Gadfly Bites 5/22/26—“It’s on the schools”

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1. A recent Fordham Institute report and a previous interview with our Chad Aldis—on the topic of science of reading implementation in Ohio—were briefly discussed between host and guest during an episode of the All Sides program, a public affairs talk show on public radio here in Columbus, earlier this week. I supposed it’s better to be talked about than to be ignored entirely. But you guys can always call us to ask if we’re available to talk to. Anytime. (WOSU-FM, Columbus, 5/20/26)
   
   

2. Now let’s talk about our one bright spot…before things quickly go south in today’s clips. Kudos to Aurora High School senior Ari Bernat, who collected his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University this week—earned while simultaneously completing his high school work, competing in sports, and holding down a job—thanks to Ohio’s College Credit Plus program. “It got busy, but I always managed to make it work,” he said. “There were a lot of late nights, writing essays, studying, taking tests, but in the end, it all turned out perfectly fine.” Well said, sir. Bernat also expressed surprise that more of his fellow teens didn’t seem to know about CCP. “What I’ve seen, especially in my high school, is most of the kids attending don’t even know this program exists and that they could essentially go to college for free. And I hope the governor does what he can, but,” he concluded, “it’s also on the schools.” (Fox 8 News, Cleveland, 5/22/26)
   
   

3. Meanwhile, a senior at Minford High School in southern Ohio says she ended up losing the college classes she had been attending as well as $1,000 her family had to fork over to get her high school diploma after the weirdest quirk of bureaucracy caused her to leave school early, prior to graduation. What’s the issue? Backpacks, which are for some reason banned districtwide down there (don’t do an internet search for the reason; the results will not make you any wiser and will serve to make you sad for different reasons). Iliana Holbrook has a genetic condition that makes it hard for her to carry books and things without a backpack, she says, and when the district wouldn’t give her a break from the zero-tolerance ban, a stalemate ensued that was only broken when she left school five months short of the end of her senior year. (NBC4 News, Columbus, 5/21/26) Elsewhere in Ohio, East Knox High School senior Alex Anderson has been denied participation in his class’s graduation ceremony because he missed rehearsal, which school leaders say was capital-M Mandatory. Alex describes the car trouble he experienced while on the way to rehearsal, but it seems the bureaucracy there has a zero-tolerance policy for their rules as well. At least this one is a bit more familiar to me than the no-backpacks thing. My brother got snagged by a rehearsal edict at our podunk high school during his senior year back in 1981…after years of finding himself on the wrong side of various rules that teachers and principals regularly enforced on him. Just sayin’ reminiscin’. (10TV News, Columbus, 5/20/26)
   
   

4. All 7 of my long-term, long-anguishing Gadfly Bites subscribers know that I have little tolerance for what I call the “dead kids” argument when it comes to education policies and actions. That is: “You can’t do X because KiDs wILL bE IrRePARabLy HarMeD!!!” Generally, it’s because the grievous harm arguments are exaggerated extrapolations of worst-case scenarios with only the meagerest bearing in reality—the shouting of which draws attention and unquestioning pity—but the debunking of which takes calm explanation, data, and nuance. And only one of those sides generally gets covered in the media. And I find it even more maddening in this case: Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s long-overdue closure and consolidation plan. Not only because the shouter’s portents of harm and possible child death from closing half-empty buildings and bringing groups of kids together in a single space dissolve with even the most cursory application of logic (not to mention the egregious stereotyping involved), but also because CMSD has demonstrably done a ton of work to plan, communicate, and work with impacted families to make sure that the best outcomes are realized for everyone involved. District officials in Cleveland deserve praise for their efforts so far and wholehearted support going forward, not unhelpful, baseless fearmongering at the 11th hour. (Spectrum News, 5/20/26)
   
   

5. Arguments in the voucher groucher lawsuit are going to get an interesting public airing outside the courtroom next week, it seems, when the elected board of Mentor Exempted Village Schools welcomes high-caliber speakers from both sides into their chamber. Some elected board members are in favor of joining the coalition of districts funding the legal fight while others are opposed. Before they vote, they have opted to hear pitches from both the pro- and anti-voucher spokespeople. Should be a hoot, don’t you think? (Cleveland.com, 5/21/26)

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