The Columbus City School Board last night put in place safeguards to prevent a repeat of the district's grade-changing scandal. Alison Holm reports.
The new policy approved unanimously and without comment will prevent school principals from changing students grades without first creating a paper-trail to explain their reasons, then contacting the teacher who issued the original grade, and then getting permission from the central office. The policy, which was introduced under previous superintendent Gene Harris, will protect the district from some of the abuses that surfaced in a year-long investigation by the state auditor. That investigation documented that some principals changed grades wholesale in an effort to boost their school and the district’s performance on the state report card.
The board also unanimously approved a resolution opposing moves to repeal the Common Core State Standards. The Ohio House has held hearings on the standards this summer, and leaders of that chamber have said theywant to see common Core repealed in Ohio. But board members Dominic Paretti and Shawna Gibbs say support for Common Core is strong.
Paretti: I feel that we are sliding backwards. We put a lot of work into this, and it is a shame that we have to reaffirm this. But I'm a proud supporter of the Common Core.
Gibbs: And it's not just the Columbus city Schools, but the Ohio School Boards Association, the Buckeye Associations of School Administrators, the Ohio Association of School Buisness Offcials, all support this resolution and nobody wants to go backwards.
Several states around the country have repealed Common Core State Standards, but it's not likely in Ohio this session. The Ohio Senate would also have to approve the move, which would then face a possible veto from Governo John Kasich, who has supported Common Core in the past.
