Ohio

Ohio will soon allow military children to open enroll in school of their choice

Published

8 months ago

January 27, 2025

Ohio will soon allow military children to open enroll in school of their choice

When Air Force Col. Cassie Barlow moved to Ohio to become the base commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, her teenage daughter enrolled in her 10th school in 16 years.

“The first thing I always thought about when we moved was: ‘Where is my daughter going to go to school?’” Barlow said.

Barlow’s daughter excelled in smaller schools but that wasn’t an option for those living on base, so Barlow enrolled her in a private school instead.

A new change in state law, which will take effect on April 9, will allow children of active-duty military parents to enroll in any public school − as long as the district has space for them.

Sen. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, championed the changes in Senate Bill 208, which passed with unanimous, bipartisan support. She said the new law is both a tool to recruit military families to Ohio and a way to express gratitude for their service.

“Education is one of the most important things that families care about because it defines the future for their children,” Roegner said. “We’re hoping that this will make it better for those people who are willing to lay their lives down for our country.”

Barlow’s daughter has already graduated high school. But she wears another hat as president of the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education focused on workforce development. This bill will help recruiting military families to come and stay in Ohio.

“We are in an incredibly competitive workforce market right now. To be able to have something like this make us much more attractive to military members and to veterans,” Barlow said.

How would the change help military families?

Under current law, school districts must decide if they will allow students to enroll from other school districts under any circumstances. If districts allow open enrollment, the option can be limited to surrounding school districts. Soon, schools will make an exception for children in military families.

It’s not clear how many students might take advantage of the option. More than 7,300 students from military families were enrolled in Ohio schools during the 2022-2023 academic year, according to a legislative analysis. Many live near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base just east of Dayton or the Defense Supply Center Columbus in Whitehall.

School districts that enroll military children could see a bump in state money while districts that students leave might lose some funding, according to an analysis of the bill’s financial impact.

Ohio will join 17 other states that offer open enrollment for children of military families. The change will help military families, whose children change schools up to 10 times before graduation, said Shane Preston, the Great Lakes Region liaison at the U.S. Department of Defense-State Liaison Office.

“Military families are at a disadvantage when it comes to enrollment options available to their children, due to the timing of military-directed moves,” Preston told lawmakers.

Roegner introduced the bill to help military children after passing about a dozen laws that allow nurses, physical therapists, counselors, audiologists and other professionals to use their licenses from other states in Ohio. These licensure compacts help anyone considering a move to Ohio, she said.

When deciding where to move, families consider how hard it will be for their spouses to find work and their children to find a school, Roegner said. “Hopefully, this will make it easier.”

Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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Ohio

Ohio Department of Health finds ‘significant issues’ at Insight Trumbull

Published

7 days ago

September 24, 2025

Press Room

Ohio Department of Health finds ‘significant issues’ at Insight Trumbull

“The Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) inspection of Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull on Tuesday found several significant issues that need to be addressed before the hospital can re-open, to ensure the health and safety of patients. Insight will need to contact ODH once these issues have been addressed. At that point, we will conduct another inspection to verify the standards have been met,” the statement reads.

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Ohio

More rain on the way in NE Ohio: See when you’ll need an umbrella

Published

1 week ago

September 23, 2025

Press Room

More rain on the way in NE Ohio: See when you’ll need an umbrella

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Northeast Ohio finally picked up some much-needed rain to start the week, and more is on the way.

After a soggy Monday and start to Tuesday, conditions will improve through the afternoon. Clouds will linger, but most spots should stay dry with just a slight chance of a stray shower.

This should come as welcome news for the Guardians, who open a three-games series Tuesday night against the Tigers with first place in the AL Central and a possible trip to the postseason at stake.

The lull in precipitation will be short-lived as a new storm system lifts across the Great Lakes Wednesday and brings another round of widespread rain. Showers will spread back into the region during the morning and become steady through the afternoon, with a few thunderstorms possible, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Rainfall totals from this midweek system could reach three-quarters of an inch to more than an inch across parts of Northeast Ohio, according to early projections. Localized higher amounts are possible where thunderstorms develop.

There’s a marginal risk for severe weather in the southern half of Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Any thunderstorms that do develop in Northeast Ohio could still result in heavy rainfall in spots.Courtesy Storm Prediction Center

While they could bring higher rainfall totals, any storms that do develop aren’t expected to be severe, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The strongest risk for severe weather will stay well to the south.

Temperatures Wednesday will be limited to the low and mid 70s because of the cloud cover and rainfall. Lingering showers may hang on into Thursday, with highs again in the 70s.

By Friday and Friday night, high pressure will attempt to build in from the Upper Midwest. That should dry out most of Northeast Ohio, though an isolated shower can’t be ruled out.

Drier this weekend

Weather graphic showing five-day weather forecast for Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 23-27 — The five-day weather forecast for Cleveland, Ohio, covering Sept. 23 through Sept. 27, 2025.cleveland.com

Fortunately, the rain from the week won’t linger into the weekend for most of Northeast Ohio.

A cold front is expected to sweep across the state on Saturday, which could bring some showers to Lake and Ashtabula counties overnight.

By Sunday, the entire region is expected to be dry, though temperatures will turn a bit cooler. Highs on Saturday will reach the mid 70s to near 80 before highs fall back into the low to mid 70s on Sunday and Monday.

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Ohio

Ohio State leads, Texas A&M surges in US LBM Coaches Poll ranking after Week 3

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2025

Press Room

Ohio State leads, Texas A&M surges in US LBM Coaches Poll ranking after Week 3

Another week of wild finishes and a few surprises shuffled the US LBM Coaches Poll. But once again, the changes didn’t reach the top.

The teams ranked No. 1 through No. 7 hold their positions, though some had an easier time this week than others. Ohio State remains in the top spot, receiving 62 of 67 first-place votes this week. Penn State stays at No. 2 with three No.-1 nods. No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 LSU claim a first-place vote each. Oregon, Miami (Fla.) and Texas also hold steady.

Illinois climbs a notch to No. 8, a season-high ranking for the Fighting Illini on the eve of a key Big Ten clash with No. 17 Indiana. Florida State vaults three places to No. 9. Texas A&M makes the week’s biggest move, climbing seven positions to No. 10 on the heels of its last-minute victory at Notre Dame.

TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 3

The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, tumble from No. 8 to No. 21 as last season’s playoff runners-up are still seeking their first win of the campaign.

It was a rough weekend for the Palmetto State, as both Clemson and South Carolina went down to defeat. The Gamecocks, at least, stay in the poll at No. 24 after losing at home to Vanderbilt. The Commodores, thanks to that victory, make their season poll debut at No. 23.

Clemson falls out of the rankings after being handed its second loss of the young season by Georgia Tech, which also moves into the poll at No. 19. Also joining the rankings are No. 22 Missouri, after lurking just outside the Top 25 last week, and No. 25 Auburn, which edges out Brigham Young by just two poll points. South Florida and Arizona State also drop out.

(This story was updated to change a video.)

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