Ohio
New Ohio legislation targets diversity programs in K-12 education
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio Senate bill would ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in Ohio’s traditional public, charter and STEM schools.
Senate Bill 113 would prohibit schools from continuing or establishing DEI departments or offices, from using DEI in job descriptions, from requiring DEI training, or from contracting with consultants whose role would be promoting or hiring diverse people.
The bill also requires schools to establish complaint processes to hear student, parent or employee grievances about violations of the DEI ban.
The bill comes as legislation barring DEI at the college level also progresses in the General Assembly, having passed the Ohio Senate less than a month after it was introduced.
READ MORE: Ohio Senate passes bill targeting liberal ‘indoctrination’ on college campuses
At the federal level, President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders banning DEI and instructing schools to give students a “patriotic” education. This has Ohio’s colleges assessing their programs, and in some cases, cutting them.
READ MORE: Ohio State to cut DEI programs, citing Trump orders and state legislation
State Sen. Andrew Brenner, a Delaware County Republican who is sponsoring the legislation, said Tuesday afternoon during legislative testimony that the focus on equity undermines people’s hard work and merit.
“DEI does not stand for diversity, equity and inclusion,” Brenner said. “It stands for division, exclusion and indoctrination. It is unconstitutional, unfair and directly contradicts the vision of Martin Luther King Jr. And we must stand against these policies and ensure that our schools teach students to rise based on their abilities, not their racial identity.”
This led to a clash with state Sen. Catherine Ingram, a Cincinnati Democrat, who challenged Brenner’s understanding of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Brenner “believes that Martin Luther King said this is to be merit,” she said. “And what he said was he had a dream that one day, one day, not then and certainly not now, that we are equitable… Unfortunately for a very long time, certain groups of people started far behind the starting line.”
Brenner replied that, “DEI is really about a redistribution of wealth, period. It does put people in classes. That is clearly obvious from everything that is going on in higher ed and in K-12. And what it’s doing is saying some people are privileged and some other people are not, and you must recognize that. And regardless of whether or not we are working hard… it’s trying to do is trying to redistribute wealth and come out with an equal outcome.”
Brenner said he believed King was asking society to give everyone an opportunity “to advance and become successful and live on their own and be able to raise a family and not be harassed over things.”
State Sen. Kent Smith, a Euclid Democrat, said he was concerned the hyperfocus on DEI would cause harm. Sometimes, districts look for a disabled athlete to coach an adaptive track and field team, which the Ohio High School Athletic Association deemed a sport in 2013, he said.
“So my concern is that in this effort to clear DEI out of public schools, whether or not we’re going to inadvertently hurt populations that perhaps you hadn’t considered,” he said.
Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
Another state is jumping into the fray to put the brakes on non-domiciled CDLs, with roughly 5,000 commercial drivers in Ohio facing the potential of having their licenses downgraded.
On Friday, May 29, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles announced it would be contacting approximately 5,000 non-domiciled CDL holders to verify the status of their credentials under updated rules from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
According to the Bureau, non-domiciled license holders in the state will receive one of two notices, depending on the type of documentation they initially used to obtain their CDL.
For drivers whose documentation meets current FMCSA standards, their licenses will remain valid until their expiration date. For those who do not meet current standards, the process is a bit more complicated.
As for CDL holders whose original documents do not meet current FMCSA guidelines, they will receive a notice of downgrade, and their CDLs will be downgraded to a Class D license 30 days after receiving the notice.
Drivers who receive a downgrade notice can request a hearing with the BMV to dispute the downgrade, and can provide additional documentation to prove their eligibility. According to the Bureau, those documents include:
- An unexpired Employment Authorization Document issued by USCIS, valid on the most recent CDL/CLP issuance date
- An unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired USCIS I‑94 form, both of which must be valid on your most recent CDL/CLP issuance date
Officials said the Ohio BMV has not issued or renewed any non-domiciled CDLs since FMCSA put new standards in place in 2025, and that it does not intend to resume issuing non-domiciled CDLs in the future. Additionally, the BMV will not renew revalidated non-domiciled CDLs after they expire.
All notices will be sent by mail to the address listed on file with the Ohio BMV. The Bureau emphasized that the reverification process does not apply to full CDL holders or CDL holders with legally established permanent residence. LL
2026 U20 World Team Trials
At Geneva, Ohio, May 29
Best-of-Three Final Results
57 kg
Isaiah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC) defeats Grey Burnett (Burnett Trained Wrestling), two matches to none
Round 1 – Cortez dec. Burnett, 5-1
Round 2 – Cortez tech. fall Burnett, 10-0
61 kg
Aaron Seidel (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Elijah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC/ TMWC), two matches to none
Round 1 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0
Round 2 – Seidel tech. fall Cortez, 10-0
65 kg
Bo Bassett (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)) defeats Clinton Shepherd (Howe Wrestling School, LLC), two matches to none
Round 1 – Bassett fall Shepherd, 2:40
Round 2 – Bassett tech. fall Shepherd, 10-0
70 kg
Landon Robideau (Cowboy RTC) defeats Melvin Miller (Titan Mercury Wrestling Club (TMWC)), two matches to none
Round 1 – Robideau dec. Miller, 5-0
Round 2 – Robideau tech. fall, 12-0
74 kg
Jayden James (KD Training Center/ TMWC) defeats Ladarion Lockett (Cowboy RTC), two matches to none
Round 1 – James dec. Lockett, 5-4
Round 2 – James dec. Lockett, 4-2
79 kg
Ryan Burton (SERTC- TMWC) defeats Joseph Jeter (Position Wrestling), two matches to none
Round 1 – Burton dec. Jeter, 10-7
Round 2 – Burton dec. Jeter, 8-1
86 kg
Aeoden Sinclair (Tiger Style Wrestling Club) defeats Brock Mantanona (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club), two matches to none
Round 1 – Sinclair dec. Mantanona, 6-0
Round 2 – Sinclair tech. fall Mantanona, 10-0
92 kg
Jimmy Mastny (Relentless Training Center) defeats Karson Tompkins (Air Force Regional Training Center), two matches to none
Round 1 – Mastny fall Tompkins, 3:31
Round 2 – Mastny tech. fall Tompkins, 10-0
97 kg
Michael Boyle (Ohio Crazy Goats Wrestling Club) defeats Garett Kawczynski (Askren Wrestling Academy), two matches to none
Round 1 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0
Round 2 – Boyle tech. fall Kawczynski, 10-0
125 kg
Dreshaun Ross (Cowboy RTC) defeats Coby Merrill (NYAC), two matches to one
Round 1 – Merrill tech. fall Ross, 11-0
Round 2 – Ross dec. Merrill 9-2
Round 3 – Ross dec. Merrill, 7-1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A Central Ohio family has filed a lawsuit against a Hilliard funeral home after their mother was accidentally cremated, despite plans for her to be buried.
According to court documents, Tidd Funeral Home cremated Nancy Anders in June of last year against the family’s wishes. The lawsuit states Anders died a week earlier in May.
The family says Anders had planned and prepaid for funeral arrangements two years before her death to be buried with her late husband. The arrangements did not include cremation because, the family says, she did not believe in the concept.
The lawsuit says the family was told a week after her death that she had been accidentally cremated. It also accuses Tidd Funeral Home of cremating her even though the proper authorization form was never signed.
The family says they have suffered physical illness and emotional trauma and are seeking $25,000 in damages. They are also asking for the case to be decided by a jury.
ABC 6 reached out to the funeral home for comment but had not heard back.
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