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Tecumseh leaders prepare for new Ohio rules on student monitoring and religious accommodations
Summary
District administrators told the board that Senate Bill 29 will require vendor safeguards, website notices and new notification steps for certain electronic monitoring, while House Bill 214 will require a policy allowing up to three excused days for religious observance; staff said they are working with Neola and EdTech consortiums to comply.
District administrators briefed the Tecumseh Local Board of Education on two recently enacted Ohio laws that will change district procedures for student privacy and religious accommodations.
Paula Crew told the board that Senate Bill 29 requires school districts to ensure technology contractors protect educational records and restrict unauthorized use. The law also includes notification duties: in certain cases when a student is electronically monitored, the district must notify parents in writing within 72 hours. Crew said the district is working with the EdTech Leaders Alliance consortium and the policy-services firm Neola to assemble contract language and a website notice that will satisfy the law’s requirements.
"One of the things that we need to do now is to ensure that our contracting with technology providers ... restrict[s] use of educational records beyond contract fulfillment," Crew said, adding that the district will post required notices and that staff are parsing which monitoring activities trigger the 72-hour written notification requirement.
Administrators cited examples that raise questions about notification procedures, including classroom-monitoring tools (district staff monitor student Chromebook activity centrally) and a Safety Bot that generates alerts for student wellbeing concerns. Crew said the district’s general website notice will cover routine monitoring but that staff are still defining the workflow for higher-level alerts that likely require individual written notifications to parents.
Separately, staff briefed the board on House Bill 214, which requires districts to adopt a policy that "reasonably accommodates the sincerely held religious beliefs and practices of individual students" for examinations, other academic requirements and absences. Crew said the statute allows students three excused days for religious holidays and that Neola is preparing suggested policy language and a list of recognized religious holidays; district leaders said principals must approve but cannot probe the sincerity of a claimed observance.
Administrators emphasized a tight timetable: both laws take effect Oct. 24, and district teams (curriculum, safety, treasurer and tech staff) are coordinating immediate next steps. Crew asked the board to expect forthcoming policy language and website entries and to authorize staff to implement the procedural changes once model language is reviewed.
The board did not take formal action on these items at the Oct. 15 meeting; staff described ongoing work and planned follow-up with Neola and county/regional offices.
