Education Archives

Columbia Office of Violence Prevention gives update to analysis report during meeting with Collegiate Advisory Board

April 27, 2026 10:20 PM Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) During Monday’s Columbia Collegiate Advisory Board meeting, Office of Violence Prevention Administrator D’Markus Thomas-Brown detailed his department’s efforts and gave an update on the progress of an anticipated violence analysis report. In January, city leaders started collaborating with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform to curb violent crime in the community.

MU receives ‘not credible’ threat

April 23, 2026 4:58 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A University of Missouri spokesman told ABC 17 News that its Columbia campus on Thursday had received a threat that was deemed to be “not credible.” Spokesman Christopher Ave wrote in an email to ABC 17 News that MU’s police department “received a forwarded call reporting a potential threat to campus. The

Vehicle, Columbia school bus collide on Interstate 70; no students on board

April 22, 2026 4:21 PM Matthew Sanders

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.

OSHA investigating worker fall at MU construction site

April 20, 2026 8:32 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A fall that occurred last week at a University of Missouri construction site is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A US Department of Labor spokesman wrote in a Monday email that OSHA has up to six months to complete its investigation. A worker suffered minor injuries after they

Neville named new CPS executive director of alternative education

April 17, 2026 10:22 PM Ryan Shiner

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

South Carolina governor signs extradition order for accused killer of MU student

April 17, 2026 5:13 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) South Carolina Gov. Henry McMcaster on Friday signed an extradition order for a man accused of killing a University of Missouri student 26 years ago. Sentrell Wilson, 45, of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder in Boone County for the 2000 death of University of Missouri student Candace

Documents show MURR makes up MU’s top-dollar capital project in 2027

April 16, 2026 9:32 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The first and second phases of the NextGen Missouri University Research Reactor is the top-dollar capital project for the University of Missouri in 2027. Meeting documents from Thursday’s Board of Curators meeting shows the university is planning on spending about $140 million for Phases 1 and 2 of the project next year.

New Jefferson City Board of Education members sworn in

April 16, 2026 8:22 PM ABC 17 News Team

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The three newest members of the Jefferson City Board of Education were sworn in during a meeting on Thursday. Michelle Rodemeyer, Gretchen Duckworth and Kris Scheperle were sworn in on Thursday. All three were picked by voters during the April 7 election. They replace outgoing members Brad Bates, Scott Hovis and

JC schools activity buses pick up 3 morning routes amid bus driver shortage

April 16, 2026 7:18 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A bus company that provides routes for activities at the Jefferson City School District will now pick up students for morning routes. An email sent to parents from the district says that D&K Bus & Charter Services began picking up some students for morning routes on Thursday morning. School spokesman Ryan Burns

Rock Bridge Elementary School student found with BB gun in backpack

April 16, 2026 5:19 PM Ryan Shiner

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

Former CPS middle school teacher gets bond again, no longer listed on jail roster

April 16, 2026 3:13 PM Ryan Shiner

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

Two drivers, two students sent to hospital after Jefferson City School District bus crash

April 16, 2026 11:01 AM Lucas Geisler, Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A school bus with 17 middle and high school students from the Jefferson City School District was involved in a crash on Thursday morning. School district spokeswoman Ryan Burns told ABC 17 News that a car rear-ended the bus on the way to school on Route T at Parkview Road in St.

Worker hurt in fall at University of Missouri construction site

April 16, 2026 9:28 AM Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’S NOTE: The name of the hospital the worker was sent to has been corrected. A worker suffered minor injuries when he fell at a University of Missouri construction site on Thursday morning. The man fell about 18 feet, Columbia Fire Department Assistant Chief Lester Shewmake said. A University spokesman said the

Morgan County R-2 bus ends up in ditch in single-vehicle crash on Tuesday

April 15, 2026 9:29 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Morgan County R-2 School District in Versailles had a bus that was involved in a crash on Tuesday afternoon. A Wednesday press release from the school district says bus No. 24 ended up in a ditch near the Little Tigers Early Learning Center in Gravois Mills. The release says the bus’s

Cole County judge upholds school voucher program

April 15, 2026 11:34 AM Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cole County judge on Tuesday upheld the state’s voucher program that lets some students attend their school of choice — public or private. Judge Brian Stumpe denied the Missouri National Education Association’s request for an injunction to halt the Missouri Scholars Program. The Missouri General Assembly appropriated $51 million for

State Board of Education approves application for Boone County charter school

April 14, 2026 5:11 AM Jazsmin Halliburton, Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Board of Education voted 5-1 on Tuesday to approve an application for a Columbia charter school. The application was refiled by Frontier last week for a STEM charter school in Columbia. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recommended the board authorize the Frontier STEM school for pre-K

Columbia Board of Education meeting delayed after residents voice concerns over decision to remove chief equity officer

April 13, 2026 4:43 PM Mitchell Kaminski

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

Fewer Columbia Public Schools students cited for having cellphones this school year

April 13, 2026 2:55 PM Erika McGuire

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

St. Charles Road bridge demolition complete, drivers still face impacts from detours

April 12, 2026 9:50 AM Marie Moyer

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.

MMA calls allegations made in lawsuit detailing sexual abuse by student false

April 10, 2026 2:27 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Military Academy in Audrain County claims allegations made in a lawsuit filed this week are false. A lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses the school of negligence and negligent supervision. Court documents filed by the plaintiff claimed a student complained to the school on Aug. 31, 2025, that his roommate “engaged in