Missouri

Protesters read in the middle of the Texas Capitol rotunda as The Texas Freedom Network holds a "read-in" to protest HB 900 Wednesday, April 19, 2023. The bill would ban sexually explicit materials from library books in schools.
Protesters read in the middle of the Texas Capitol rotunda as The Texas Freedom Network holds a "read-in" to protest HB 900 Wednesday, April 19, 2023. The bill would ban sexually explicit materials from library books in schools. Mass book bans in a handful of districts are influenced by state legislation, PEN America found.
Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Reading & Literacy State Laws Are Behind Many Book Bans, Even Indirectly, Report Finds
School districts are reacting to state laws that dictate the kinds of books school libraries can have, leading to book bans, report finds.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 19, 2023
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7 min read
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Families & the Community Video Reports of Radioactive Contamination Closed Their School. This PTA Is Demanding Answers
After their Missouri elementary school was closed, a group of parents have tried to engage with the district on the school’s future.
Kaylee Domzalski, April 3, 2023
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5:28
Illustration of a man holding oversized money.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
Education Funding States Are Rolling in Surplus Cash, But It's Not All Good News for Schools
Some states are ramping up education spending, while others are leaving districts disappointed.
Mark Lieberman, January 25, 2023
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7 min read
The Bibles are on display during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
The Bibles are on display during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Reading & Literacy Why the Bible Is Getting Pulled Off School Bookshelves
In an ironic twist, the Bible showed up in mass book removal efforts in at least three districts.
Eesha Pendharkar, December 15, 2022
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5 min read
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Illustration by Chris Whetzel for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Here's How the Pandemic Changed School Discipline
Students were suspended less frequently but Black, poor, and disabled students were punished at higher rates after the pandemic.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 28, 2022
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5 min read
Banned books are visible at the Central Library, a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library system, in New York City on Thursday, July 7, 2022. The books are banned in several public schools and libraries in the U.S., but young people can read digital versions from anywhere through the library. The Brooklyn Public Library offers free membership to anyone in the U.S. aged 13 to 21 who wants to check out and read books digitally in response to the nationwide wave of book censorship and restrictions.
Several titles in this display of books in at the Central Library in New York city are on Missouri's banned books list. The N.Y. library allows young people anywhere to read digital versions of the books.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
Curriculum Nearly 300 Books Removed From Schools Under Missouri's 'Sexually Explicit Materials' Law
Missouri's efforts to remove books from public schools—either temporarily or permanently—go farther than most.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 18, 2022
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5 min read
A bald man and a woman with long brown hair tearfully hug a teen girl who is wearing a pale beighe backpack. Three women look on with concerned expressions.
A family shares a tearful reunion after Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, went into lockdown because of a false report of a shooting.
Kin Man Hui/The San Antonio Express-News via AP
School Climate & Safety 'Swatting' Hoaxes Disrupt Schools Across the Country. What Educators Need to Know
School lockdowns can cause stress to students, teachers, and families, even if threats don't materialize.
Evie Blad, September 21, 2022
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8 min read
Kara Klever holds a sign in protest in the hall outside of the Blue Room as Governor Kevin Stitt signs a bill into law that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams at the Capitol Wednesday, March 30, 2022 in Oklahoma City, Oka. The bill, which easily passed the Republican-led House and Senate mostly along party lines, took effect immediately with the governor's signature. It applies to female sports teams in both high school and college.
Kara Klever holds a sign in protest as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signs a bill into law that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams.
Doug Hoke/The Oklahoman via AP
States Beyond 'Don't Say Gay': Other States Seek to Limit LGBTQ Youth, Teaching
Legislators want to ban lessons on LGBTQ communities and require teachers to tell parents when students want their pronouns changed.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 6, 2022
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9 min read
Photograph illustration of a tangle of traffic lights.
iStock/Getty
Curriculum Opinion Do Parents Want Schools to Be Able to Teach About Racism?
A poll helped us understand parents' views on whether schools should be allowed to teach about racism, write two education policy experts.
Evan Rhinesmith & J. Cameron Anglum, March 2, 2022
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5 min read
Books packed up in a cardboard box.
Patrick Daxenbichler/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts ‘We Must Protect This Right': Students Sue School District Over Banned Books
The banned books about race, gender, and marginalized communities include “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison.
Kaitlyn Alanis, The Charlotte Observer, February 18, 2022
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2 min read
Curtis Cain, Wentzville School District, Wentzville, Mo.
Curtis Cain, the superintendent of the Wentzville district in Wentzville, Mo.
Courtesy of AASA, the School Superintendents' Association
School & District Management Nation's Top Superintendent Talks About Leadership in Tough Times
Curtis Cain, the newly named National Superintendent of the Year, reflects on the difficult challenges of 2021—and beyond.
Stephen Sawchuk, February 17, 2022
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5 min read
Lateshia Woodley, the superintendent of student support for the Kansas City public schools, speaks with Jareon Brown, 17, and other students in Southeast High School's restorative-justice class.
Lateshia Woodley, the assistant superintendent of student support for the Kansas City public schools, speaks with Jareon Brown, 17, and other students in Southeast High School's restorative-justice class.
Julie Denesha for Education Week
Student Well-Being Leader To Learn From How Putting Students’ Welfare First Can Transform a District
For Lateshia Woodley, a relentless focus on supporting students facing trauma comes from her own lived experience.
Eesha Pendharkar, February 16, 2022
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9 min read
Northwest High School junior Savannah Darner, 16, cleans an office at Northwest Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., on Dec. 14, 2021. As staff shortages impact school districts across the country, Northwest School District, outside of St. Louis, hired its own students to fill some of their vacancies.
Savannah Darner, 16, cleans an office at Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., where she works part-time as a custodian. Savannah, a junior, is one of several students who recently began working for the Northwest School District to help fill vacancies in food service, childcare, and custodial services.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
School & District Management Hiring Students to Ease Staffing Shortages: One School District's Unorthodox Solution
With openings for custodians, food service workers, and other jobs sitting unfilled for months, a Missouri district is trying a new tactic.
Catherine Gewertz, December 16, 2021
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5 min read
Northwest High School sophomore Emily Downs, 15, takes out the trash at Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., on Dec. 14, 2021. As staff shortages impact school districts across the country, Northwest School District, outside of St. Louis, hired its own students to fill some of their vacancies.
Emily Downs, 15, takes out the trash at Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., in her second week on the job as a part-time custodian. Downs, a sophomore, is one of several students the Northwest School District has hired to fill critical vacancies.
Whitney Curtis for Education Week
School & District Management In Their Own Words 'Kind of Surreal': A Student Cleans Floors at Her Old Middle School
A high school sophomore works as a part-time custodian, part of her district's unusual effort to fill critical staff positions.
Catherine Gewertz, December 16, 2021
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3 min read
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