Republican state lawmakers are hoping to help send a particular group of at-risk kids to college – those whose parents are addicted to opioids and other drugs. They'd do it with a program that they hope to create with legislation being introduced soon.
OhioCorps would create community opportunities for high school students to earn money for college, and then once in one of Ohio’s 14 public universities, they’d earn college credit for mentoring children of addicts in middle and high school. It’ll likely start as a pilot program in hard-hit southern Ohio.
The legislation is sponsored by Republican state Reps. Scott Ryan of Granville and Bill Reineke of Tiffin.
Daisy Tolliver, a freshman at Waverly High School in Pike County, said she wants to major in business to open a dance studio.
“It’s like a new future and something we grew up – we didn’t see that stuff, with our moms doing drugs, our father, alcohol, everything,” Tolliver says. “It’s just a goal that we can strive to get at it.”
There’s no word on how much OhioCorps would cost in state funds, but House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger says he’s also approached big drug makers to pitch in some money.
