Lakewood Board of Education: 2026–27 Calendar, Meetings & Parent Help
Lakewood Board of Education in this guide means the five-member elected Board governing Lakewood City Schools in Lakewood, Ohio. It is not Lakewood Local Schools in Hebron, Lakewood Township schools in New Jersey, or another Lakewood district.
Use this 2026–27 guide to check Board meetings, public comment, school dates, registration, Kindergarten eligibility, preschool, Infinite Campus, meals, school boundaries, special education, Section 504, housing-instability support, health requirements, student records and public records.
Which “Lakewood Board of Education” do you mean?
| School system | Location | Use this article? |
|---|---|---|
| Lakewood City Schools | Lakewood, Ohio | Yes — this is the district covered here. |
| Lakewood Local School District | Hebron / Licking County, Ohio | No — separate Ohio district. |
| Lakewood Township School District | Lakewood, New Jersey | No — separate state and district. |
| Lakewood-area school systems | Washington and other states | No — verify location/domain first. |
Fast verification: the Ohio district covered on this page uses the address 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107 and the Lakewood City Schools website.
Important Lakewood dates happening now
August 21
First instructional day for Lakewood High School grade 9 students.
August 24
First instructional day for other students under the district calendar.
August 24
Next currently listed regular Board meeting at 7:00 p.m.
August 27
First full day for Kindergarten and the 2026 Kindergarten age-cutoff date.
Lakewood Board and district contacts
What the Lakewood Board of Education actually controls
Policy
The Board serves as the district’s policy-making body under Ohio law.
Official decisions
Official Board action occurs through properly convened meetings and Board votes.
Individual members
An individual member does not independently speak or act for the entire Board.
Practical routing: Board members are appropriate for governance and policy concerns. Attendance, teacher communication, registration, health, Infinite Campus, IEP implementation and building-specific issues are normally handled through schools or district departments.
Lakewood Board of Education members
| Board member | Current role |
|---|---|
| Betsy Bergen Shaughnessy | President |
| Lisa Dopman | Vice President |
| Michael J. Callahan | Board Member |
| Colleen Clark-Sutton | Board Member |
| Nora Katzenberger | Board Member |
Use the live roster before formal correspondence. Officer roles are selected through Board organizational action and can change.
Lakewood Board meeting — August 24, 2026
Do not assume the district office is always the meeting location. Lakewood rotates Board meetings among Taft and school cafetoriums during the year.
Recheck the Board page immediately before traveling in case a special meeting, location update or time change has been posted.
Verify the next Lakewood Board meeting →Lakewood Board meeting schedule
The annual schedule changes pattern during the year: January–July generally uses first/third Mondays, while August–November generally uses second/fourth Mondays. December has one regular meeting in 2026.
| Date | Time | Listed location |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Taft Center for Innovation |
| Sep. 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Garfield Cafetorium |
| Sep. 28 | 7:00 p.m. | Lincoln Cafetorium |
| Oct. 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Harrison Cafeteria |
| Oct. 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Grant Cafetorium |
| Nov. 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Lakewood High School Cafeteria |
| Nov. 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Emerson Cafetorium |
| Dec. 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Harding Cafetorium |
Agenda Preparation meetings: dates marked by the district as Agenda Preparation meetings are often used to review matters before later action. Seeing an item discussed does not automatically mean it has been approved.
How to speak at a Lakewood Board meeting
Confirm the meeting
Check the date, time and building before traveling.
Sign in
Visitors who want to address the Board should sign in at the welcome table.
Wait to be recognized
The speaker addresses the Board after being recognized.
Identify yourself and your topic
The Board’s current procedure asks for the speaker’s name, address and subject for discussion.
Use the three-minute limit
Comments should be relevant, concise and limited to three minutes.
Do not disclose unnecessary protected student information in a public meeting. Medical records, disability details, disciplinary records and other personally identifiable education information are better handled through the appropriate private district process.
Expect follow-up rather than instant resolution. The Board notes that some questions cannot be answered immediately and may be referred for additional review.
