"I can no longer serve on a board in good conscience that isn't acting ethically and upholding a responsibility to the public to thoroughly evaluate and report on the district's mismanagement of funds," Weiss said before walking out of Tuesday night's meeting.

The school board announced Jocelyn Pugh-Walker and Brent Mitchell will lead the district as acting co-superintendents.

Department of Secondary and Elementary Education officials said the data signals a turning point in a teacher shortage the state has struggled to address in recent years.

According to the lawsuit, the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education told Chester Asher he’d been warned about being “disrespectful” while speaking at public meetings before issuing a six-month ban.

The Metro East school board's move is just the latest in a series of notable actions, including staff resignations, board infighting, lawsuits and court filings, a police investigation and heated debate.

A dozen candidates have filed to run for three seats on the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education in April. Missing from the list are two current board members, Matt Davis and Natalie Vowell.

Main Street Books is working to improve literacy for elementary school students in St. Charles through its new literacy foundation.

Matt Davis announced his decision hours ahead of the deadline to file paperwork to run for another term in April.

Roosevelt University announced it will start offering a free tuition program this month, the Roosevelt Pledge, and in September, the University of Illinois Chicago announced its plans to launch its own version, UIC Aspire, next fall.

This January, Wash U students can join a new on-campus chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Student leaders want the campus to become more politically involved.