in and only received two Democratic votes. Since the creation of EdChoice, the program has grown from 14, vouchers to more than 50, voucher participants and no longer has a cap to how many students can receive a voucher. The voucher program faces a legal challenge by public school leaders who say most families using the taxpayer vouchers to go to private school never intended to enroll in a public school.

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