Regular, special and emergency meeting notice rules
Regular meetings
Agendas go to requested media/interested parties no later than two days before the meeting.
Special meetings
At least 24 hours of notice is provided with time, place and purpose.
Emergency meetings
Immediate notification applies when immediate official Board action is required.
Lakewood City Schools calendar dates families need
Grade 9
First instructional day: August 21, 2026.
Other students
First instructional day under the calendar: August 24.
Kindergarten
First full day: August 27.
Last day
Scheduled student last day: June 3, 2027.
| Date | Calendar event |
|---|---|
| Aug. 21, 2026 | LHS grade 9 first instructional day. |
| Aug. 24 | First instructional day for other students under the district calendar. |
| Aug. 25 | First day of preschool. |
| Aug. 27 | First full Kindergarten day. |
| Sep. 7 | Labor Day — no school; offices closed. |
| Oct. 9 | NEOEA Day — no school. |
| Oct. 28 | Elementary/Middle evening parent conferences; K–12 students attend school. |
| Oct. 29 | Elementary/Middle parent conferences; no school for K–8. LHS evening conferences; grades 9–12 attend. |
| Oct. 30 | LHS evening conferences; grades 9–12 attend. Check detailed calendar for elementary/middle status. |
| Nov. 2 | Professional Learning Day — no school for students. |
| Nov. 3 | Non-instructional day — no school. |
| Nov. 25–27 | Thanksgiving Vacation. |
| Nov. 30 | School reopens. |
| Dec. 18 | Professional Day — no school. |
| Dec. 21 | Winter Break begins. |
| Jan. 4, 2027 | Grades 6–12 return; no school for Pre-K–5. |
| Jan. 5 | All students back in session. |
| Jan. 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day — no school. |
| Feb. 12 | Professional Learning Day — no school. |
| Feb. 15 | Presidents’ Day — no school. |
| Mar. 12 | Elementary professional learning — no school for Pre-K–5. |
| Mar. 26 | Holiday — no school. |
| Mar. 29 | Spring Break begins. |
| Apr. 5 | School reopens. |
| May 31 | Memorial Day — no school. |
| Jun. 3, 2027 | Scheduled last student day. |
Make-up days can affect the year. The district identifies January 17, February 21 and additional days at the end of the school year as potential make-up days if excessive emergency closings occur.
The district publishes 2026–27, preschool and future academic calendars.
Open Lakewood academic calendars →Preschool dates are not identical to K–12
Preschool families should use the preschool calendar. Do not assume every K–12 conference or professional-learning day affects preschool in the same way.
Lakewood Kindergarten age cutoff is August 27, 2026
Eligible
Child turns five years old on or before August 27, 2026.
Normally wait until next year
Child turns five after August 27 unless an applicable early-entrance process changes the outcome.
Do not use Lakewood’s former September 30 cutoff. The district says Ohio law changed eligibility to age five on or before the first Kindergarten school day.
Registration opened February 5, 2026 for the 2026–27 school year, so eligible families can use the new-student registration process now.
Lakewood registration document checklist
Examples of accepted residency records
Utility bill
Must show the parent/guardian name and current Lakewood address.
Executed lease
Should include landlord contact details and persons living at the address.
Bank statement
Must display the current City of Lakewood address.
Owner Affidavit: if the normal residency documents cannot be provided, the district lists an Owner Affidavit option completed and notarized by the landlord/property manager.
Document quality matters: the district asks families using a phone to scan documents rather than upload screenshots, and it may request physical documents later.
The official registration page starts the Infinite Campus enrollment process and provides current forms.
Start Lakewood student registration →McKinney-Vento can change the normal residency workflow
The ordinary registration page says the district does not grant temporary enrollment under its standard residency rule. That should not be read as eliminating federal protections for children and youth experiencing homelessness or unstable housing.
Lakewood preschool registration for ages 3–5
Registration for the 2026–27 preschool year is open. Lakewood offers half-day and full-day options across elementary buildings and Taft Center for Innovation, and the preschool program also accepts non-resident families where program rules and space allow.
