OH Dyslexia Laws signed by Governor Kasich

House Bills (HB) 96 and 157 were passed by the Ohio Senate with the concurrence of the Ohio House during a late-night, end-of-the-year Statehouse session on December 14; both bills were signed into law by Governor Kasich before Christmas.

HB 96 (Celeste - D & Brenner - R) has two components. The law will:

1) place the IDA definition of dyslexia directly into Ohio statute. Current Ohio law lists dyslexia as a specific learning disability, consistent with IDEA 2004, but does not provide a definition of dyslexia

2) begin a 3-year pilot program for the early identification and remediation of students at-risk for dyslexia and other phonologically based reading disorders.

HB 157 (Schuring - R & Letson - D) also has two components. The law will:

1) define a dyslexia specialist as someone who has achieved training consistent with the Level II IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards.

2) give Educational Service Centers (Ohio's statewide network of inservice training facilities) and other educational institutions permission to hire a dyslexia specialist to provide professional development in the area of dyslexia for Ohio teachers and administrators.

OH Legislature Passes Dyslexia House Bill 96!

OH Legislature Passes Dyslexia House Bill 96!

House Bill 96 clarifies the definition of learning disabilities in the Ohio Revised Code to specifically include dyslexia.

House Bill 96 also creates a pilot project at the Ohio Department of Education including one urban, one suburban, and one rural school district to forge a partnership with the local library system to provide early screening and intervention services for children. Existing funds within the Ohio Department of Education will be used to pay for these screenings, and the inclusion of libraries will help ease the financial burden on school districts.

Next Steps:

House Bill 96 goes to OH Governor John Kasich for his signature.