State school-board president defends Hitler post on Facebook

State Board of Education President Debe Terhar said she was not comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler when she posted a photograph of the Nazi leader on her Facebook page with a message critical of the administration’s new gun-control efforts, the Columbus Dispatch reports. But she does say we “need to step back and think about it and look at history” to see that tyrants have disarmed their citizens. Terhar, a Cincinnati Republican elected last week by the 19-member school board to a second term as its president, recently posted the picture with this commentary: “Never forget what this tyrant said: ‘To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens.’ — Adolf Hitler.” The photograph apparently originated with the Facebook page of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children, which features a variety of anti-Obama, pro-gun posts and photos, such as scantily clad women hoisting large guns, a polar bear with the words “Holy f*** I’m glad I’m white,” and another saying “Where’s Lee Harvey Oswalt when you need him?”

Click here for the full story

…Read More

District to test calamity-day alternative

About 700 students in a rural school district in western Ohio will be guinea pigs for the rest of the state this winter when they use the internet to connect to their classes during inclement weather, reports the Columbus Dispatch. The program, a test that will be used to gauge the effectiveness of on-demand online education, could be an answer to the question of how the state will address calamity days in the future. Officials with the Ohio Department of Education want to see how the program at Mississinawa Valley Schools in Darke County works before other districts get a chance to try something similar. It’s a decision that has at least one central Ohio school rethinking its plans for the winter. The Knox County Career Center in Mount Vernon had planned to start a similar program this year to avoid calamity days by having students log into an online classroom on days when the district normally would close because of bad weather. The district never received permission from the state to move forward with the plan, however…

Click here for the full story

…Read More

Ohio bill calls for electronic versions of textbooks

Saying they could save more than 50 percent off the cost of textbooks, some House Democrats want to give Ohio college students the chance to trade in their piles of expensive books for laptops or other electronic readers, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Supporters of the bill—as well as the Ohio Board of Regents, which says it is neutral on the plan—say the key is convincing university faculty members that digital textbooks can work as well as the paper versions. Individual professors are responsible for choosing the textbooks used in their classes. Under the bill, the regents would have two years to require publishers to offer electronic versions of textbooks. Publishers also would be required to provide textbook formats for students with disabilities. “Our bill will use technology and common sense to lower the cost of textbooks on Ohio’s campuses,” said Rep. Matt Lundy, D-Elyria, who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Matt Patten, D-Strongsville. “We can’t ask students and families to shoulder the unnecessary costs of excessive textbook prices.” Lundy said textbook costs increased an average of 6 percent per year from 1986 to 2006 and have risen 10 percent a year since. By delaying the electronic-materials requirement for two years, “we’ll be giving the publishers more than enough heads-up,” he said…

Click here for the full story

…Read More