Ohio Rev. Code § 3314.08 : — EDUCATION-LIBRARIESCOMMUNITY SCHOOLS — Annual enrollment reports; payments from department

(A) As used in this section:
(1) "IEP" has the same meaning as in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Resident district" means the school district in which a student is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code.
(B) The department of education and workforce shall adopt rules requiring the governing authority of each community school established under this chapter to annually report all of the following:
(1) The number of students enrolled in grades one through twelve and the full-time equivalent number of students enrolled in kindergarten in the school who are not receiving special education and related services pursuant to an IEP;
(2) The number of enrolled students in grades one through twelve and the full-time equivalent number of enrolled students in kindergarten, who are receiving special education and related services pursuant to an IEP;
(3) The number of students reported under division (B)(2) of this section receiving special education and related services pursuant to an IEP for a disability described in each of divisions (A) to (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(4) The full-time equivalent number of students reported under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section who are enrolled in career-technical education programs or classes described in each of divisions (A)(1) to (5) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code that are provided by the community school;
(5) The number of students reported under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section who are not reported under division (B)(4) of this section but who are enrolled in career-technical education programs or classes described in each of divisions (A)(1) to (5) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code at a joint vocational school district or another district in the career-technical planning district to which the school is assigned;
(6) The number of students reported under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section who are category one to three English learners described in each of divisions (A) to (C) of section 3317.016 of the Revised Code;
(7) The number of students reported under divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section who are economically disadvantaged, as defined by the department. A student shall not be categorically excluded from the number reported under division (B)(7) of this section based on anything other than family income.
(8) For each student, the city, exempted village, or local school district in which the student is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code.
(9) The number of students enrolled in a preschool program operated by the school that is licensed under sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code who are not receiving special education and related services pursuant to an IEP.

A school district board and a community school governing authority shall include in their respective reports under division (B) of this section any child admitted in accordance with division (A)(2) of section 3321.01 of the Revised Code.

A governing authority of a community school shall not include in its report under divisions (B)(1) to (9) of this section any student for whom tuition is charged under division (F) of this section.

(C)
(1)
(a) If a community school's costs for a fiscal year for a student receiving special education and related services pursuant to an IEP for a disability described in divisions (B) to (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code exceed the threshold cost for serving the student as specified in division (B) of section 3317.0214 of the Revised Code, the school may submit to the director of education and workforce documentation, as prescribed by the director, of all its costs for that student. Upon submission of documentation for a student of the type and in the manner prescribed, the department shall pay to the community school an amount equal to the school's costs for the student in excess of the threshold costs.
(b) The community school shall report under division (C)(1)(a) of this section, and the department shall pay for, only the costs of educational expenses and the related services provided to the student in accordance with the student's individualized education program. Any legal fees, court costs, or other costs associated with any cause of action relating to the student may not be included in the amount.
(2) In any fiscal year, a community school receiving funds under division (A)(7) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code shall spend those funds only for the purposes that the department designates as approved for career-technical education expenses. Career-technical education expenses approved by the department shall include only expenses connected to the delivery of career-technical programming to career-technical students. The department shall require the school to report data annually so that the department may monitor the school's compliance with the requirements regarding the manner in which funding received under division (A)(7) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code may be spent.
(3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 3313.90 of the Revised Code, except as provided in division (C)(5) of this section, all funds received under division (A)(7) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code shall be spent in the following manner:
(a) At least seventy-five per cent of the funds shall be spent on curriculum development, purchase, and implementation; instructional resources and supplies; industry-based program certification; student assessment, credentialing, and placement; curriculum specific equipment purchases and leases; career-technical student organization fees and expenses; home and agency linkages; work-based learning experiences; professional development; and other costs directly associated with career-technical education programs including development of new programs.
(b) Not more than twenty-five per cent of the funds shall be used for personnel expenditures.
(4) A community school shall spend the funds it receives under division (A)(4) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code in accordance with section 3317.25 of the Revised Code.
(5) The department may waive the requirement in division (C)(3) of this section for any community school that exclusively provides one or more career-technical workforce development programs in arts and communications that are not equipment-intensive, as determined by the department.
(6) For fiscal years 2024 and 2025, a community school shall spend the funds it receives under division (A)(5) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code only for services for English learners.
(D) A board of education sponsoring a community school may utilize local funds to make enhancement grants to the school or may agree, either as part of the contract or separately, to provide any specific services to the community school at no cost to the school.
(E) A community school may not levy taxes or issue bonds secured by tax revenues.
(F) No community school shall charge tuition for the enrollment of any student who is a resident of this state. A community school may charge tuition for the enrollment of any student who is not a resident of this state.
(G)
(1)
(a) A community school may borrow money to pay any necessary and actual expenses of the school in anticipation of the receipt of any portion of the payments to be received by the school pursuant to section 3317.022 of the Revised Code. The school may issue notes to evidence such borrowing. The proceeds of the notes shall be used only for the purposes for which the anticipated receipts may be lawfully expended by the school.
(b) A school may also borrow money for a term not to exceed fifteen years for the purpose of acquiring facilities.
(2) The state is not liable for debt incurred by the governing authority of a community school.
(H) The department shall adjust the amounts paid under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code to reflect any enrollment of students in community schools for less than the equivalent of a full school year. The department shall adopt in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code rules governing the payments to community schools under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code including initial payments in a school year and adjustments and reductions made in subsequent periodic payments to community schools as provided under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code. For purposes of this division:
(1) A student shall be considered enrolled in the community school for any portion of the school year the student is participating at a college under Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code.
(2) A student shall be considered to be enrolled in a community school for the period of time beginning on the later of the date on which the school both has received documentation of the student's enrollment from a parent and the student has commenced participation in learning opportunities as defined in the contract with the sponsor, or thirty days prior to the date on which the student is entered into the education management information system established under section 3301.0714 of the Revised Code. For purposes of applying this division and divisions (H)(3) and (4) of this section to a community school student, "learning opportunities" shall be defined in the contract, which shall describe both classroom-based and non-classroom-based learning opportunities and shall be in compliance with criteria and documentation requirements for student participation which shall be established by the department. Any student's instruction time in non-classroom-based learning opportunities shall be certified by an employee of the community school. A student's enrollment shall be considered to cease on the date on which any of the following occur:
(a) The community school receives documentation from a parent terminating enrollment of the student.
(b) The community school is provided documentation of a student's enrollment in another public or private school.
(c) The community school ceases to offer learning opportunities to the student pursuant to the terms of the contract with the sponsor or the operation of any provision of this chapter.

