‘Loophole’ for failing charter schools blocked by state

Failing charters rejected. Cleveland.com’s Patrick O’Donnell is reporting, “The Ohio Department of Education has blocked a ‘loophole’ that would have given millions in tax dollars to charter schools with bad grades by using another.

“The department on Friday announced the 63 charter schools that did qualify to share in the $30 million fund that Gov. Mike DeWine and the state legislature created this summer as a bonus to help the best charter schools in Ohio…

“But the department rejected some large applications for the money, with a decision that is drawing complaints.

“Some had worried that provisions in this summer’s state budget bill would open the door for schools with poor grades to receive money solely because their operator ran schools in other states that had received a federal grant.”

Survey. The Columbus Dispatch’s Randy Ludlow is reporting that the state will survey incarcerated youth on sexual victimization.

“The Ohio Department of Youth Services is turning to its youthful offenders in an attempt to identify what steps it can take to reduce a sexual victimization rate ranked as the worst in the nation in a federal survey.

“The agency is designing its own survey that will ask its 450 offenders to “give more insight on the nature of the sexual activity,” including frequency and whether it involved force and other youth or staff members, spokeswoman Jill Craig said Friday.

“An alarmed Gov. Mike DeWine instructed the agency to undertake the survey after a U.S. Department of Justice survey of juvenile prisoners found 15.3% of incarcerated Ohio youths reported forced or coerced sexual activity in 2018.”

Death Penalty. Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler is reporting that the author of Ohio’s death penalty law is speculating that there may not be another execution carried out.

“There hasn’t been a killer put to death in Ohio in 18 months. And the state’s last execution has likely taken place, according to the architect of Ohio’s 1981 death penalty law. But prosecutors say killing off capital punishment entirely would be a mistake.”