Columbia Public Schools Archives

Columbia Board of Education to receive recommendation on next assistant superintendent for elementary education

April 7, 2021 4:03 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education will get a recommendation for the next assistant superintendent for elementary education next week. De’Vion Moore will replace current Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Dr. Jill Brown who announced earlier this year she would be leaving the district. Moore is currently the principal at Alpha Hart Elementary

Newcomers Sasser and Snodgrass defeat incumbent in Columbia’s Board of Education race

April 6, 2021 12:27 PM Connor Hirsch

After a year for school districts across the country that was unlike any in recent history, five Columbia residents are asking voters for a spot on the seven-member Board of Education.

WATCH: CPS superintendent talks full return, student vaccinations

April 6, 2021 2:22 AM Molly Stawinoga

CPS Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman will join ABC 17 News This Morning at 6 a.m. Tuesday to talk about the return.

Voters in line to cast their absentee ballots Monday at the Boone County Government Center.

What to expect at Boone County polling places for Tuesday’s municipal election

April 6, 2021 4:35 AM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County polling places on Tuesday’s municipal election day will continue coronavirus safety protocols for the second year in a row. According to the Boone County Clerk, you’ll need a mask and an ID to vote at your polling place. On this year’s ballot, voters will be debating over school board positions,

District still needs substitute teachers as CPS returns to five-day weeks

April 5, 2021 11:54 AM Meghan Drakas

Most Columbia Public Schools students returned to a five-day-a-week, in-person learning schedule Monday, but the district still doesn’t have enough substitute teachers to fill their classrooms.

Columbia Public Schools buses lined up as students and teachers return to full time in person classes.

CPS returns to full-time, in-person classes

April 5, 2021 5:47 AM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Students and teachers in Columbia Public Schools will return to 5-day, in-person classes Monday. Students are still required to wear masks on buses and on campus. However, classroom teachers are expected to provide time for students to take “mask breaks” throughout the school day. Families are encouraged to provide their own transportation

Columbia Public Schools set to return to full time in-person learning

April 4, 2021 5:28 AM Ben Fein

The Columbia Board of Education voted unanimously to return most students to the classroom five days a week in March.

FRIDAY UPDATES: Columbia Public Schools Foundation donates 100,000 child-size masks for students

March 26, 2021 9:24 AM ABC 17 News Team

Check back for updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Columbia Public Schools reaches settlement with family over the use of seclusion rooms

March 23, 2021 8:37 PM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A settlement has been reached between Columbia Public Schools and the family of a student over the use of seclusion rooms. The district agreed to pay a family $20,000 over claims administrators at Beulah Ralph Elementary School put a child in a room for several hours as punishment. CPS denied it did

Updated CDC guidance says 3 feet of distancing is safe in schools

March 20, 2021 7:06 PM Chanel Porter

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shortened its physical distancing guidelines for children in schools to recommend most students maintain at least 3 feet of distance. The CDC had previously said schools should try to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between children. This change comes after a new study

Columbia Board of Education looking to address over-enrollment at area schools

March 19, 2021 8:22 PM ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education and Columbia Public Schools want to address over-enrollment at area schools. Phase 1 will address Parkade Elementary School’s attendance area as enrollment is currently overcapacity. Phase 1 changes will be implemented this fall. Phase 2 will address the remaining elementary attendance areas with implementation planned for 2022-23.

Health experts move toward shorter social distancing standards in schools

March 17, 2021 11:42 AM Chanel Porter

A new study released in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests that it is safe for schools to open with 3 feet for social distancing as long as students, teachers and staff wear masks.

Columbia Public Schools announces superintendent choice

March 15, 2021 5:32 PM Karl Wehmhoener

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education selected Dr. H. Brian Yearwood to serve as Columbia Public Schools’ next superintendent after a board vote during a closed executive session Monday morning. The board voted 7-0 to approve the contract for the new superintendent. Yearwood was selected after a nationwide search following Dr. Peter Stiepleman’s

John Warner Middle School principal out for the remainder of the year

March 15, 2021 8:41 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools sent a notification out to parents of students at John Warner Middle School that Principal Jimmy Hale is out for the remainder of the year. According to the letter, Taylor Drennan is the interim principal. Dr. Jean Selby, a retired CPS middle school principal, will join the John Warner

Columbia Public Schools superintendent candidates answer public’s questions during forum

March 11, 2021 10:22 PM Connor Hirsch

These finalists include Dr. Harold Brian Yearwood (Manor, Texas), Dr. Chace Ramey (Iowa City, Iowa), and Dr. Erick Pruitt (Chicago, Illinois).

Columbia Public Schools to host virtual public forum

March 11, 2021 4:53 AM Ben Fein

Columbia Public Schools is set to host a virtual public forum Thursday for the district’s three superintendent finalists.

CPS sees large jump in staff vaccination rate

March 10, 2021 1:05 PM Meghan Drakas

Columbia Public Schools saw a more than 10% increase in its staff vaccination rate in just a single day.

Staffing issues remain as CPS moves forward with a full return for students

March 10, 2021 11:52 AM Victoria Bragg

Columbia Public Schools will welcome students back to classrooms full-time on April 5, but the district remains in need of bus drivers, nutrition service employees and substitute teachers.

Some Columbia Public Schools students to return to classrooms full-time while others remain online

March 9, 2021 12:37 PM Victoria Bragg

Most students will return to CPS schools five days a week but some will remain online.

Five-day week learning allows parents to fully return to work

March 9, 2021 12:16 PM Zola Crowder

A study from Brookings Institute said working parents are the key to recovering from the pandemic.