Get the Facts

As a preventative measure, the district partners with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office to conduct canine team walkthroughs of Olentangy’s middle schools and high schools.  Students are not given prior notice of these walkthroughs, which occur approximately one-to-four times per year in each secondary building.  Click here to learn more about the canine team walkthroughs.

An investigation would begin immediately if a staff member received a report or had other reason to believe that a student was under the influence of drugs or in possession of drugs.  This investigation and any resulting discipline would follow the code of conduct outlined in the student handbook.

Olentangy Liberty High School will hold prom for the upcoming school year (2012-13) on April 27, 2013.  The commencement ceremonies for all three high schools will be held at the Ohio Expo Center on June 1, 2013 at the following times:

• Olentangy High School: 10 a.m.
• Olentangy Liberty High School: 2 p.m.
• Olentangy Orange High School: 6 p.m.

Graduation ceremonies for the current (2011-12) school year will be held at the Ohio Expo Center on June 2, 2012 at the following times:

• Olentangy Orange High School: 10 a.m.
• Olentangy High School: 2 p.m.
• Olentangy Liberty High School: 6 p.m.

Next year, OOMS and OOHS will share transportation and routes, similar to other middle and high schools in the district.  In order to accomplish this, OOMS will become an “early start” middle school building, beginning school at 7:40 a.m. and ending at 2:45 p.m. Transportation will stagger pick-ups and drop-offs at OOMS and OOHS.

Over the past several years, late starts for students were in place to allow for regular professional development time for teachers. Beginning in 2012-13, professional development time for teachers will be scheduled during three full days throughout the year. Professional development days are slated to occur  September, November, and February. As a result, there are no longer late starts scheduled in the 2012-13 school year and beyond.

The Olentangy Board of Education will consider the 2013-14 academic calendar during its April 26 business meeting.  Once the calendar is approved, it will be posted in the “Coming Events” box on the district website and administrators will begin work on the 2014-15 calendar.

Olentangy teachers are trained on testing ethics and security every year, and the district is confident that its test scores are the result of great teaching, talented students and supportive families.

Each year Olentangy studies testing results and compares them to district projections, statewide test-result trends and the goals laid out in the district and building Continuous Improvement Plans (CIPs).  The results of these studies are published in the district’s Annual Report on Academic Achievement, which is accessible at this link.  Any questions about this document can be directed to the Achievement and Accountability Department at (740) 657-4050.

The Ohio Department of Education, in consultation with a national panel of testing experts, conducts its own analysis of test data to search for unusual patterns.  Neither ODE nor the panel of external experts agrees with or endorses the methodology used by the newspaper.

Manufacturers are not required to label a product as containing Lean Finely Textured Beef (a.k.a. “pink slime”), but since it is estimated that approximately 70 percent of ground beef sold commercially contains this ingredient, it is likely that some of the products purchased by Olentangy’s food service department contain this ingredient.  Just like parents, schools rely on the U.S. government to inspect and certify the safety of the foods they purchase.  The USDA, which administers the National School Lunch Program, has allowed Lean Finely Textured Beef to be a component of the products it distributes since the early 1990s.

On March 15, the USDA announced it would offer schools new ground beef options beginning in the 2012-13 school year.  Olentangy’s goal is to provide nutritious meals for students, and the food service department looks forward to learning how the new options from the USDA might help in that effort.

While Olentangy does not currently offer classes in American Sign Language, students who study this subject outside of the district can earn high school credit by going through the credit flex process.  Click here for more information on the credit flexibility program.

Olentangy does not currently test its schools for radon, as there is no state requirement to do so.  However operations and facilities personnel are researching this issue to learn more about the potential costs associated with testing the district’s 23 school buildings.  They are also researching what type of resources might be available to assist in this process.

You can learn more about Olentangy’s gifted services by clicking here.  You can learn more about the honors and Advanced Placement classes offered at Olentangy’s high schools by clicking here to access the 2012-13 Course Planning Guide.

During the 2010-11 school year 68.2% of high school students in the district took at least one Advanced Placement class.  During that same time, the district’s mean ACT score was 24.2.  Data for each individual building can be found in the 2011 Annual Report on Academic Achievement.

Remediation rates are calculated by the Ohio Board of Regents, and available at the following link: http://www.ohiohighered.org/data/transition-report.