3-year-old classes
Child must meet the program’s age requirement for the school year.
4-year-old classes
Multiple program options are available depending on building and schedule.
Potty trained
The registration page states that preschool students must be potty trained.
Grant assistance
Qualifying families may be eligible for an Ohio Early Childhood Education Grant.
Extra preschool registration document: preschool students need a physician medical report in addition to the general district registration documents. A dental health record is optional on the current checklist.
Lakewood City Schools buildings
Elementary schools
Emerson, Grant, Harrison, Hayes, Horace Mann, Lincoln and Roosevelt.
Middle schools
Garfield Middle School and Harding Middle School.
High school
Lakewood High School.
Career-technical
West Shore Career-Technical District programs.
Alternative program
Franklin School of Opportunity.
Innovation
Taft Center for Innovation hosts district programs and Board meetings.
Current school boundaries vs the 2027–28 elementary transition
Current 2026–27 boundary information is still important for today’s assignments, but Lakewood has approved a significant elementary restructuring for the following school year.
Current year
Use the present elementary and middle boundary resources for 2026–27 assignment questions.
New boundaries
The district’s current elementary-plan FAQ says new elementary attendance zones are expected in September 2026.
Transition year
Redrawn elementary boundaries take effect for the 2027–28 school year.
Do not buy or lease based only on today’s elementary boundary if your concern is 2027–28. The district is actively finalizing new zones.
What is changing in Lakewood elementary schools?
Lincoln
Lincoln is planned to become the Lakewood City Schools Early Learning Center for younger learners.
CHAMPS
CHAMPS classrooms are planned to move to Hayes to improve accessibility.
Gifted self-contained
The self-contained gifted program is planned to move from Grant to Hayes.
RISE
RISE classrooms are planned to move from Emerson to Horace Mann.
Six elementary zones
Attendance boundaries for the remaining elementary schools are being redrawn.
Playgrounds
Accessibility and improvement work is planned for selected elementary playgrounds.
Implementation: the restructuring is scheduled to take effect during the 2027–28 school year, not during the current 2026–27 year.
How Lakewood uses Infinite Campus
New student registration
Lakewood’s online new-student application begins through Infinite Campus.
Returning-student updates
Returning families receive an early-August notice when the annual update portal opens.
Family communication
Accurate email, phone and address information helps district and school communication reach the family.
Security: never give an unofficial website your Infinite Campus password, private student ID or uploaded registration documents.
Medication, illness and health-plan rules families should know
Stay home when ill
District health guidance says a child should be symptom-free for at least 24 hours after vomiting, qualifying diarrhea or fever of 100.4°F or above before returning.
Medication forms
A medication authorization form is required for each medication and must be renewed each school year.
Health action plan
The district recommends physician-completed plans for conditions such as diabetes, seizures, asthma or severe allergies.
Prescription medicine: Lakewood generally requires prescription medication to be dispensed from the Health Center, with specific exceptions and authorization rules for rescue inhalers, epinephrine auto-injectors and insulin.
Immunization pages can lag by school year. The Health Services page currently links Ohio’s 2025–26 vaccination summaries while the registration checklist requires immunization records. Verify the current Ohio requirement before publishing a dose-specific 2026–27 statement.
Schoolpool and Safe Routes to School
Lakewood is a dense city district, and family transportation planning often uses walking, biking and carpool coordination rather than a simple universal yellow-bus lookup.
Walk pools
Families can coordinate walking-school-bus style groups.
Bike pools
Schoolpool supports coordinated bike travel where appropriate.
Carpools
Families can coordinate shared rides through the Schoolpool concept.
Do not use a transportation portal until you verify the district. Search results for “Lakewood school bus” frequently mix Lakewood City Schools with Lakewood Local and other Lakewood districts.
2026–27 meal application, menus and meal accounts
Benefit application
The district Nutrition area currently lists a 2026–27 Free and Reduced Meal Application.
Menus
Use My School Menus for current breakfast and lunch offerings.
