On July 1, 2023, the Ohio House and Senate approved a new 2-year state budget, which was signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on July 5, 2023. Here are the most important provisions impacting education for Ohio parents and students: PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS (aka EdChoice Scholarship): All Ohio school children will be eligible…
Category: Special Education
2023 Ohio Summer Camp List
Summer camp is a longstanding tradition that provides a unique opportunity for children to embark on exciting adventures, make lasting memories, and develop crucial life skills. Summer camp serves as a chance for children to step outside their comfort zones and discover their independence. These unique experiences provided by summer camps build resilience and prepare…
What Can You do to Get the Most Out of Your Child’s IEP Meeting?
There is no denying that IEP meetings can be overwhelming and oftentimes, you go into them unprepared and leave feeling exhausted. However, this does not have to be the case. Below, I will list some tips that will help you get the most out of your child’s IEP meeting and ensure that you are able…
Making the Most of Progress Reports for Special Education Students & Families
It’s that time of year again…the end of the grading period. As many of us know, having lived through it, students receive report cards with their grades at the end of each marking period (typically at the end of each quarter of the school year). At the same time, special education students will be receiving…
HELP! I need to call a lawyer.
5 Things You Need to Know Before Contacting an Attorney Understand Your Deadlines & Call as Soon as You Have Them If you only need to respond with your intent to appeal, do so as soon as possible to start the process. For K12 items, this can generally be done via email to your child’s…
ESY (Extended School Year) Services Denied by School?
What do you do when the school district denies your child with a disability extended school year (ESY) services?
Relief Has Been Denied in Most Anti-Masking Lawsuits Against Schools
Mark Weiker, Esq., Albeit Weiker, LLP Over the last two years, Ohio school boards have become a lightning rod for citizens to unload their personal and political thoughts on almost everything pandemic related. From virtual learning to masking to quarantining, school boards have absorbed the diverse and sometimes raucous opinions of their constituents. Outcomes in…
Homework Helper: Reading and Math Tips
The new school year is upon us and kids are going back to in-person learning. That means that your children will have homework to tackle when they get home. Here are some easy ideas to make homework time less stressful for you and your kids. General Tips Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit…
Public schools with “mask optional” policies risk losing immunity.
A. The Choice Boards of education in Ohio have been placed in a tough position to start the school year. Boards have been forced to choose whether to require masks for their students and employees. Schools were placed in this position because the state legislature effectively removed the power of the Governor and the…
Compensatory Education & Recovery Services
Compensatory Education & Recovery Services: COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS FOR STUDENTS ON IEPs & 504 Plans On March 12, 2020, Governor DeWine ordered all of Ohio’s public, community and private K-12 school buildings to be closed due to the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. If a school district closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and did not…
Updates on State Testing for Spring 2021: Ohio School Law
Does my child have to participate in spring testing? We can all agree that 2020 was a year like we have never experienced before. The educational institutions tried their best to accommodate the changing situation and help support students the best that they could. One of those ways was to forgo the traditional state testing…
Top 5: What parents NEED to talk about at the next IEP meeting!
AS THE SCHOOL YEAR MOVES ALONG AND “IEP SEASON” DRAWS NEAR, HERE ARE THE TOP 5 THINGS TO DISCUSS AT YOUR NEXT IEP MEETING (and yes, this blog was written in the wake of the COVID19 shutdown!)