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- All the bad news on chronic student absenteeism recently has gotten the attention of Governor Mike DeWine and Department of Education and Workforce Director Steve Dackin. Yesterday, they announced a statewide goal to cut chronic absenteeism at Ohio schools in half over the next five years. There are no specific actions enumerated to meet that goal just yet, but Gongwer quotes a media statement from our own Aaron Churchill on the topic, where he suggests state officials need to “reestablish a clear expectation of daily attendance” and work with parents to improve attendance. (Gongwer Ohio, 10/3/24)
- Of course, transportation plays a huge part in school attendance. And that is still an issue here in Columbus (and elsewhere), many weeks after the district was sued over denial of bus service to a swathe of charter, private, and STEM school students. Yesterday, Columbus City Schools announced that it will transport 120 of these students whose “impractical to transport” designation is under mediation. Their service will finally start up (two months after the start of the school year) on Monday. However, district officials warn that adding these kids to routes will definitely cause problems for other students already on those routes. Translation: If your bus is late, it’s because of these school-choice students. Charming. (Columbus Dispatch, 10/3/24)
- Add to the list of concerns for many Columbus City Schools parents: A lack of quality education and classroom safety for their children with special needs who attend school in the district. You can check out their ongoing concerns and worrisome stories—as well as the district’s less-than-helpful (YMMV) response—in this piece. (ABC6 News, Columbus, 10/3/24)
- In the story above, one parent threatens to take her child out of Columbus City Schools if their special education services don’t improve ASAP. It gladdens my heart to know that this is an ultimatum with real teeth: Mom has several other educational choices to consider because she lives in Ohio. These include the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship and the Ohio Autism Scholarship—private education voucher programs especially geared to help her son get what he needs. She probably doesn’t know it—so quiet was the announcement—but the trial that threatens to end all voucher programs in Ohio has been postponed from November 4, 2024 to an unspecified date in 2025. Which is good news for everyone. (Gongwer Ohio, 10/2/24)
- Still swirling around—and getting nastier—the story of problematic potty policies in Columbus City Schools’ high schools. According to students and parents at Whetstone High School, the district responded to the initial report with some not-very-subtle “don’t be a narc” language directed at school families who originally aired their concerns to the press. Not to be outdone, students and parents at other district schools were emboldened to tell their own stories, some of which sound even crappier than the originals. Call me a toileting traditionalist, but in my estimation, by the time you get to “security guard escorts” and students with UTIs, you’ve already lost control of the narrative and the only correct response is “Our bad; we’ll fix that right away.” But what do I know? (NBC4 News, Columbus, 10/3/24)
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