COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A vehicle and a Columbia Public Schools bus collided on Interstate 70 eastbound east of St. Charles Road on Wednesday. CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said no students were on the bus. Boone County dispatchers sent out a public alert saying the road was likely blocked. Columbia Police are working the crash scene.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools announced in a Friday press release that Douglass High School Principal Eryca Neville has been named the district’s executive director of alternative education. Neville has been the principal at Douglass High School since 2011 and was a teacher in the district before, the release says. She serves with the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Rock Bridge Elementary School student was found with a BB gun in their backpack before dismissal on Thursday, according to an email from a district spokeswoman. Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark shared an email to ABC 17 News that was sent to parents following the incident. “We were alerted to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former West Middle School teacher who was arrested for a second time earlier this month is no longer listed on the Boone County Jail roster. Zachary Hutchinson, of Columbia, is charged with felonies in two cases. In one case, he is charged with three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, one count
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Monday night’s Columbia Board of Education meeting was abruptly halted after a group of residents protested the district’s decision to replace its chief equity officer. Last week, Columbia Public Schools posted a job opening for chief equity officer, a position previously held by Carla London. London was responsible for training homeschool communicators
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Public School District has issued 2,628 cellphone policy referrals so far this school year, according to the district. The district says that number reflects incidents and not individual students, as one student can receive multiple referrals. This marks a decrease from 3,185 in the 2024-2025 school year. In the 2023-2024
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Drivers can no longer use the St. Charles Road bridge to access I-70 in Columbia, as the Missouri Department of Transportation is expected to wrap up demolition of the bridge on Monday morning.
An ABC 17 News reporter saw the bridge demolished and final cleanup work being done Sunday morning. Several cranes and frontloaders were also seen in a section of I-70 between where the bridge had been.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The three incumbents in the Columbia Board of Education race retained their seats on Tuesday. April Ferrao (6,537 votes), John Lyman (6,218) and Paul Harper (6,183) kept their seats against challenger Dr. Keary Husain (2,759). “Paul, April and I have talked every single day, I think, for the last three plus years,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A charter school looking to operate in Boone County has refiled its application. An item on the Missouri Board of Education’s April meeting agenda says Frontier Schools are looking for the state to approve its application for a STEM academy in Columbia. Saint Louis University had pulled its application in January after
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former West Middle School teacher who was charged with statutory sodomy and a slew of other child sex crimes is now charged in another case. Zachary Hutchinson, of Columbia, was arrested on Friday and charges appeared on Monday in his new case. He is now charged with three counts of child
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former West Middle School teacher who was charged with statutory sodomy and other charges earlier this year was arrested again on Friday. Zachary Hutchinson, 38, of Columbia, is being held at the Boone County Jail. New charges were not shown on Casenet on Friday evening. Jail records indicate he is being
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three seats are up for grabs in the Columbia Board of Education election with all four candidates highlighting bullying as a major issue in the district that needs to be addressed. Four people are running for three spots. Board President John Lyman, Vice President Paul Harper and Boardmember April Ferrao are trying to retain a spot on
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Edits to Columbia Public Schools’ bullying policy, including summer interactions and employee protocol, will be discussed during a school board policy committee meeting Wednesday. The new policy, if passed, would implement new guidelines for instructors on handling reports of bullying. The initial policy had instructors and employees ask to report incidents to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge sided Wednesday with Columbia Public Schools in a lawsuit alleging the district breached a contract for football field naming rights at Rock Bridge High School. Wayne Sells filed the lawsuit in October 2024 after CPS removed his name from the Rock Bridge football field. The Columbia Board of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The eight-days-before-election financial reports were due at 5 p.m. Monday to the Missouri Ethics Commission and all four candidates for the Columbia Board of Education submitted theirs on time. Four people are running for three spots. Board President John Lyman, Vice President Paul Harper and Boardmember April Ferrao are trying to retain
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – A candidate for the Columbia Board of Education said he’s fixed issues with his campaign committee that stopped him from properly filing and reporting his fundraising activity. Dr. Keary Husain told ABC 17 News that the Missouri Ethics Commission did not accept his first filing because his campaign committee did not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department announced in a social media post that it is using unoccupied school buildings for active-shooter response training this week while students are on spring break. More than 40 officers completed their training this week and more sessions will be held throughout the year, the post says. “The training
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education has asked the district to raise health insurance premiums by 20% for the upcoming school year. That request came after a Thursday morning meeting. The district will take on the cost of the premiums next year, but will pass along costs of any dependents to employees. This
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The head principal of Hickman High School announced Tuesday she is taking a job at the Columbia Public Schools central office. ABC 17 News got a copy of an email from Mary Grupe where she said she accepted the position of Director of Student Support for CPS. The district told ABC 17
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Despite a drop in crimes investigated last school year, Columbia Public Schools saw an increase in responses to disruptions, according to new data presented during a Monday Board of Education review of the district’s School Resource Officer program. The district partners with the Columbia Police Department on the program, which is designed
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