Education
To prevent abuse at religious schools, Missouri lawmakers recommend new regulations
In order to improve safety and understand the scope of unlicensed youth residential facilities throughout Missouri, lawmakers are recommending every facility be registered, background checks be required and that three substantiated reports of abuse and neglect result in children being removed. Registration with the state would include a requirement that facilities conduct background checks on […]
University of Missouri moving online after Thanksgiving due to COVID spread
In an effort to reduce student population in the Columbia region during a surge of COVID-19 cases, the University of Missouri announced Thursday that classes would be moved online after Thanksgiving break. “While our experts say that MU students have not presented a direct burden to the local hospitals because they have not needed hospitalization, […]
Missouri relaxes rules on when students must quarantine after COVID exposure
Students and teachers in Missouri school districts may no longer have to quarantine from the classroom for a full 14 days if they have come into contact with a positive COVID-19 case, under new guidance released by the state on Thursday. If both the close contact and individual who tested positive were wearing masks “appropriately […]
Kids reported abuse at schools where Missouri has no oversight. Lawmakers want to change that
Despite dozens of students coming forward sharing allegations of abuse they suffered at Christian reform schools across Missouri, the state Department of Social Services said Monday that they have no oversight over such facilities. That’s because they’re unlicensed — and allowed to be under a Missouri law that exempts facilities operated by religious organizations. And […]
‘Won’t be able to survive’: Childcare centers serving low-income Missourians face closure
Cortaiga Collins doesn’t know how much longer her childcare center will survive. Only about a dozen children have been attending regularly amid the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, she used to serve as many as 100. She’s already had to reduce the hours that Good Shepherd Preschool and Infant/Toddler Center in St. Louis can be open, […]
Initial shipment of thousands of antigen COVID tests sent to Missouri schools
Thousands of antigen tests to detect the novel coronavirus have been shipped to school districts across the state in an effort to help bolster testing capacity, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced this week. Nearly 330 public and private school districts requested nearly 583,000 tests through the state’s BinaxNOW Antigen Testing Program. […]
High COVID case counts sending some Missouri students into virtual classrooms
Missouri continued its string of days reporting 1,000 or more new coronavirus infections on Friday, adding 1,811 new infections amid growing difficulties for school districts trying to maintain in-class instruction. While one of the state’s largest districts, Columbia Public Schools, opened doors for elementary students for the first time on Monday, the small Maries County […]
Missouri teachers work two jobs for the price of one
Two minutes into our interview, I counted five yawns as the young teacher from southwest Missouri caught herself and apologetically assured me that my questions weren’t dull. “I just feel like I am working all the time,” she added. “I don’t know how I am going to keep doing this the rest of the year.” […]