Latest news with #Neola
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Randolph County Board of Education says teachers can't discuss how life began
ELKINS, (WBOY) — The Randolph County Board of Education met Tuesday night, where it voted through several changes to its policy. Superintendent Shawn Dilly said that a majority of the changes were simply to update the code and make it compliant with West Virginia law, but one change in particular stood out. One of the changes amended Section 16 of the county's Policy Manual, specifically the section that mentions controversial issues. Under the highlighted changes to the policy, which were written by independent policy service provider Neola, was one that said: 'The Board, Superintendent, or principal may prohibit a public school classroom teacher from responding to student inquiries or answering questions from students about scientific theories of how the universe and/or life came to exist.' Transgender athlete qualifies for West Virginia State Track Meet At the bottom of that document, the policy cites Section §18-5-41a of the West Virginia Code as the reason behind the change. The code also outlines how teachers should handle the discussion of certain scientific theories and stems from Senate Bill 280 in 2024, which was passed into law. However, that bill and the code it created state the exact opposite of what Randolph County's new policy does, saying: 'No public school board, school superintendent, or school principal may prohibit a public school classroom teacher from responding to student inquiries or answering questions from students about scientific theories of how the universe and/or life came to exist.' Other changes put through Tuesday night included ones that outlined proper teacher-student ratios in classrooms, suicide prevention, self-harm and eating disorder prevention and a plan for if a student goes into cardiac arrest. 12 News has reached out to Superintendent Shawn Dilly about this issue and will update this story when we hear back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Attorney says policies restricting LifeWise, like those in Columbus schools, could violate First Amendment
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – LifeWise Academy's attorneys are challenging religious release time policy recommendations, warning they could lead to lawsuits for school districts like Columbus City Schools. First Liberty Institute is representing biblical education provider LifeWise in its fight against Neola, the North East Ohio Learning Associates. Neola, an educational policy consultant group, received a letter Wednesday from First Liberty that alleged its sample religious release time policies violate the First Amendment. The letter warned school districts that implement Neola's policies could face litigation. Is 3rd time a charm? Marysville schools puts levy on ballot 'What Neola is doing, and other school districts seem to want to do, is throwing a bunch of tacks in the road for parents to be able to access released time education, and that they cannot do,' Jeremy Dys, First Liberty's senior counsel, said. Neola provides sample policies and advice to more than 500 Ohio schools, including many in central Ohio. Senior adviser Patrick Corbett said Neola did not require any districts to implement any policy. He said Neola simply offers a variety of suggestions and told clients to be prepared to defend their choices if they choose a more involved RTRI policy. Neola has offered guidance on religious release, or short-term absences for religious instruction during the school day, since 2016, but the need for policy guidance recently intensified in Ohio. As of April 9, all public schools are required to implement policies permitting religious release time instruction. Ohio law requires districts to collaborate with providers to schedule release time, but otherwise leaves district policy obligations fairly open-ended. The law allows districts to require background checks for instructors and volunteers and says boards of education shall determine how those checks are conducted. 'Corporate greed': Moreno sends scathing letter to CEOs over Chillicothe paper mill closure Dys said there is nothing in Ohio law permitting school districts to take liberties with their policies. However, there is also nothing prohibiting them from doing so. 'Whether it is materials being sent home through release time education or other levels of bureaucracy that are not mandated under this statute, school districts are taking an inch of authority and turn it into a mile of power to prevent release time education from going forward at all,' Dys said. LifeWise voiced concerns with three facets of Neola's sample policy, which have already been implemented in districts like Columbus, Upper Arlington and Worthington schools. In turn, Neola alleged LifeWise's legal challenge failed to meet legal requirements. 'My sense from the latest volley of correspondences is that providers want to tell districts what to do, which is not collaboration,' Corbett said. LifeWise alleges policies that ban groups from distributing trinkets, candy or other materials violate the First Amendment by not extending the same restrictions to other groups. Corbett said Neola did not force any schools to implement that restriction but said districts have a right to set policies. New tenants coming soon to Easton, including Princess Polly, burger restaurant On April 10, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost acknowledged districts have freedom to dictate their policies but cautioned against inhibiting any religious group's operations. Yost said banning distribution of materials prevents programs from sending literature, lesson books or Bibles home with students, which could violate the First Amendment if these restrictions are not mirrored for secular organizations. 'We did not suggest — and I don't believe districts are — imposing any restrictions on what organizations do within the confines of their programs off campus,' Corbett said. Critics of LifeWise have claimed sending candy or toys back with students can be distracting and makes nonparticipating kids feel left out. Dys placed the responsibility to limit distractions back on teachers. 'This would be second nature to teachers and administrators across the state of Ohio,' Dys said. 