Rule 3301-3-01 | Scope and definitions.
(A) Pursuant to section 3301.075 of the Revised Code, all Ohio education computer network user entities and information technology centers will comply with all rules in this chapter.
(B) Terminology used in this chapter are defined as follows:
(1) "Accountability system for the Ohio education computer network" (OECN) means the collective grouping of instruments used by the department of education and workforce to determine the quality and adequacy of services provided by an information technology center. These instruments may include, but not be limited to, the following: any materials produced by other governmental agencies or trusted third parties at the request of the department or in the normal course of doing business; user satisfaction surveys; quality implementation metrics; service-level agreements and compliance therewith; site reviews; and continuous improvement plans.
(2) "ADM" means total average daily membership by school building and district as certified by the department from data collected from districts during the designated EMIS counting period, as published in the school district payment report of either the second report in March or the second report in July, whichever is most recent, or any report designated by the department as a replacement for the school district payment report.
(3) "Biometrics" means to verify the identity of and establish a user's permission to access a network, computer system, or software application by means of unique physical characteristics such as fingerprints, palm prints, or retina scans.
(4) "Business continuity plan" and "disaster recovery plan" may be used interchangeablyto mean a document defining actions that will be taken to restore or replicate operations in the event of an unplanned and extended service outage.
(5) "Continuous improvement plan" means an annual report produced by an information technology center that describes actions to improve the quality of services, customer satisfaction, or operation efficiencies of the information technology center.
(6) "Corrective action plan" means a plan developed by an information technology center, in cooperation with the department, outlining a course of action intended to return the information technology center to full compliance with rule 3301-3-05 of the Administrative Code.
(7) "Core services" are the minimum set of state-subsidized information technology services that each information technology center will offer to its user entities as determined by the department. This minimum set of information technology services will be determined through policies issued and guidelines periodically communicated by the department. These services may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
(a) Fiscal services, including accounting (cash basis with generally accepted accounting practice extensions), payroll/personnel, and fixed asset accounting;
(b) Student records management, including provisions for student scheduling, grade reporting, attendance tracking, and tracking of special education needs;
(c) State-mandated data reporting, including access to the appropriate department databases and software applications;
(d) Library automation, curricular resources, and educational technology services to support academic content standards and effective instruction;
(e) Internet access and networking services, including email and the support of data exchange within an information technology center's user entities and across different information technology centers and their user entities.
(8) "Council of governments" (COG) means a regional organization of public governmental entities established pursuant to Chapter 167. of the Revised Code.
(9) "Data release policy" means a formal policy adopted by an information technology center to describe the process, permissions, and controls used to determine how data held in trust by the information technology center may be shared with other parties upon request.
(10) "Data retention policy" means a formal policy adopted by an information technology center to describe the methods and timeline for preserving and/or appropriately disposing of a user entity's historical data.
(11) "Department" means the department of education and workforce.
(12) "District" means any city, county, exempted village, local, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district as classified pursuant to section 3311.01 of the Revised Code or any public community school as classified pursuant to section 3314.01 of the Revised Code.
(13) "Electronic format" means a method of organizing data elements that enables data generated by one computer system to be read and used by another computer system without further human adjustment or modification of the transfer medium.
(14) "Electronic networking" means a data communication configuration in which two or more devices are connected to enable information transfer. Such a configuration permits the electronic linkage of computer systems over a large geographic area.
(15) "End user" means any employee of a user entity who interacts with an information technology center and is a direct recipient and benefactor of the core services.
(16) "Fiscal agent" means a board of education or governing board of a school district, educational service center, or council of government that has been designated by a computer consortium's governing body to function as the custodian of funds for that consortium organization pursuant to section 3313.92 of the Revised Code, or a treasurer licensed in accordance with section 3301.074 of the Revised Code and employed by an information technology center organized as a council of governments pursuant to Chapter 167, of the Revised Code.
(17) "Governing body" means the collective group of user entity representatives with authority to determine the operational management of the information technology center as established by the information technology center governance document.
(18) "Governance document" means the formal document approved by the user entities of an information technology center to delineate the organizational structure and operational rules of the information technology center and outline the responsibilities assigned to key management roles.
(19) "Incident response plan" means a document defining actions that will be taken to detect, identify, mitigate, and report a security breach or data loss.
(20) "Information technology" means that whole body of methods and materials, including the use of computer systems and related electronic devices, that is utilized to process information.
(21) "Information technology center" (ITC) means an entity that has been authorized pursuant to section 3301.075 of the Revised Code and authorized by the department to provide core services to user entities.
(22) "Multifactor authentication" means a multi-step process used to verify the identity of a user and establish the user's permission to access a network, computer system, or software application.
(23) "Ohio education computer network" (OECN) means that collective group of information technology centers authorized pursuant to section 3301.075 of the Revised Code, and their participating school districts and community schools. Such centers, in conjunction with the department, comprise a statewide delivery system to provide comprehensive, cost-efficient information technology services for participating Ohio school districts and community schools.
(24) "Quality implementation metrics" are the data reported to the department that reflect information technology center actual performance relative to the quality implementation standards.
(25) "Quality implementation standards" are the benchmarks set by the department for successful delivery of core services.
(26) "Security token" means an electronic device carried by an individual for use in multifactor authentication.
(27) "Site permit" or "permit" means a document issued by the department recognizing and authorizing an entity organized pursuant to rule 3301-3-02 of the Administrative Code to operate as an information technology center.
(28) "Site review" means an on-site peer review conducted by the department or its designee as a means to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of core services and the general user entity satisfaction of an information technology center.
(29) "User entity" means any organization authorized by the department to utilize the services of an information technology center. Such a user entity will have voting representation in the information technology center. The user entity may be any district or community school as defined in paragraph (B)(12) of this rule or any other public entity as determined by the department.
Last updated September 28, 2026 at 11:24 AM
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