State finds no new cases of 'scrubbing' in area schools

State auditor of Ohio Dave Yost goes over the School Attendance Data Interim Report during a press conference in his Columbus office.

The second phase of a statewide audit into possible manipulation of school attendance data found no new instances of improper "scrubbing."

State Auditor Dave Yost released a report Tuesday on the latest phase of his investigation into reports that some schools withdrew then re-enrolled truant students.

His office investigated 81 school buildings in 47 districts, all with levies on the November ballot, including three schools in the Bowling Green City Schools. None of the schools tested during this phase showed signs of improper or illegal attendance reporting practices.

“I’m surprised and pleased,” Mr.Yost said in a statement. “To have zero incidents of ‘scrubbing’ is encouraging news.”

The first phase, released earlier this month, cited several schools - including eight in Toledo Public Schools - for what the auditor's office considered improper scrubbing of truant students. Though that report flagged the TPS schools, it did not identify specific issues at those schools only noting that their attendance-reporting practices were improper.