Yesterday, Governor DeWine signed Senate Bill (SB) 1, which includes two major components — financial literacy requirements and substitute flexibility.
Financial Literacy
SB 1 requires students who enter ninth grade on or after July 1, 2022, to complete one-half unit of instruction in financial literacy as part of the required high school curriculum. The bill exempts students who attend chartered nonpublic schools from the financial literacy requirement, unless they attend the school using a voucher.
In addition, the bill:
- Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, requires that an educator must have a license validation in financial literacy to provide instruction in financial literacy in high school;
- Specifies that teachers who are licensed in social studies, family and consumer sciences, or business education can teach financial literacy without earning the additional validation; and
- Allows students to replace ½ unit of a math course with the required ½ unit of financial literacy; the math course cannot be Algebra II, or its equivalent, or a course for which the State Board requires an end-of-course examination (Algebra I).
Substitute Flexibility
SB 1 permits a public or chartered nonpublic school, for the 2021-22 school year, to employ a substitute teacher according to the school’s own education requirements, provided the individual also is deemed to be of good moral character and successfully completes a criminal records check.
The State Board must issue a nonrenewable temporary substitute teachers license to an individual who meets those requirements.
The provision regarding substitute flexibility includes an emergency clause; therefore, it took immediate effect upon the Governor’s signing of SB 1.
Click here to see the bill analysis.
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