Ohio would offer school psychologists a path to interstate licenses

Ohio would participate in an interstate agreement for licensing school psychologists. The agreement covers qualified school psychologists providing academic, mental health, and behavioral health services in schools in participating states. Applicants must maintain an unrestricted home-state license, meet application and renewal rules, complete background checks, and pay required fees. Participating states must require an approved graduate program, a qualifying national exam, and at least 1,200 supervised internship hours, including at least 600 in a school. Psychologists must meet applicable state-specific requirements and follow practice rules where they work. The agreement's commission may charge states and license holders to fund its work. Ohio's law takes effect October 6, 2026. The agreement starts when a seventh state enacts it; participating states must also meet its admission rules.

Covered public high schools would adopt policies allowing neighboring students to request participation in activities their schools do not offer. This covers district, charter, and STEM high schools belonging to an organization that regulates school sports. Neighboring schools include schools in the same or directly bordering districts, plus island district high schools for districts bordering Lake Erie. Both school leaders must approve participation. The student's district must certify that the student has not participated in that activity there during that school year. Students in districts with multiple high schools must first request participation at another district high school that offers the activity. If denied, they may request participation outside their district. Students must meet the host school's age, grade, academic, other eligibility, and fee requirements, including tryouts. Wanting a different competition level alone does not qualify. Students cannot participate in the same activity at more than one high school through this route in one school year. If their school drops an activity after a regular-season contest, they must wait until the next school year to request participation elsewhere. The law takes effect October 6, 2026. Participation policies apply beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.

School district boards would provide lessons aligned with the success sequence. Districts would include the lessons in one or more courses covered by the referenced high school course requirements. Districts may use state-reviewed materials, another aligned curriculum, or lessons combined with other required subjects. The education department must maintain a list of materials for grades six through twelve that reflect research on the sequence's stated outcomes. The instruction provisions take effect October 6, 2026.

Ohio's education department would report on statewide tests combining state learning standards with national comparisons. The combined system would cover the same grades and subjects as the listed diagnostic, state achievement, and end-of-course tests. Its tests would replace those tests. The report must consider testing time, results within one week, student growth, test reliability, federal requirements, and comparisons of costs and results. For grades and subjects covered by the combined system, the department could not require a separate national comparison test unless federal law requires it or the legislature expressly allows it. The law takes effect October 6, 2026. The report to legislative education committees is due November 15, 2026; no separate start date for replacement tests is stated.

Massage therapists would need approved continuing education to renew Ohio licenses. The interstate agreement also specifies education and exam options for applicants. Continuing education applies to Ohio massage license renewals. Interstate licensing covers eligible therapists with active licenses in participating home states. The licensing board sets education hours and approves activities and exceptions. Reinstatement requires meeting education rules and paying outstanding fees and a penalty. Interstate education options include at least 625 training hours, home-state qualifying education plus two continuous years licensed in good standing, or a commission-approved equivalent. Active-duty military members and their spouses may meet the interstate education requirement by graduating from a program meeting their designated home state's licensing standards. Interstate applicants must pass an accepted national exam, rather than a state-administered exam, and meet background-check, criminal-history, license-discipline, and fee requirements. Compact amendments become binding only after every participating state enacts them. Ohio's law takes effect October 6, 2026. Education must be completed during the current licensing period. After license forfeiture lasting two or more years, the board may also require training or testing for reinstatement.