Pursuant to section 3313.605 of the Revised Code, the state superintendent of public instruction is required to adopt rules for granting a student special certification upon successful completion of an approved community service learning project.

(A) Governing authority, for the purpose of this rule, shall mean the board of education of a city, local, exempted village and joint vocational school district, the governing authority of a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, and the governing body of a STEM school established under Chapter 3326 of the Revised Code.

(B) The governing authority of a school that includes community service education in its education program shall, pursuant to section 3313.605 of the Revised Code, award the community service learning special recognition to any graduating senior who is determined to be eligible in accordance with the following provisions:

• (1) Completes the high school curriculum, individualized education program, or career-technical education program as developed for the student by the high school;
• (2) Attains proficient scores on all Ohio graduation tests required for high school graduation under division (B) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code, or meets one of the conditions in division (A) of section 3313.618 of the Revised Code, or an alternative pathway, and;
• (3) Successfully completes a community service-learning project in grades nine through twelve that receives an excellent rating on the Ohio community service-learning project rubric available at www.education.ohio.gov.

(C) Pursuant to division (B)(1) of section 3313.605 of the Revised Code, a governing authority that includes community service learning in its education program shall do the following:

• (1) Establish a community service learning advisory committee that shall make recommendations and oversee and assist in the implementation of the community service learning plan;
• (2) Determine the membership and organization of its advisory committee, or designate the responsibilities to an existing committee; and.
• (a) Each committee shall include at least two students and shall also include (or consult with) at least one person employed in the field of volunteer management.
• (b) Committee members may include parents, teachers, administrators, representatives of other educational institutions, business, government, nonprofit organizations, veterans organizations, social service agencies, religious organizations, and philanthropies.
• (3) Prior to the beginning of each school year, notify all high school students and parents of the criteria required for earning the community service learning special certification as provided for by this rule.

(D) Pursuant to division (B)(2) of section 3313.605 of the Revised Code, a community service learning plan adopted pursuant to this rule shall be based upon the recommendations of the advisory committee and shall provide for the following:

• (1) Integration of community service into the curriculum;

(A) The purpose for adopting the rules in this chapter, which comprise the operating Standard for Ohio school districts and elementary and secondary schools, is to assure that all students are provided a general education of high quality. The rules in this chapter establish specific expectations for school districts and schools to use in creating the best learning conditions for meeting the personalized and individualized needs of each student and achieving state and local educational goals and objectives. The operating Standard focus on the most critical expectations for school districts and schools in order to foster a regulatory system that focuses on improving outputs and student outcomes. (B) The following terms are defined as they are used in this chapter: (14) “Extended learning opportunities” means a variety of initiatives that ensure students have access to a diverse array of content-rich, high-quality opportunities that expand the time they are actively engaged in learning. These opportunities provide students with structured opportunities for academic support and enrichment, extra-curricular activities, service-learning; mentoring, recreation, character education, and other developmental activities.

(A) There is hereby created the Ohio commission on service and volunteerism consisting of nineteen voting members including the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent’s designee, the chancellor of higher education or the chancellor’s designee, the director of youth services or the director’s designee, the director of aging or the director’s designee, and fifteen members who shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate and who shall serve terms of office of three years. The appointees shall include educators, including teachers and administrators; representatives of youth organizations; students and parents; representatives of organizations engaged in volunteer program development and management throughout the state, including youth and conservation programs; and representatives of business, government, nonprofit organizations, social service agencies, veterans organizations, religious organizations, or philanthropies that support or encourage volunteerism within the state. The director of the governor’s office of faith-based and community initiatives shall serve as a nonvoting ex officio member of the commission. Members of the commission shall receive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties. (B) The commission shall appoint an executive director for the commission, who shall be in the unclassified civil service. The governor shall be informed of the appointment of an executive director before such an appointment is made. The executive director shall supervise the commission’s activities and report to the commission on the progress of those activities. The executive director shall do all things necessary for the efficient and effective implementation of the duties of the commission. The responsibilities assigned to the executive director do not relieve the members of the commission from final responsibility for the proper performance of the requirements of this section. (C) The commission or its designee shall do all of the following: ... (7) Assist in coordinating and preparing the state application for funds under sections 101 to 184 of the “National and Community Service Act of 1990,” 104 Stat. 3127 (1990), 42 U.S.C.A. 12411 to 12544, as amended, assist in administering and overseeing the “National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993,” P.L. 103-82, 107 Stat. 785, and the americorps program in this state, and assist in developing objectives for a comprehensive strategy to encourage and expand community service programs throughout the state; (8) Assist the state board of education, school districts, the chancellor of higher education, and institutions of higher education in coordinating community service education programs through cooperative efforts between institutions and organizations in the public and private sectors; (9) Assist the departments of natural resources, youth services, aging, and job and family services in coordinating community service programs through cooperative efforts between institutions and organizations in the public and private sectors; (10) Suggest individuals and organizations that are available to assist school districts, institutions of higher education, and the departments of natural resources, youth services, aging, and job and family services in the establishment of community service programs and assist in investigating sources of funding for implementing these programs; (11) Assist in evaluating the state’s efforts in providing community service programs using Standard and methods that are consistent with any statewide objectives for these programs and provide information to the state board of education, school districts, the chancellor of higher education, institutions of higher education, and the departments of natural resources, youth services, aging, and job and family services to guide them in making decisions about these programs

