Elyria City Schools
Step 5 of 10
Draft a Plan (Step Descriptions)
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68

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State Law

Ohio is a
"Shall" state

Learn more about state laws.

Location Map Elyria, OH 44035 Lorain County
Lifewise Local Program Website Link (opens in a new tab)
District Poverty Rate 21.4% (data source)
Non-White Students 55.4% (data source)
NCES Link NCES District Info
Last Updated December 2, 2025
What Can My School District Do?

All school districts, regardless of whether they are required by law to allow released time, should implement good policy and be prepared for when a released time program may approach the district. The time to set the policy is before an active program is pressuring the district. Research polices the district can implement to protect teachers' and students' instruction time. Set polices that limit disruptions to students and the ability for proselytization to occur, impacting other students of faith or no faith. A more detailed write-up on school board policies can be read here.

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Schools in the District (11)
School Grades Period
Crestwood Elementary School
Eastern Heights Middle School
Ely Elementary School
Elyria High School
Hamilton Elementary School
Mckinley Elementary School
Northwood Elementary School
Northwood Middle School
Oakwood Elementary School
Prospect Elementary School
Westwood Middle School
1 schools not shown
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State Law and School Board Policy
School District Policy The policy has extra requirements that go beyond the state/federal requirements.
Policy Link https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/elyria/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BLJPVN64CDB6
Policy Notes adopted policy language deeming all graded classes to be core (July 17, 2024)
Ohio State Law Schools are required to allow students to be released for religious programs. This does not mean schools do not have the ability to create policies that protect the school's instruction time.
State Law Link https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3313.6022
Law Notes Ohio's legislature recently passed legislation to allow school districts to pass polices and have no limits on the number of hours students can miss for released time. Waiting on the governor's signature.
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Launch Steps History
Step
Description
Signatures
Date
Step 5
Draft a Plan
68
October 30, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
68
October 26, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
63
October 9, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
63
August 17, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
59
September 27, 2024
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
58
September 17, 2024
Step 5
Draft a Plan
58
September 10, 2024
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
58
August 1, 2024
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
57
July 17, 2024
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
56
July 9, 2024
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
55
May 2, 2024
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
54
April 24, 2024
Step 2
Join a Kickoff Meeting
53
April 4, 2024
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
27
March 29, 2024
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
26
March 25, 2024
 
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