Meal accounts
The district links families to PaySchools Central for applicable meal accounts and applications.
Do not copy old meal prices into the new year. The Nutrition page currently has a 2026–27 benefit application while some pricing information is still explicitly labeled 2025–26. Verify the current-year price document before quoting exact breakfast or lunch prices.
What to do if you think a child needs special education
Lakewood’s Child Find process covers children ages three through 21 who may have a disability and need special education or related services.
When a 504 Plan may be the appropriate route
A student who does not qualify under IDEA may still be protected under Section 504 when a physical or mental impairment substantially limits a major life activity and accommodations are required for equal educational access.
Parent referral
A parent can refer a student suspected of needing a 504 evaluation.
Teacher referral
A teacher can also refer a student.
Third-party referral
The district states that a third party may make a referral as well.
Which district safety route should you use?
Bullying
Lakewood maintains an official bullying policy and posts required district bullying/harassment incident reports.
Unlawful harassment
Student harassment/discrimination questions can be routed through Student Services, while staff/general compliance questions use Human Resources.
Immediate danger: do not wait for a Board meeting, routine complaint form or administrative response when there is an immediate safety emergency.
Use the correct Lakewood record request
| You need | Correct starting route |
|---|---|
| Current student’s education record | Submit a written request identifying the record to the school principal. |
| Inspect/review education records | FERPA notice says access must be arranged within 45 days after the school receives a proper request. |
| Former Lakewood High transcript | Use the district’s former-LHS transcript request form. |
| District financial/administrative public record | Treasurer/Public Records process. |
| Private IEP, medical or student file | Student-record process—not a general public-record request. |
Directory-information privacy choice
The district’s annual notice identifies categories of student information that may be treated as directory information under district policy.
Opt-out window: parents and eligible students may refuse disclosure of directory information by submitting written notification within ten days after the annual notification is posted.
Superintendent’s Office
Role: the Superintendent serves as the district’s chief executive for school and department operations, while the Treasurer’s Office remains separately structured.
Who should you contact first?
| Problem | Best first route |
|---|---|
| Board meeting / policy | Board of Education / district office |
| New student registration | Registration Secretary — 216-529-4279 |
| Infinite Campus | ICHelp@lakewoodcityschools.org |
| Special education / Child Find | Student Services — 216-529-4201 |
| Section 504 | Student Services — 216-529-4201 |
| Housing instability | McKinney-Vento liaison — 216-529-4157 |
| Public records | Treasurer’s Office — 216-529-4096 |
| General district question | 216-529-4000 / ask@lakewoodcityschools.org |
Lakewood school information you should not need to buy
Free to check
- Academic calendars
- Board meeting schedules
- Board minutes and videos
- School directory
- School-boundary information
- Board policies
- Registration instructions
- Parent annual notices
- Menus
May legitimately involve payment
- Meal accounts
- Student/activity fees
- Event tickets
- Preschool tuition where applicable
- Recreation programs
- Replacement items
- Optional activities
Payment safety: start from the Lakewood City Schools website before opening PaySchools, ticketing or other payment services.
Looking for a different Northeast Ohio school board?
Euclid Board of Education
Euclid City Schools uses a separate Board, calendar and family-service system.
Garfield Heights Board
Use this guide for Garfield Heights City Schools.
Akron Board of Education
Akron Public Schools has a separate Board and district service structure.
Common Lakewood school search problems
📍 I opened Lakewood, New Jersey
Fix: this page is for Lakewood City Schools, Ohio, at 13701 Lake Ave.
🗓️ I assumed every meeting is first/third Monday
Fix: August–November 2026 uses second/fourth Mondays under the official annual schedule.
🎤 I want to address the Board
Fix: sign in at the welcome table and prepare a concise three-minute statement.
5️⃣ I used the old September 30 Kindergarten cutoff
Fix: the Fall 2026 cutoff is August 27.
🏠 I only have one residence document
Fix: standard new-student registration requires two accepted residency proofs.
