To amend sections 3314.03, 3326.11, and 3328.24 and to enact sections 5.2322 and 3313.475 of the Revised Code to enact the Graduation Readiness and Development (GRAD) Act regarding exit orientation programs at public high schools and to designate September as "Workforce Development Month."
HB119, the Graduation Readiness and Development (GRAD) Act, would require the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to adopt rules for an annual “exit orientation program” for 11th- and 12th-grade students. The program is intended to help students prepare for the workforce, postsecondary education, or military service. The required orientation topics include federal student loans and grants, internships and apprenticeships, microcredential and workforce training programs, technical and vocational education, voter registration and voting procedures, military enlistment, local job opportunities, public employment services, healthcare clinics, and STD testing facilities.
Each city, exempted village, and local school district would have to host the orientation every September for all high school juniors and seniors. The bill also requires districts to allow participation by labor organizations, military branches, workforce training providers, vocational schools, chambers of commerce, and private businesses. Local workforce boards and OhioMeansJobs operators would be required to help plan the program, align it with local labor market needs, and coordinate employer and chamber participation. The bill also designates September as “Workforce Development Month.”
The bill would add a new section to the Revised Code establishing the GRAD Act and the September workforce development designation, while also amending existing provisions governing community schools, STEM schools, and college-preparatory boarding schools to require compliance with the new exit orientation law. In practical terms, it would create a statewide high school programming mandate for public school districts and extend related compliance obligations to certain charter and specialty schools through their existing statutory frameworks. It would also direct the Department of Education and Workforce to issue rules and guidelines, giving the agency implementation authority over the program’s content and administration.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears informational and policy-oriented rather than overtly contentious. The proposal emphasizes career readiness, postsecondary planning, civic participation, and connections to local employers and training providers, suggesting a broadly workforce-focused and student-supportive intent. Because the bill was only introduced and no vote history is available, there is no clear evidence of formal support or opposition in the record provided.
The main potential points of contention are likely to be the mandatory nature of the program for school districts, the breadth of required topics, and the involvement of outside entities such as labor organizations, private businesses, chambers of commerce, and military recruiters in school programming. Some stakeholders may also question the inclusion of health-related information, including STD testing facilities, in a required high school orientation, or the administrative burden placed on districts and local workforce entities. However, no specific objections or competing viewpoints are documented in the provided committee materials.