COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three incumbents on the Columbia Board of Education will seek reelection, according to a joint press release sent by the members on Wednesday. The release says Board President John Lyman, Vice President Paul Harper and Board Member April Ferrao will file for reelection next month. Filing for the positions will be open
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools’ Adult English Language Learner program secured funding through fiscal year 2026 after facing uncertainty due to potential cuts to adult education grants. The proposed federal budget included a 24% cut to adult education funding, reducing it from $642 million to about $486 million. The CPS program provides free online
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia School District Policy Committee on Monday voted to clarify its tobacco and vaping policy, allowing for the immediate termination of employees after a single violation. It’s one of 180 policies under review by the committee, which hopes to update and eliminate outdated ones. The goal is to complete the full
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HALLSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) A crowd of more than 60 community members, teachers and staff gathered Tuesday night in the Hallsville Secondary Cafeteria as district leaders outlined plans for Proposition 2 and the proposed continuation of the four-day school week on the Nov. 4 ballot. Superintendent Tyler Walker said the district’s goal is to ensure residents
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COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ) The University of Missouri System works is working to restore system services for students as operations to the school’s class management program Canvas remains unavailable after the massive Amazon Web Services cloud services outage Monday morning. The outage, which began at around 3 a.m. was resolved by 3:40 p.m., according to national
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The threat of active shooters is a reality of life in modern America. Attacks have been perpetrated in a variety of settings, but schools have been a favorite target of mass shooters in the 21st century. That has spurred most states, including Missouri, to pass laws requiring active shooter drills in schools. The requirement won’t
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – Two Hallsville School District staff members have resigned from the district after a month of paid leave over posts they shared about Charlie Kirk’s death. Anthony Plogger and Kayla Lewis were suspended with pay for sharing posts about Kirk from a page called “So Informed.” The post expressed a lack of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A school safety package that Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law this year requires students to participate in active school shooter drills starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Before Senate Bill 68 took effect in August, school district staff were only required to participate in active shooter drills. While the new law
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is considering how to use a one-time $9 million payment it received from Boone County after a property-tax settlement with Ameren Missouri. Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the county reached a resolution earlier this year in a long-running dispute before the Missouri State Tax Commission. The agreement resolved
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools will no longer use alternative methods of instruction for inclement weather days following recent changes to state law. The Columbia Board of Education addressed the recent changes during its meeting on Monday. The district announced the change in an email to families on Oct. 10, stating that new state
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Law enforcement responded to a “non-threatening incident” on Monday at the New Franklin School District, according to a social media post from the district. “Earlier today, a non-threatening incident occurred at school that required a response from local law enforcement. Police were called out of an abundance of caution, and the situation
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Blair Oaks school district went on a “soft lockdown” on Friday after the district received a “suspicious” phone call. Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler told ABC 17 News that the school received a “vague” phone call around 2 p.m. Law enforcement determined the threat was not credible and school continued as
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ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ) Six months after an EF-2 tornado swept through the city of Rolla, signs of the destruction remain. Three Rolla Public Schools buildings, along with other RPS properties like the softball complex, were damaged in the storm. “We took four days off right after the tornado, and then that second week was our
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A shooting led to Morgan County R-II schools in Versailles being placed on lockdown Monday morning, even though students were not in class, and left a woman in critical condition. The district posted about the lockdown on its Facebook page, referencing a “shooting that occurred in town” earlier Monday in a statement
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A new goal post in the south end zone at Southern Boone High School’s football field was installed on Friday morning, according to a school district spokesman. The goal post broke on Monday from high winds after thunderstorms entered the area. Photos from the district showed the uprights and cross bar were
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two Hallsville School District employees who were put on leave last week for sharing social media posts about Charlie Kirk after his death remain employed and suspended after a school board meeting. The Hallsville Board of Education met Wednesday night for the first time since Anthony Plogger and Kayla Lewis were suspended
Continue Reading HALLSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) The Hallsville Board of Education held a pair of closed sessions before and after its 6 p.m. public meeting to discuss “personnel matters” after two teachers were placed on paid administrative leave following backlash over social media posts about Charlie Kirk. Kirk, a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The roof of the gymnasium at North Callaway Middle School in Auxvasse took “significant damage,” after storms came through the area on Monday night. North Callaway Assistant Superintendent Nicole Buschmann shared photographs with ABC 17 News on Wednesday that showed a hole in the roof, as well as damage to the gym
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Attribution to a Charlie Kirk quote has been added. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two employees of the Hallsville School District have been placed on paid administrative leave following public pushback over social media posts about political commentator Charlie Kirk. Kirk, a divisive figure who was the founder of Turning Point USA – a group
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The goal post in the south end zone of Southern Boone High School’s football field was damaged Monday afternoon after storms rolled through the area. District spokesman Matt Sharp wrote in an email that that the goal post was damaged after 5 p.m. “The school district is in the process of evaluating
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