OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
S.B. 208 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for S.B. 208’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Passed by the Senate
Primary Sponsor: Sen. Roegner
Effective date:
Holly Gilman, Attorney
SUMMARY
 Requires school districts to include an exception for military children in open enrollment
policies.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Open enrollment for military children
Under current law, each city, local, and exempted village school district in Ohio must
adopt a resolution establishing an interdistrict open enrollment policy that does one of the
following:1
1. Entirely prohibits open enrollment, with the exception of students who pay tuition;
2. Permits open enrollment only of students from adjacent districts; or
3. Permits open enrollment of students from any other districts.
The bill creates an additional exception that applies to districts that otherwise entirely
prohibit open enrollment or only accept open enrollment of students from adjacent districts. The
bill requires these districts to permit a student who is not a native student of the district to open
enroll in the district if the student’s parent is an active duty member of the armed forces of the
United States who is stationed in Ohio and who provides the district a copy of the parent’s official
written order verifying the parent’s status as an active duty member of the armed forces.2 A
“native student” is a student who is entitled under law, generally based on residence in a school
1 R.C. 3313.98(B)(1).
2 R.C. 3313.98(I)(1).
May 24, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
district, to attend school in that district.3 Under the bill, an active duty member of the armed
forces is a member of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, or
Coast Guard who is on full-time duty.4
The bill requires districts enrolling a military child under the new exception to comply with
the same procedures required by law for other open enrollments. Additionally, the bill prohibits
districts from charging tuition for military children who enroll under the exception.5
The bill also sets requirements for the classification of students who open enroll in a
district under the bill, for purposes of enrollment reporting and transportation services. If a
student who is not a native student of the district enrolls in a district that otherwise prohibits
open enrollment, then the student must be classified as an “other district student.”6 A student
who is not a native student of the district or an adjacent district and who enrolls in a district with
an open enrollment policy only for students from an adjacent district must be considered an
“adjacent district student” for purposes of enrollment reporting and transportation services.7
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 12-19-23
Reported, S. Education 05-22-24
Passed Senate (31-0) 05-22-24
ANSB0208PS-135/ts
3 R.C. 3313.98(A)(2); see also R.C. 3313.64 and 3313.65, not in the bill.
4 R.C. 3313.98(A)(11) and (12).
5 R.C. 3313.98(I)(2).
6 R.C. 3313.98(I)(3); see also R.C. 3313.981, 3315.18, and 3317.03, not in the bill.
7 R.C. 3313.98(I)(4).
P a g e |2 S.B. 208
As Passed by the Senate