✍️ I did not notarize the residency affidavit
Fix: every family new to the district must complete and notarize the Residency and Custody Affidavit.
🏠 Housing instability prevents normal documentation
Fix: contact the McKinney-Vento liaison rather than assuming enrollment is impossible.
🔐 Infinite Campus login is not working
Fix: contact ICHelp@lakewoodcityschools.org.
🍎 I found 2025–26 meal prices
Fix: use the 2026–27 meal-benefit application but verify new-year prices before quoting them.
📍 I am choosing a home for 2027–28
Fix: new elementary boundaries are expected in September 2026; do not rely only on today’s zone.
♿ I think my child needs evaluation
Fix: Child Find / Student Services is 216-529-4201.
📄 I need my child’s private record
Fix: use the student-record/FERPA route rather than a general public-record request.
Lakewood Board of Education FAQs
Which Lakewood Board of Education does this article cover?
This guide covers Lakewood City Schools in Lakewood, Ohio. The district office is at 13701 Lake Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107. It does not cover Lakewood Local Schools in Hebron, Lakewood Township schools in New Jersey or another Lakewood school system.
When is the next Lakewood Board of Education meeting?
As of August 15, 2026, the next listed regular meeting is Monday, August 24, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at Taft Center for Innovation, 13701 Lake Avenue, Rooms 109/110. Recheck the official Board page before attending.
Who is President of the Lakewood Board of Education?
Betsy Bergen Shaughnessy is the current Board President and Lisa Dopman is Vice President. The other members are Michael J. Callahan, Colleen Clark-Sutton and Nora Katzenberger.
How long can I speak at a Lakewood Board meeting?
The current Board procedure limits public comments to three minutes. Visitors who want to speak should sign in at the welcome table, wait to be recognized and state their name, address and subject for discussion.
When does Lakewood City Schools start in 2026–27?
Lakewood High grade 9 begins August 21, 2026. The district calendar lists August 24 as the first instructional day for other students, preschool starts August 25, and Kindergarten’s first full day is August 27.
What is the Fall 2026 Kindergarten age cutoff?
A child must turn five years old on or before August 27, 2026 for normal Kindergarten eligibility. Lakewood changed from its older September 30 cutoff following a change in Ohio law.
How many residency proofs are required for Lakewood enrollment?
Standard new-student registration requires two accepted proofs of Lakewood residency. Every family new to the district must also complete the Residency and Custody Affidavit and have it notarized.
What if my family cannot provide normal residency documents because of unstable housing?
Contact Lakewood’s McKinney-Vento liaison at 216-529-4157. Federal McKinney-Vento protections are intended to remove enrollment and attendance barriers for eligible children and youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
Who should I contact if I think my child needs special education?
Lakewood’s Child Find process covers children ages three through 21 who may need special education or related services. Contact Student Services at 216-529-4201.
Are Lakewood elementary school boundaries changing?
Yes. The district has approved an elementary restructuring for 2027–28. Its current Elementary Plan says new elementary boundaries are expected in September 2026 and will take effect for the 2027–28 school year.
Final Lakewood verification checklist
Correct Lakewood?
Confirm the district is Lakewood City Schools in Lakewood, Ohio.
Current year?
Use 2026–27 calendars, registration rules and meal documents rather than a prior-year page.
Official submission?
Birth certificates, custody documents, residency proofs, health information and IEP/504 records should only go through official district channels.
Audit coverage: this rebuild was checked against Lakewood City Schools’ current Board page and 2026 meeting schedule, 2026–27 academic and preschool calendars, Student Registration, Kindergarten guidance, Preschool, Elementary Plan, school-boundary resources, Infinite Campus routing, Health Services, Nutrition Services, Student Services, Child Find, Section 504, McKinney-Vento, bullying/harassment, annual FERPA notices, parent forms and Treasurer/Public Records resources.
Independent-site notice: BoardofEducations.org is an informational guide and is not Lakewood City Schools, the Lakewood Board of Education or the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Official calendars, Board notices, enrollment determinations, school assignments, health rules and student records control.