Except as otherwise specified in this paragraph, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year, any student who completed the prior school year in an internet- or computer-based community school shall be considered to be enrolled in the same school in the subsequent school year until the student's enrollment has ceased as specified in division (H)(2) of this section. The department shall continue paying amounts for the student under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code without interruption at the start of the subsequent school year. However, if the student without a legitimate excuse fails to participate in the first seventy-two consecutive hours of learning opportunities offered to the student in that subsequent school year, the student shall be considered not to have re-enrolled in the school for that school year and the department shall recalculate the payments to the school for that school year to account for the fact that the student is not enrolled.

(3) The department shall determine each community school student's percentage of full-time equivalency based on the percentage of learning opportunities offered by the community school to that student, reported either as number of hours or number of days, is of the total learning opportunities offered by the community school to a student who attends for the school's entire school year. However, no internet- or computer-based community school shall be credited for any time a student spends participating in learning opportunities beyond ten hours within any period of twenty-four consecutive hours. Whether it reports hours or days of learning opportunities, each community school shall offer not less than nine hundred twenty hours of learning opportunities during the school year.
(4) With respect to the calculation of full-time equivalency under division (H)(3) of this section, the department shall waive the number of hours or days of learning opportunities not offered to a student because the community school was closed during the school year due to disease epidemic, hazardous weather conditions, law enforcement emergencies, inoperability of school buses or other equipment necessary to the school's operation, damage to a school building, or other temporary circumstances due to utility failure rendering the school building unfit for school use, so long as the school was actually open for instruction with students in attendance during that school year for not less than the minimum number of hours required by this chapter. The department shall treat the school as if it were open for instruction with students in attendance during the hours or days waived under this division.
(I) The department of education and workforce shall reduce the amounts paid under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code to reflect payments made to colleges under section 3365.07 of the Revised Code.
(J)
(1) No student shall be considered enrolled in any internet- or computer-based community school or, if applicable to the student, in any community school that is required to provide the student with a computer pursuant to division (C) of section 3314.22 of the Revised Code, unless both of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The student possesses or has been provided with all required hardware and software materials and all such materials are operational so that the student is capable of fully participating in the learning opportunities specified in the contract between the school and the school's sponsor as required by division (A)(23) of section 3314.03 of the Revised Code;
(b) The school is in compliance with division (A) of section 3314.22 of the Revised Code, relative to such student.
(2) In accordance with policies adopted by the department of education and workforce, in consultation with the auditor of state, the department shall reduce the amounts otherwise payable under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code to any community school that includes in its program the provision of computer hardware and software materials to any student, if such hardware and software materials have not been delivered, installed, and activated for each such student in a timely manner or other educational materials or services have not been provided according to the contract between the individual community school and its sponsor.