'They don't need to resort to censoring otherwise protected First Amendment activity, and that's precisely what Neola has recommended that school districts do.' Ohio's biggest school district, Neola client Columbus City Schools, implemented a policy banning these handouts in March. At the time, LifeWise CEO and Founder Joel Penton said the requirements would not change parents' reasons for sending students to LifeWise. Ohio has few laws dictating what religious organizations can and cannot do. Generally, case law says districts cannot make rules that only apply to religious expression. Under those interpretations, districts could only make rules for groups if they also apply to other groups that take students out of the school day with parent permission. Ohio calls out weight-loss drug false advertising LifeWise also voiced concerns about Neola's background check policies, which said a district could refuse to release students to an organization that does not complete a 'satisfactory' background check. Dys said the word 'satisfactory' is too subjective and could allow districts to use the term to stop RTRI participation entirely. Corbett said they included those provisions because the law specifically allowed them to require background checks. He said they based the language off what Neola uses for its employees. LifeWise proposed replacement policies requiring annual confirmation that it has completed criminal background checks and no workers have criminal convictions that would result in a teacher losing their license. LifeWise already completes background checks for all of its volunteers and instructors. However, parents voiced concerns about these background checks last July when NBC4 revealed a LifeWise director had been fired from an Ohio school and surrendered her license after allegedly sexting a minor student. Ohio law prohibits students from leaving during a core curriculum subject course, but districts have some freedom to determine what qualifies. One Neola policy suggestion reads, 'The Board deems all graded courses to be core curriculum.' This could leave lunch or recess in theory, but Dys said it could also be used to stop organizations from operating altogether. Chocolate lovers may see sticker shock due to Trump's tariff tactics Dys said districts with policies like these on the books should consider the letter to Neola as a 'warning.' 'They have an opportunity to correct that behavior and open up into the avenues to release time education that the legislature clearly mandated,' Dys said. 'If they choose to do otherwise, then that liability remains.' First Liberty requested a response from Neola within 30 days, including a list of all districts that have adopted Neola's policy or received advice from Neola on their policies. Corbett said he did not think such a list existed. NBC4 reached out to LifeWise, Worthington schools and Columbus for comment but did not receive responses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
How schools are responding as Ohio's "bathroom bill" becomes law
Ohio is entering "complicated and unsettled" legal territory, policy experts say, as a new law takes effect Tuesday banning transgender students from bathrooms matching their gender identity. Why it matters: The controversial law once again puts schools in the middle of an ongoing culture war impacting transgender students' rights. The big picture: The law impacts K-12 schools and colleges, both public and private. K-12 leaders are "torn" and "looking for all kinds of advice," Patrick Corbett, senior adviser with Ohio-based school policy consulting firm Neola, tells Axios. One visible change: Some schools are replacing "all-gender" restroom signs with signs like "single-occupancy" or "family." The Ohio Legislative Service Commission estimates replacements will cost $30-100 per sign. If each of Ohio's over 3,500 public school buildings replaced just one apiece, that could total up to $350,000. Upper Arlington just spent $2,150 updating signs based on legal advice, a district spokesperson told Axios. But even signage can get complicated — a visiting girls sports team using a locker room labeled for boys would technically be illegal now, if its sign isn't swapped, Corbett notes. Zoom in: Local school boards, such as Columbus, have also been repealing or changing policies referencing transgender students. Districts have never been required to enact such policies and the new law doesn't change that. But policies that do exist must follow the law. Between the lines: The law doesn't specify any enforcement mechanisms or penalties, though Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has threatened"legal action" if districts don't comply. It appears to contradict "state and federal court decisions in Ohio and beyond that hold transgender students have a right to use the facilities that correspond to their gender identity," notes a Neola advisory. A case near Dayton is still pending. Friction point: The law says students can use their "official birth record … issued at or near the time of the individual's birth" to "prove biological sex," but doesn't say who would be responsible for questioning it. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce directed Axios to a document that encourages school officials to consult with their legal counsel for further guidance. The document states concerns about potential violations can be reported to the State Board of Education's Office for Professional Conduct. What we're watching: Neola's advisory says it's "reasonable to assume the law will be challenged in court" and "lawsuits may be filed against school districts by parties on both sides." The bottom line: "Our clients all have the same questions: 'What happens if we follow the law?' You can get sued. 'What happens if we don't?' Well, you can get sued," Corbett says. What's happening in higher ed Central Ohio colleges and universities report few compliance issues with the new law, Axios reporting finds. By the numbers: There are more than 200,000 transgender college students across the country, according to Williams Institute research. State of play: We reached out to 13 Central Ohio colleges and universities to learn how they would comply with the law. Each that responded told us they were either already in compliance or are working toward compliance with signage changes. What they're saying: An Ohio State spokesperson says the school would follow the law and is "committed to a welcoming environment for all members of our community." Spokespeople from Central Ohio Technical College, Columbus State Community College, OSU Newark and Otterbein University told us their schools were also already in compliance. Capital University and Kenyon College are working to update signage to reach compliance. Students at the two schools will be allowed to explore other housing options if the law makes them uncomfortable in their current housing, spokespeople said. In addition, schools like COTC, Kenyon and Ohio State are directing students in need to counseling services offered by student life. Representatives from Columbus College of Art and Design, Franklin University, Hondros College of Nursing, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Ohio Christian and Ohio Wesleyan did not reply. Zoom out: Outside of Central Ohio, some universities have experienced pushback. New "Biological men" and "Biological women" signs at University of Cincinnati bathrooms were torn down or covered with notes. Students and faculty at Antioch College and Oberlin College have objected to the schools' compliance.
