Every morning in the Ohio Capital Journal’s free newsletter, The Eye-Opener, we round up the news and commentary from across Ohio and around the country and world that is catching our attention. We call this feature Catching Our Eye, republished here.

Please subscribe to our free daily newsletter to get all the Ohio news you need to know right to your inbox every weekday morning.

If you already subscribe, please share with your family and friends so they know about the Ohio Capital Journal too: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/subscribe/

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

Catching Our Eye

• Privatizing education. Jessie Balmert reports in the Columbus Dispatch, “Ohio could close, convert struggling schools under proposed changes.”

Chronically struggling public schools could be converted into charter schools, have their leadership replaced or be forced to close, according to proposed changes Ohio wants federal education officials to approve.

The proposal lists 16 ways to improve the state’s lowest-performing schools, which include high schools where at least a third of students do not graduate. But Ohio school leaders worry that the changes go too far and weren’t properly vetted.

• Living with disabilities. Cleveland.com’s Karan Singh reports, “An alternative to guardianship? Ohio bill promises more independence for adults with disabilities. Critics see risks.”

For Ohio adults with developmental disabilities who need help navigating major decisions, the legal options can present a stark choice: retain full control or, if a court finds them legally incompetent, have a guardian appointed with authority to make certain decisions for them.

A bill moving through the Ohio legislature seeks to establish a middle ground.

• Flock. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s David Ferrara and Quinlan Bentley report, “More than 1,000 Flock cameras watch Cincinnati area. Resistance is growing.”

Police are using a private network of Flock license plate cameras to track people. While law enforcement credits the technology with solving crimes, its use has sparked a backlash from privacy advocates and some residents.

The growing network of more than 1,100 cameras in Greater Cincinnati creates a vast surveillance web with inconsistent usage policies.

• Youth homes. The Dayton Daily News’ Avery Kreemer reports, “Local lawmakers picked for new committee to address delinquent youth group homes.”

A new Ohio legislative study committee will soon begin evaluating the impacts of courts ordering delinquent youth to stay in residential group homes, a practice that has drawn concern and scrutiny in the area due to Montgomery County’s outsized number of group homes.

The committee, set to convene Monday, Aug. 24, will feature state Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, as co-chair, Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp. and a handful of other select lawmakers; alongside representatives from various state departments, county children services agencies, juvenile courts, group homes, law enforcement agencies and more.

• SNAP cuts. The Toledo Blade’s Chantal Eulenstein reports, “SNAP funding cuts leave Lucas County with $2.5 million gap.”

Lucas County Job & Family Services will see a significant funding cut this fall as it administers programs that provide food, cash, and other assistance to low-income residents.

The agency oversees local administration of programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.

The reductions stem from the federal tax and spending law signed by President Trump, which is expected to cut SNAP spending by $187 billion through 2034.

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE