In 2018, Ohio passed the Supporting Alternatives for Fair Education (SAFE) Act, or House Bill 318 (HB318), into law. The act addresses multi-tiered behavioral supports in the interest of reducing disciplinary referrals, especially for prekindergarten through grade 3 students. It strengthened requirements for schools to implement PBIS, social-emotional learning supports, and trauma-informed practices. Districts and schools must also provide provide professional development or continuing education in PBIS by November 2021.
To assist districts and schools with this work, the ESC in partnership with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is providing guidance and training. The timeline below will assist districts and schools working to meet the November 2021 deadline.