Ohio schools will now be subject to annual health inspections after the accidental death of a 6-year-old student in Lebanon.
Jarod's Law, named after Lebanon student Jarod Bennett and passed Dec. 19, 2004, requires public and private schools to get annual health inspections from the Ohio State Board of Health. The reports from those inspections are then made public, and administrators are given deadlines to fix any health hazards.
Bennett was participating in an after school program when a 290-pound folded cafeteria table fell on top of him and caused fatal injuries. The event prompted Bennett's parents to research similar accidents in schools, and they found folded tables had killed more than a dozen children.
Bennett's parents contacted state Rep. Tom Raga, D-Mason, who is also republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell's choice for lieutenant governor, and asked him to help pass legislation to prevent future accidents. Raga was moved by their tragic story and sponsored the bill for Jarod's Law.
Their passion inspired me to get involved
Raga said.
The Athens City-County Health Department will perform the health inspections for Athens County schools.
We have the authority through the Public Health Council to conduct the inspections in schools ACCHD administrator Charles Hammer said. We will be very much involved in (the law's) implementation.
The Ohio Public Health Council is currently coming up with rules for Jarod's Law, which Hammer believes will be finalized in the spring.
We have been doing school environmental health inspections for years but now the inspections will be more comprehensive
Hammer said.
Athens City School Superintendent Carl Martin said Athens schools have routinely made health inspections, but he is not opposed to Jarod's Law if it makes things safer for the students and the staff.
The new law is an unfunded mandate, and the health department will have to absorb the cost of the inspections, Hammer said. Schools will not be charged any money for the health inspections.
The law will be a low cost way to find and avoid school hazards
Raga said. We're not looking to create a huge expense for schools to comply. Schools just need to use safety precautions.
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