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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio SB 311 updates school property sales, remote testing rules, and board vacancy procedures
Last action · June 16, 2026: IntroducedSponsor: Andrew Brenner
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio Senate Bill 311 prohibits local zoning authorities from restricting school locations, establishes civil penalties up to $5,000 for completing student coursework for a fee, permits remote online state assessments for computer-based community schools under specific proctoring ratios, and modifies school district property disposition and board vacancy rules.
The measure directly alters property-sale requirements for unused school buildings, expands online testing regulations for virtual schools, and imposes new civil liability on essay-writing services and individuals who knowingly instruct school superintendents to break the law.
- Senate Bill 311 originates from the 136th General Assembly of Ohio and addresses various administrative, operational, and legal frameworks governing public and nonpublic schools. context
- The Ohio Revised Code governs the establishment, zoning exemptions, educator licensing standards, and property disposition rules for school districts across the state. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Public school districts
School districts must follow updated procedures for disposing of real property, offering unused facilities to charter and STEM schools before demolition, and reporting enrollment data annually.
Internet- or computer-based community schools
Online schools must comply with new remote testing proctoring ratios, staff certification requirements, and mandatory parent consultations regarding testing options.
Local zoning authorities
County, township, and municipal zoning boards lose the authority to prohibit or restrict school locations or deny land use applications solely based on school establishment.
Commercial tutoring and writing services
Entities or individuals providing paid coursework completion or essay-writing services for student submission face potential civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation and private lawsuits from school sponsors.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can local zoning boards prevent a new private or public school from opening in their district?
Are online school students allowed to take state achievement tests from home?
What happens if a school district wants to demolish an unused school building?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
5 actions- Jun 16, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Jun 10, 2026SenateFloorPassed
- Jun 10, 2026SenateCommitteeReported - Substitute (Education)
- Nov 5, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Education
- Oct 29, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Favorable Passage
Total
33
- Yes
- 33
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (11)
Show 1 earlier roll call
Favorable Passage
Total
33
- Yes
- 33
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
State Preemption of Local School Zoning
The bill shifts zoning authority by explicitly barring local county, township, and municipal zoning boards from restricting school placement or denying applications solely for establishing a school.
Civil Penalties for Academic Dishonesty Services
The legislation establishes direct financial liabilities and civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation for commercial essay-writing and cheating services, payable to the state general revenue fund.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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