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Number of expulsions from school fighting grows in Ohio schools
The number of expulsions due to fighting in Ohio public schools nearly doubled in five years.
• The increase: Statewide, schools reported 821 expulsions due to fighting during the 2018-2019 school year, but by the 2023-2024 school year, that number hit 1,359, a nearly 66% increase.
• Situation locally: Dayton, Centerville, Kettering, Northmont, Troy and Middletown are among the districts that ODEW reported an increase in out-of-school suspensions for fighting between 2018 to 2024.
• Changing rules: In November, the Dayton Public Schools Board of Education created a district policy on how teachers should be dealing with students physically in a fight, after three teachers were up for termination for allegedly using excessive force on students.
• Statewide guidance: Kathy McFarland, executive director of the Ohio School Board Association, said the organization does not provide a sample policy on fighting, though she said it was smart for districts to have one.
Hemp, property tax, school bus safety: Will Ohio lawmakers enact reforms in 2025?
The Ohio legislature passed some 30 bills in its final lame duck session, but even a December flurry of legislation wasn’t enough to cover all of the state’s priorities.
• Governor’s priority: Gov. Mike DeWine has made a public request for the legislature to either fully ban or age-restrict the sales of intoxicating hemp products. Despite being a priority of both the Ohio House and Senate, over a year of negotiation between the two chambers never yielded an agreement.
• Property tax concerns: There were 23 standalone bills introduced over the past two years to tackle property taxes, which skyrocketed in a handful of Ohio counties this year as a result of soaring housing prices, but only two relatively meager bills made it into law.
• Bus safety: Also unheeded were proposals from a governor’s task force on school bus safety following a Clark County school bus crash that killed an 11-year-old student.
What to know today
• Tip of the day: Nearly 100 new restaurants opened in the Dayton region in 2024. Click here to find a new place to try.
• Things to do: Here are 10 performances to see in January throughout the Dayton region.
• Photo of the day: Hope Jeter pushes Fatima Jeter and Avery Gharst on a warm winter day at Five Rivers MetroPark ice rink at RiverScape Thursday. Photographer Jim Noelker was there to capture the scene.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker