OH HB165

School districts and chartered nonpublic schools must reimburse licensed educators for the full cost of completing 1-3 graduate-level credit hours (or equivalent continuing education units) in implicit bias training, beginning July 1, 2025

Training must meet minimum standards established by the State Board of Education and Chancellor of Higher Education, including a definition of implicit bias, examples, methods to identify susceptibility to unwanted bias, and voluntary evidence-based mitigation strategies

Implicit bias training meeting these standards counts toward professional development coursework requirements for teacher licensure renewal

The Department of Education and Workforce will reimburse districts and schools for the training costs they pay to employees, minus any other tuition reimbursement or professional development stipends already provided

Appropriates $750,000 from the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year 2026 and $750,000 for fiscal year 2027 to fund the state reimbursements through the Educator Preparation budget line item