New legislation has been introduced to block the state from taking over additional local school districts and privatizing local school boards. 

State Reps. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, made this proposal following the state takeovers of Youngstown City Schools and Lorain City Schools, which they say "has failed to produce any meaningful improvement or results."

"Ohio needs to invest in our kids and families, not wrestle control away from democratically elected leaders," Rep. Smith said. "Local leaders have known what is best for their kids for a long time. It is state government that needs to change its approach."

Under the proposed moratorium, state report card grades -- whether they were given prior to or under the moratorium -- would not affect a school's chance for a state takeover and school board privatization in the future, according to a release.

This ban on state takeovers, or "academic distress commissions," would last three years, through 2021.

The release says the structure of academic distress commissions was changed to fast-track a state takeover of local school districts when they receive three consecutive failing state report card grades. Under the new law, schools are put under a state-run academic distress commission instead of a publicly elected board and CEO put in place to run the school.

The lawmakers believe their ban would allow more time to find a solution.

"The takeovers in Youngstown and Lorain have had atrocious results but there are models out there that work," Rep. Fedor said. "This moratorium will give us time to find the ways that will actually improve schools for our students and communities."