Education Archives

Jefferson City middle school tells parents of social media threat

December 10, 2021 10:06 AM Matthew Sanders

Principal Shawn Kelsch said in a letter that police identified the students responsible for the threatening post.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Should Columbia Public Schools keep requiring masks?

December 10, 2021 2:17 AM ABC 17 News Team

Columbia Public Schools is among the districts Schmitt has written to, telling administrators to drop their mask requirement. He has also sued the district over the requirement.

Multiple people file to run for Jefferson City Board of Education

December 9, 2021 9:30 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Four people have filed to run for the Jefferson City Board of Education according to Stephanie Sappenfield, Exec. Asst. to the Superintendent and Secy. to the Board of Education. Anne Bloemke-Warren, Adam Gresham, Marc H. Ellinger and Erika Leonard have filed so far. If anyone files after Thursday, they will be

Missouri attorney general’s office opens investigation into CPS mask mandates

December 8, 2021 10:50 PM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said in a letter Wednesday that he will be opening an investigation into Columbia Public Schools’ failure to comply to end COVID-19 mask mandates. This comes after the state’s attorney general’s office received information from CPS parents that the district is not following the court order to

Closing date set for Manor House at University of Missouri

December 8, 2021 7:45 PM Matthew Sanders

The university told the approximately 75 residents this fall of its plans to close the apartment building on Hitt Street. The move drew criticism from the Coalition of Graduate Workers, a group that advocates for graduate student causes on campus.

Attorney general letter reinforces Columbia school mask opposition

December 8, 2021 1:07 PM Kennedy Miller

Schmitt said Tuesday that he sent letters to school districts that still require masks ordering them to stop enforcing the mandate, including Columbia Public Schools. Schmitt has also sued the district over its mask rule for all students and workers. No hearings have been scheduled in that case.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you support the UM System’s vaccine mandate suspension?

December 8, 2021 2:11 AM ABC 17 News Team

The decision came after a federal judge in Georgia halted a Biden administration rule requiring federal contractors to be vaccinated. The university system had instituted the mandate because of the massive amount of federal funding it receives.

University of Missouri suspends coronavirus vaccine mandate

December 7, 2021 4:40 PM Matthew Sanders

A U.S. district judge in Georgia on Tuesday issued an injunction against a coronavirus vaccine mandate for federal contractors. The rule had led the UM System to mandate vaccines across its four campuses and other facilities because of the millions of federal dollars it receives for research and other purposes. The UM System carved out exemptions for religious and medical reasons and for those who don’t work closely with others in a federally-funded job.

April 6 election registration ends Wednesday.

Candidates file local school boards

December 7, 2021 9:14 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) In Columbia, Suzette Waters has filed to run for the Columbia Board of Education in the April 2022 election. “A quality education means stretching each student to reach beyond what they are doing to find out what they can do,” she said. She has been an active volunteer in her kids’ classrooms

Fulton bus driver shares story after being fired

December 7, 2021 7:41 PM Kennedy Miller

A Fulton bus driver was fired Tuesday after being caught on video using his phone while driving students.

Missouri attorney general warns schools, local health agencies that continue to enforce health mandates

December 7, 2021 1:21 PM Hannah Falcon

The letters follow a Nov. 22 Cole County judge’s ruling in Robinson v. Department of Health and Senior Services. Judge Daniel Green ruled non-elected officials cannot issue and enforce public health orders in Missouri. Schmitt told ABC 17 News that his office took time to interpret how the ruling will affect the rest of Missouri before crafting the letters.

Local highlights and scores: Dec. 2, 2021

December 2, 2021 7:53 PM Andrew Kauffman

Here are the local scores from Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. NAIA MEN’S SOCCER Columbia College 2 | Oklahoma Wesleyan 1 FINAL Central Methodist 2 | MidAmerica Nazarene 0 FINAL NAIA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Lyon 53 | Columbia College 67 FINAL NAIA MEN’S BASKETBALL Lyon 71 | Columbia College 90 FINAL HS BOYS BASKETBALL Mexico 57 |

University Catering to close at end of year due to coronavirus pandemic

December 1, 2021 4:30 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Officials at University Catering are closing their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. The organizations last day will be on Dec. 31 and the last catered event will be on Dec. 14. Full- and part-time University Catering staff will be given priority consideration for open positions in Campus Dining Services. According to

A new Covid-19 variant with high number of mutations sparks travel bans and worries scientists. This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.

Experts say Omicron variant is cause for concern

November 29, 2021 8:04 PM Leila Mitchell

COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ) While there are still many unknowns about the Omicron COVID-19 variant, Columbia local health experts say people may want to continue or start practicing serious COVID-19 precautions such as masking indoors and social distancing. At this time the Delta variant is the only variant we are seeing in the state, but experts

Lincoln hires new football coach

November 29, 2021 11:59 AM Andrew Kauffman

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Lincoln University introduced its new head football coach Jermaine Gales on Monday morning. Gales comes to the Capital City after spending last season as the offensive coordinator at Bluefield State. He has nearly 20 years of coaching experience, but this will be his first head coaching job. Gales said he hopes

Springfield parents file lawsuit over school mask mandate

November 25, 2021 3:09 PM Associated Press

The Springfield News-Leader reports that the parents argue that the mask mandate in place since August is a legal overreach and infringes on the rights of parents.

Missouri attorney general sues Moberly schools alleging Sunshine Law violation

November 23, 2021 1:04 PM Matthew Sanders

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued Moberly Public Schools on Tuesday, alleging the district overcharged for a public records request related to school policy about recording certain meetings.

Lewis and Clark Middle School in Jefferson City returns to in-person classes after Thanksgiving break.

Some Missouri teachers are getting an extended Thanksgiving break while others are left frustrated

November 22, 2021 6:44 PM Chanel Porter

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Thanksgiving breaks began for some schools across Mid-Missouri Monday after some districts decided to extend the holiday break this year to provide some relief to staff and students. Jefferson City and Southern Boone are two of many that extended their break, saying that the demands of the past 18 months have worn