Civil Immunity for Schools, Businesses, and Healthcare Providers Related to Coronavirus
Ohio House Bill 606 (“HB 606”) provides civil immunity to schools, businesses, and healthcare providers that unknowingly spread coronavirus. HB 606 specifies that the definition of person “includes a school, a for-profit or nonprofit entity, a governmental entity, a religious entity, or a state institution of higher education.”
To Evaluate or Not: Navigating Immediate and Future Implications of H.B. 197’s Provisions Regarding Teacher/Administrator Evaluations
One important issue school districts should consider is how to address and, if possible, complete teacher and administrator evaluations for the 2019-2020 school year. House Bill 197, signed by Governor DeWine on March 27, 2020, provides some guidance. More specific information was released by the Ohio Department of Education (“ODE”) on March 30, 2020.
COVID-19 Education Alert
On March 12, 2020, Governor DeWine ordered all K-12 schools to close for three weeks beginning at the close of school on Monday, March 16, 2020. Within the next couple of days, the Ohio Department of Education (“ODE”) will be sending further guidance to schools on how to handle the school closure issue.
Open Meeting Act Guidance from Attorney General Dave Yost
On March 13, 2020, the Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost, provided the attached guidance regarding Ohio’s Open Meeting Act in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.