More students in Ohio are being expelled from school for fighting.

Today in the Morning Briefing, we look at the punishment situation in Ohio and in the Dayton area. We also report on bills not passed by the state legislature this year that could be priorities next year.

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Number of expulsions from school fighting grows in Ohio schools

The number of expulsions due to fighting in Ohio public schools nearly doubled in five years.

• The increase: Statewide, schools reported 821 expulsions due to fighting during the 2018-2019 school year, but by the 2023-2024 school year, that number hit 1,359, a nearly 66% increase.

• Situation locally: Dayton, Centerville, Kettering, Northmont, Troy and Middletown are among the districts that ODEW reported an increase in out-of-school suspensions for fighting between 2018 to 2024.

• Changing rules: In November, the Dayton Public Schools Board of Education created a district policy on how teachers should be dealing with students physically in a fight, after three teachers were up for termination for allegedly using excessive force on students.

• Statewide guidance: Kathy McFarland, executive director of the Ohio School Board Association, said the organization does not provide a sample policy on fighting, though she said it was smart for districts to have one.

Hemp, property tax, school bus safety: Will Ohio lawmakers enact reforms in 2025?

The Ohio legislature passed some 30 bills in its final lame duck session, but even a December flurry of legislation wasn’t enough to cover all of the state’s priorities.

• Governor’s priority: Gov. Mike DeWine has made a public request for the legislature to either fully ban or age-restrict the sales of intoxicating hemp products. Despite being a priority of both the Ohio House and Senate, over a year of negotiation between the two chambers never yielded an agreement.

• Property tax concerns: There were 23 standalone bills introduced over the past two years to tackle property taxes, which skyrocketed in a handful of Ohio counties this year as a result of soaring housing prices, but only two relatively meager bills made it into law.

• Bus safety: Also unheeded were proposals from a governor’s task force on school bus safety following a Clark County school bus crash that killed an 11-year-old student.

What to know today

• Tip of the day: Nearly 100 new restaurants opened in the Dayton region in 2024. Click here to find a new place to try.

• Things to do: Here are 10 performances to see in January throughout the Dayton region.

• Photo of the day: Hope Jeter pushes Fatima Jeter and Avery Gharst on a warm winter day at Five Rivers MetroPark ice rink at RiverScape Thursday. Photographer Jim Noelker was there to capture the scene.