As another school year comes to a close, summer provides an important opportunity for districts to review compliance obligations, finalize personnel decisions, and prepare for the upcoming school year. Below are several key statutory deadlines and operational items Ohio districts should keep on their radar this summer.
Personnel and Employment Requirements
Non-renewal of contracts (Deadline: June 1)
Ohio law requires boards of education to act on non-renewals for certain employees before June 1. This includes teachers, administrators, and non-teaching staff. If a board fails to provide proper written notice by this deadline, an employee’s contract may be automatically renewed by operation of law. Districts should ensure that due process is given to employees in this situation (to the extent required by law or collective bargaining agreement), board action is properly taken and recorded in meeting minutes, and written notices are timely delivered in accordance with statutory requirements.
Salary notices (Deadline: July 1)
Districts must issue written salary notices to employees each year by July 1. Classified staff must receive notices under R.C. 3319.082, and licensed staff under R.C. 3319.12. These notices should clearly outline salary, step placement, and/or the employee’s rate of pay, as applicable, to avoid disputes later in the year. Be sure to check applicable collective bargaining agreements for further salary notice requirements.
Employee notice of intent not to return (Deadline: July 10)
Teachers and other certain licensed professionals who intend not to return must notify the district by July 10 pursuant to R.C. 3319.15. Failure to do so may result in licensure consequences, as outlined in the Licensure Code of Professional Conduct for Ohio Educators regarding commitment to contract. Districts should track resignations carefully and follow up with employees who have expressed intent to leave but have not submitted formal notice.
Student Services and Instructional Requirements
Blended learning plans (Deadline: July 1)
Districts offering blended learning must maintain compliant plans on file with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW). State law requires that schools provide notice to the ODEW of starting or ceasing to use blended learning no later than July 1 prior to the start of the school year. Schools that operate a blended learning model must ensure that their policies address all requirements for blended learning, which include, in brief summary, instructional methods, proper student-teacher ratios, attendance tracking, student engagement, and access to technology. Summer is an ideal time to review and revise these policies and plans, based on lessons learned during the prior year.
Notices regarding technology provider contracts (Deadline: August 1)
Not later than August 1 of each school year, each school district must provide parents and students direct and timely notice, by mail, electronic mail, or other direct form of communication, of any curriculum, testing, or assessment technology provider contract affecting a student's educational records. The notice must do all of the following: 1) identify each curriculum, testing, or assessment technology provider with access to educational records; 2) identify the educational records affected by the curriculum, testing, or assessment technology provider contract; and 3) include information about the contract inspection and provide contact information for a school department to which a parent or student may direct questions or concerns regarding any program or activity that allows a curriculum, testing, or assessment technology provider access to a student's educational records. Each school district shall provide parents and students an opportunity to inspect a complete copy of any contract with a technology provider.
Kindergarten and first-grade screening (Deadlines: August 1 and November 1)
Schools are required to screen all students enrolling for the first time in kindergarten or first grade for hearing, vision, speech and communication concerns, health or medical issues, and developmental disorders that may affect learning. Districts must notify parents about the screening program before August 1 each year and complete all required screenings by November 1. If a screening identifies possible special learning needs, the district must conduct additional assessments.
Religious expression days (Deadline: Annual notice to parents)
Religious expression days allow students with sincerely held religious beliefs up to three days of absence from school for reasons of faith or religious/spiritual beliefs. Schools must allow religious expression days and districts must post their policy in a prominent location on the district’s website and annually convey the policy to parents/guardians. The policy should include a non-exhaustive list of major religious holidays/observations,
Healthcare services notices (Deadline: Beginning of each new school year)
Schools are required to notify parents of each health care service offered at, or facilitated in cooperation with, their student's school, and their option to withhold consent or decline any specified service. Also, prior to providing a health care service to a student, schools must notify a parent whether the service is required to be provided by the school district under state law and if other options for a student to access the service exist (for example, whether the student can find the same service through a private practitioner). Schools can choose to satisfy both of these requirements through a single annual notice to parents at the beginning of the school year.
Notice of right to file written concern regarding Parents’ Bill of Rights (Deadline: Check Board policy for specific notice requirement timeline)
Parents have the right to file a written concern with their child’s school regarding certain issues involving student well-being, parental notification, counseling, or instructional matters covered by the Parents’ Bill of Rights statute. Districts are required to establish a policy that requires the district to review and resolve concerns within 30 days. If a parent disagrees with the school’s response, the law provides an appeal process that may continue to the superintendent and ultimately the board of education. Under the policy, school districts must notify parents of their right to file a written concern. Many policies require annual notice at the start of the school year.
Operational and Transportation Compliance
NEW REQUIREMENT: AI policy adoption (Deadline: July 1, 2026)
Ohio school districts are now required to adopt a policy governing the use of artificial intelligence by July 1, 2026. ODEW’s model policy is available here: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/AI-in-Ohio-s-Education/Model-Policy
Calamity day plans (Deadline: August 1)
School districts must adopt an online learning plan each year to ensure continuity of instruction during temporary school closures caused by weather emergencies, disease outbreaks, utility failures, transportation issues, or other emergencies. The board of education must approve the plan by the first day of August each school year. Plans may allow schools to make up the equivalent of up to three school days through online instruction and must address attendance tracking, student participation, equitable access for students with disabilities and English learners, internet and technology access, communication procedures for families and staff, and methods for delivering instruction during closures. The plan must be approved by the teachers’ union. Online learning plans are required even if a district does not intend to use online learning during calamity days.
Non-public transportation coordination (Deadline: spring and/or summer)
Districts must meet obligations to transport or provide payment in lieu for transportation-eligible students attending non-public schools. Nonpublic and community schools must provide their start and end times for the upcoming school year by April 1. School districts must then develop and deliver transportation plans, including routes and schedules, within 60 days of receiving that information. If a school submits its schedule after April 1 but before July 1, the district must attempt to provide a transportation plan by August 1. For students who enroll in a private school after July 1, districts must create a transportation plan within 14 business days after the parent requests transportation services.
Impracticality determinations (Deadline: 30 days prior to first day of instruction)
A school district’s determination that transportation is “impractical” must be made no later than 30 days before the start of the school year. If a student enrolls in a private school within that 30-day window, the district must make the determination within 14 calendar days of the student’s enrollment. Because of these short statutory timelines, many districts authorize the superintendent to make the initial impracticality determination, subject to formal approval by the board of education at its next scheduled meeting.
High school and two-mile transportation (Deadline: First day of school year)
Schools are required to provide transportation for resident nonpublic and community school students who live more than two miles from their school, as long as the school meets state standards and is within a 30-minute one-way travel time from the student’s assigned public school. Districts are not required to provide transportation for students living less than two miles away (unless they provide transportation to their own students living within that radius) or for schools outside the 30-minute travel limit. However, if a district chooses to provide transportation beyond those minimum requirements, it generally cannot discontinue that optional transportation after the first day of the school year.
Final Considerations
Summer is often the best time for districts to address compliance items before the start of the school year. Reviewing deadlines, updating policies, and coordinating with administrative staff now can help avoid issues later in the year.