Schools

A nonbinary student teacher was told by an employee of the Fort Osage District that using gender-neutral pronouns was “too personal” and “too political.” Now, Olivia Jackson alleges that the school district discriminated by refusing to hire them because of their gender identity.

Amid a growing political divide, education advocates encourage parents and community members to engage with school boards in an effort to keep the focus on what’s best for students, rather than on the priorities of a select few.

St. Louis Public Schools has hired Keisha Scarlett, an administrator in Seattle Public Schools who has a doctorate in education leadership and policy studies, as its superintendent.

A $2 million grant will provide software for 26 rural school districts around the state to use software to look for signs of trouble to help prevent school violence.

La Salle Charter Schools, a middle school in St. Louis' Carr Square neighborhood that serves a predominantly Black student population, will close at the end of the year. Leaders said low test scores caused the school to lose the confidence of its academic sponsors.

Facing closure by the Archdiocese of St. Louis, St. Mary’s High School in Dutchtown will reorganize as an independent school affiliated with the Marianist Province. School leaders have raised $3.3 million but need more to ensure the school’s longer-term future.

Students in the Independence School District will only be in class four days a week next year. It's the largest school district in Missouri to make the switch amid chronic teacher and staffing shortages.

The visits from law enforcement didn’t result in any actions, but they highlight the potential stakes of Missouri’s new law criminalizing certain books in schools.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released its preliminary 2021-22 grade level and end-of-course assessments. Students are not performing at pre-pandemic levels.

The school district has a long list of building improvement projects it plans to address with the money.