Annelise Hanshaw

The judge ruled Missouri lawmakers could directly appropriate funds to the MOScholars program because state law does not “expressly prohibit” it. The Missouri National Education Association plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Multicultural student organizations at the University of Missouri are losing tens of thousands of dollars in direct funding, with school leaders citing federal guidance on diversity, equity and inclusion. “We are not going to let the university lead us into the darkness,” one leader said at a town hall Monday.

U.S. attorneys cite key civil rights cases in an effort to overturn the Missouri State High School Activities Association’s policy reserving spots on its board of directors for under-represented candidates, calling it “systematic unconstitutional race and sex-based discrimination.”

The constitutional amendment would establish that access to public education is a "fundamental right." But organizers say the controversy over the Missouri Secretary of State's ballot language, which a judge ruled was unfair and had to be rewritten, delayed signature collection.

Labor, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy and faith groups in Missouri are testing a shared message against what they see as a growing list of threats from Republican lawmakers — including a plan to eliminate the state income tax and expand sales taxes on goods and services.

The Republican bills would separate public restrooms and changing rooms by sex as assigned at birth, rather than gender identity. Transgender Missourians testified that the measures would put them at greater risk of assault.

After the state's education department oversaw a pilot program teaching science through agriculture, lawmakers saw an opportunity for more.

The Missouri State Board of Education appears to support legislation creating public-school open enrollment, but members are split on what the policy means. Open enrollment proposals have stalled in the Missouri legislature for the past five years.

The initiative petition would enshrine public education as "fundamental right" in the state constitution. But a ballot summary written by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is "insufficient and unfair," a Cole County judge ruled.

Less than 2% of MOScholars students are funded through donations this school year. The rest depends on general revenue from the state budget. But Missouri does not re-check eligibility for students, which is routine for other state-funded programs.