Right to Learn - Clarissa's Story - Failure to Transfer School Records Affects Children Across the State

All children deserve stable education. But when Clarissa, an ABLE client with a special education plan, had to move one summer, her education at her next school fell apart. Instead of a small classroom with the help Clarissa needed for her diagnosed mental health needs, Clarissa’s new school put her in a regular class. She did not get her much-needed instruction on adapting and coping skills, which could have helped her transition. And she was not provided with the accommodations for her disability, like taking breaks when overwhelmed. She regressed and was less able to learn than at her old school. Only after her ABLE attorney, got involved did the school transfer the records so Clarissa could get into the right class for her. Clarissa’s challenging situation calls for a systemic solution.

Clarissa is not alone. When children change schools, their old schools often fail to timely transfer educational records. That makes it impossible for their new schools to know and continue to give children a meaningful opportunity to learn. Because children living in poverty move more because of their family’s housing insecurity, slow record transfers profoundly affect their opportunities to get an education. This problem is amplified by the eviction crisis in several of Ohio’s cities.

That includes the right high school classes. Over the last year, ABLE received distressed calls from parents seeking help to get a child’s transcript from a previous school. Without the official transcript, the new school’s hands were tied. The child had to repeat courses, holding back the child’s opportunity for graduation.

Timely-sent records ensure children are in the right classes, get credits in required courses, and get the services they need for disabilities and health conditions.

On March 9, 2021, ABLE attorney Taylor Burns urged passage of a law to ensure schools transfer records promptly. Specifically, that the old school send the records within five days of the new school’s request for them. Burns urged the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Education Committee, “As a state, we must act to ensure that our increasingly mobile student populations are served through the transitions in their lives.” Read her testimony in its entirety here.