The decision comes after seven State Board of Education members sued to stop what they called a takeover of public education by Gov. Mike DeWine and the Republican-controlled legislature.
Ohio’s plan to change who gets to write statewide education standards is on hold after a Franklin County Court judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday to block the law from going into effect.
“This is really about the voice of the people and that there are checks and balances and that they are able to come to us when they have issues,” Ohio State School Board Member Antoinette Miranda said. “This case is really important to make sure we still have a voice for the parents, the teachers, the school districts and everybody else that benefits from education.”
Miranda and six other members of the state board filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying that a plan to move control over statewide standards, textbook recommendations and strategic planning away from the partially elected board and give those duties to the governor’s office was unconstitutional.
More:Ohio State Board of Education members sue to stop major overhaul of K-12 schools
Judge Karen Held Phipps, a Democrat, didn’t decide on the merits of Miranda’s case. But she did issue a written decision blocking the Ohio Department of Education from moving forward with its plans to rename itself as the Department of Workforce and Education, appoint a director who would serve in Gov. Mike DeWine’s cabinet, and transfer powers over education policy from the State Board of Education to that new director.
