Columbus City Schools

A total of nine schools was suggested in June by a community task force, though a final list of which schools will close has not yet been determined.

Independence High School teachers told the Columbus Board of Education Wednesday their population grew from around 600 students to 900. Many of these new students speak Haitian-Creole or Spanish.

Columbus School Board President Christina Vera said board members were able to talk with teachers, students, and in some cases, families.

The volunteer group charged with recommending which buildings should close met in June and listed the nine schools it had recommended for closure.

Families of around 100 students who were told they were impractical to bus rejected the district's offer of payment in lieu of transportation.

Columbus City Schools' board Vice President Tina Pierce released a 19-minute phone call with board member Brandon Simmons to show she had nothing to do with a controversial memo.

Yost's motion in his lawsuit against CCS claims that state law requires a district to provide busing after a student challenges a transportation decision.

The lawsuit against Columbus schools for paying parents instead of transporting their kids is driven by a practice also long common to some big Northeast Ohio districts.

The suit by parents of a student who lives in the Columbus school district said the schools are obligated to provide transportation.

The board voted 6-1 to request Simmons' resignation. The vote also was the second censure against Simmons. It aims to restrict his access to school buildings due to what other members of the board allege are "security concerns."