To amend sections 2151.421, 3314.03, 3326.11, 3328.24, 5180.40, 5180.401, 5180.402, 5180.403, and 5180.404 and to enact sections 3313.961, 5180.408, 5180.409, 5180.4010, and 5180.4011 of the Revised Code to make changes to the law regarding the uniform statewide automated child welfare information system, to require public schools to appoint a child protection liaison, and to name this act Kei'Mani's Law.
HB707, titled Kei'Mani's Law, would make a series of changes to Ohio’s child abuse and neglect reporting and case-tracking framework. It revises the mandatory reporting statute to clarify who must report suspected abuse or neglect, preserves existing confidentiality and privilege rules with specified exceptions, and continues to require prompt reporting to public children services agencies or law enforcement. The bill also expands and formalizes the role of the state’s uniform statewide automated child welfare information system by requiring automatic notifications when a report is entered, regular case updates, and quarterly reporting to the General Assembly on system performance and compliance.
The bill also creates a new school-based child protection liaison position in every school district, community school, STEM school, and college-preparatory boarding school. That liaison would serve as the point of contact for child abuse and neglect cases involving students, monitor case progress, and use the statewide child welfare system as needed. The Department of Children and Youth would be required to provide training for these liaisons and to certify that training annually, while public children services agencies would have to notify schools and law enforcement more quickly and keep case records active until a case is resolved or services end.
HB707 would amend Ohio’s Revised Code to strengthen child welfare information-sharing, reporting, and coordination among public children services agencies, law enforcement, schools, prosecutors, and courts. It adds new statutory duties for schools to designate child protection liaisons and for the Department of Children and Youth to maintain, secure, train users on, and report to the legislature about the statewide child welfare information system. It also updates related provisions in community school, STEM school, and college-preparatory boarding school law to incorporate the new liaison requirement and the revised child welfare system rules.
Based on the bill’s introduction and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the available sentiment appears neutral-to-supportive in purpose, with the bill framed as a child protection and coordination measure. The title and structure suggest a response to a child safety case and an effort to improve communication and oversight across agencies and schools. No formal opposition or support is documented in the provided context.
The main areas likely to draw scrutiny are the bill’s expanded information-sharing and reporting obligations, especially the automatic notifications to schools, prosecutors, and law enforcement, and the requirement that schools appoint and train a child protection liaison. Privacy, confidentiality, and implementation burden are the most obvious points of tension: the bill authorizes broader access to sensitive child welfare information for specified entities while also imposing new training, update, and reporting duties on agencies and schools. Another possible point of contention is the bill’s interaction with existing privilege rules and mandatory reporting exceptions, though the text preserves some protections and narrowly defines the new disclosure requirements.