(A) The state board of education is the designated state agency responsible for the coordination and administration of sections 110 to 118 of the “National and Community Service Act of 1990,” 104 Stat. 3127 (1990), 42 U.S.C. 12401 to 12431, as amended. With the assistance of the Ohio commission on service and volunteerism created in section 121.40 of the Revised Code, the state board shall coordinate with other state agencies to apply for funding under the act when appropriate. (B) With the assistance of the Ohio commission on service and volunteerism, the state board of education shall develop a plan to assist school districts in the implementation of section 3313.605 of the Revised Code and other community service activities of school districts. The state board shall encourage the development of school district programs meeting the requirements for funding under the National and Community Service Act of 1990. The plan shall include the investigation of funding from all available sources for school community service education programs, including funds available under the National and Community Service Act of 1990, and the provision of technical assistance to school districts for the implementation of community service education programs. The plan shall also provide for technical assistance to be given to school boards to assist in obtaining funds for community service education programs from any source. (C) With the assistance of the Ohio commission on service and volunteerism, the state board of education shall do all of the following: (1) Disseminate information about school district community service education programs to other school districts and to statewide organizations involved with or promoting volunteerism; (2) Recruit additional school districts to develop community service education programs; (3) Identify or develop model community service programs, teacher training courses, and community service curricula and teaching materials for possible use by school districts in their programs.

(A) As used in this section:

• (1) “Civic responsibility” means the patriotic and ethical duties of all citizens to take an active role in society and to consider the interests and concerns of other individuals in the community.
• (2) “Volunteerism” means nonprofit activity in the United States, the benefits and limitations of nonprofit activities, and the presence and function of nonprofit civic and charitable organizations in the United States.
• (3) “Community service” means a service performed through educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, social service agencies, and philanthropies and generally designed to provide direct experience with people or project planning, with the goal of improving the quality of life for the community. Such activities may include but are not limited to tutoring, literacy training, neighborhood improvement, encouraging interracial and multicultural understanding, promoting ideals of patriotism, increasing environmental safety, assisting the elderly or disabled, and providing mental health care, housing, drug abuse prevention programs, and other philanthropic programs, particularly for disadvantaged or low-income persons.

(B) The board of education of each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district , the governing authority of each community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, and the governing body of each STEM school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code may include community service education in its educational program. A governing board of an educational service center, upon the request of a local school district board of education, may provide a community service education program for the local district pursuant to this section. If a board, governing authority, or governing body includes community service education in its education program, the board, governing authority, or governing body shall do both of the following:

• (1) Establish a community service advisory committee. The committee shall provide recommendations to the board, governing authority, or governing body regarding a community service plan for students and shall oversee and assist in the implementation of the plan adopted by the board, governing authority, or governing body under division (B)(2) of this section. Each board, governing authority, or governing body shall determine the membership and organization of its advisory committee and may designate an existing committee established for another purpose to serve as the community service advisory committee; however, each such committee shall include two or more students and shall include or consult with at least one person employed in the field of volunteer management who devotes at least fifty per cent of employment hours to coordinating volunteerism among community organizations. The committee members may include representatives of parents, teachers, administrators, other educational institutions, business, government, nonprofit organizations, veterans organizations, social service agencies, religious organizations, and philanthropies.
• (2) Develop and implement a community service plan . To assist in establishing its plan, the board, governing authority, or governing body shall consult with and may contract with one or more local or regional organizations with experience in volunteer program development and management. Each community service plan adopted under this division shall be based upon the recommendations of the advisory committee and shall provide for all of the following:
• (a) Education of students in the value of community service and its contributions to the history of this state and this nation;
• (b) Identification of opportunities for students to provide community service;
• (c) Encouragement of students to provide community service;
• (d) Integration of community service opportunities into the curriculum;
• (e) A community service instructional program for teachers, including strategies for the teaching of community service education, for the discovery of community service opportunities, and for the motivation of students to become involved in community service.

Plans shall be reviewed periodically by the advisory committee and, if necessary, revised by the board, governing authority, or governing body at least once every five years.

Plans shall provide for students to perform services under the plan that will not supplant the hiring of, result in the displacement of, or impair any existing employment contract of any particular employee of any private or governmental entity for which the services are performed. The plan shall provide for any entity utilizing a student to perform community service under the plan to verify to the board that the student does not supplant the hiring of, displace, or impair the employment contract of any particular employee of the entity.

Upon adoption, a board, governing authority, or governing body shall submit a copy of its plan to the department of education. Each city and exempted village board of education and each governing board of a service center shall include a copy of its plan in any course of study adopted under section 3313.60 of the Revised Code that is required to be submitted for approval to the state board for review. A joint vocational school district board of education shall submit a copy of its plan to the state board for review when required to do so by the state board. A local board shall forward its plan to the educational service center governing board for inclusion in the governing board's course of study. The department periodically shall review all plans and publish those plans that could serve as models for other school districts , educational service centers, community schools, or

STEM schools.

(C) Under this section, a board , governing authority, or governing body may only grant high school credit for a community service education course if approximately half of the course is devoted to classroom study of such matters as civic responsibility, the history of volunteerism, and community service training and approximately half of the course is devoted to community service.

Each board, governing authority, or governing body shall determine which specific activities will serve to fulfill the required hours of community service.

(D) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop guidelines for the development and implementation of a rubric to evaluate and rate community service education projects for use by districts, governing authorities, and governing boards that adopt a community service education plan.

(E) The state superintendent shall adopt rules for granting a student special certification, special recognition on a diploma, or special notification in the student's record upon the student's successful completion of an approved community service project.

The district board, governing authority, or governing body shall use a rubric developed in accordance with division (D) of this section to determine whether a community service project warrants recognition on a student's diploma under this division.

As used in this section, “community service” has the same meaning as in section 3313.605 of the Revised Code. The state board of education shall adopt rules establishing qualifications for the teaching of community service education for high school credit under division (C) of section 3313.605 of the Revised Code. In addition, the board shall provide technical assistance to school districts providing community service instructional programs for teachers.