The director and the auditor of state shall jointly establish a method for auditing any community school to which this division pertains to ensure compliance with this section.

The director, auditor of state, and the governor shall jointly make recommendations to the general assembly for legislative changes that may be required to assure fiscal and academic accountability for such schools.

(K)
(1) If the department determines that a review of a community school's enrollment is necessary, such review shall be completed and written notice of the findings shall be provided to the governing authority of the community school and its sponsor within ninety days of the end of the community school's fiscal year, unless extended for a period not to exceed thirty additional days for one of the following reasons:
(a) The department and the community school mutually agree to the extension.
(b) Delays in data submission caused by either a community school or its sponsor.
(2) If the review results in a finding that additional funding is owed to the school, such payment shall be made within thirty days of the written notice. If the review results in a finding that the community school owes moneys to the state, the following procedure shall apply:
(a) Within ten business days of the receipt of the notice of findings, the community school may appeal the department's determination to the director.
(b) The director shall conduct an informal hearing on the matter within thirty days of receipt of such an appeal and shall issue a decision within fifteen days of the conclusion of the hearing.
(c)

Any decision made by the director under this division is final.

(3) If it is decided that the community school owes moneys to the state, the department shall deduct such amount from the school's future payments in accordance with guidelines issued by the director.
(L) The department shall not pay to a community school under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code any amount for any of the following:
(1) Any student who has graduated from the twelfth grade of a public or nonpublic high school;
(2) Any student who is not a resident of the state;
(3) Any student who was enrolled in the community school during the previous school year when assessments were administered under section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code but did not take one or more of the assessments required by that section and was not excused pursuant to division (C)(1) or (3) of that section, unless the director grants the student a waiver from the requirement to take the assessment and a parent is not paying tuition for the student pursuant to section 3314.26 of the Revised Code. The director may grant a waiver only for good cause in accordance with rules adopted by the department.
(4) Any student who has attained the age of twenty-two years, except for veterans of the armed services whose attendance was interrupted before completing the recognized twelve-year course of the public schools by reason of induction or enlistment in the armed forces and who apply for enrollment in a community school not later than four years after termination of war or their honorable discharge. If, however, any such veteran elects to enroll in special courses organized for veterans for whom tuition is paid under federal law, or otherwise, the department shall not pay to a community school under section 3317.022 of the Revised Code any amount for that veteran.

R.C. § 3314.08

Amended by 135th General Assembly, HB 33,§130.12, eff. 1/1/2025.
Amended by 135th General Assembly, HB 33,§130.100, eff. 10/3/2023.
Amended by 135th General Assembly, HB 33,§101.01, eff. 10/3/2023.
Amended by 134th General Assembly, HB 110,§101.01, eff. 9/30/2021.
Amended by 133rd General Assembly, HB 166,§101.01, eff. 10/17/2019.
Amended by 132nd General Assembly, SB 216,§1, eff. 11/2/2018.
Amended by 132nd General Assembly, HB 87,§1, eff. 11/2/2018.
Amended by 132nd General Assembly, HB 49,§101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.
Amended by 131st General Assembly, HB 113,§1, eff. 9/14/2016.
Amended by 131st General Assembly, HB 64,§101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.
Amended by 130th General Assembly, HB 487,§1, eff. 9/17/2014.
Amended by 130th General Assembly, HB 483,§101.01, eff. 9/15/2014.
Amended by 130th General Assembly, HB 59,§101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Amended by 129th General Assembly, SB 316, §101.01, eff. 9/24/2012.
Amended by 129th General Assembly, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 6/30/2011.
Amended by 129th General Assembly, HB 36, §1, eff. 4/13/2011.
Amended by 128th General Assembly, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 7/17/2009.
Effective Date: 06-26-2003; 06-30-2005; 06-30-2006; 03-30-2007; 2007 HB119 06-30-2007.
See 131st General Assembly, HB 7, §4.
SECTIONS