North Kansas City Public Schools

Climate change-driven weather events are causing more damage and wear and tear to school buildings in Missouri, driving up districts’ property insurance costs.

Kansas City Public Schools invested millions in keeping students cool this year after districts grappled with record-high temperatures last fall.

Students in metro school districts owe thousands more dollars in school lunch debt as families continue to financially recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In some districts, debt is even higher than last year.

Incumbents prevailed in some Missouri school board elections, while other Kansas City-area boards saw shakeups that could shift how they handle book challenges, diversity initiatives, class instruction time and how to best support students.

Several school districts around Kansas City offer programs where students create fine dining experiences, cozy cafes and delectable desserts — and learn to thrive under pressure.

Nine children were shot on Wednesday near the end of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl rally. Schools are providing counseling services to help students cope with the emotional fallout.

Even though federal law mandates that schools offer interpreters and other services to overcome language gaps — both for schoolkids and their parents — Kansas City families report they regularly come across barriers. That leaves them more vulnerable to bullying, and it complicates issues of discipline and special education.

Kansas City Public Schools, which does not have central air conditioning in many of its secondary schools, will release all students early for the rest of the week because of safety concerns. Other districts in the area are canceling outdoor sports, moving recess indoors or encouraging staff to wear shorts.

Teachers at Kansas City Public Schools will soon be paid the highest starting salaries in the region — but just by a smidge. The school board approved a new union contract in the middle of a widespread teacher shortage that's making districts across the region compete to recruit and retain educators.

Hickman Mills has closed schools as it's lost 15 percent of its students in 5 years. Across the metro, North Kansas City is growing by as much as an elementary school worth of students per year and is opening schools and adding services in response.

Missouri ranks near the bottom of the country for its teacher pay. Faced with staffing shortages, school districts and education leaders are doing what they can to raise salaries.

A new Missouri law banning “explicit sexual material” on school property went into effect Aug. 24, prompting books to be removed from classrooms and libraries. The Missouri Association of School Librarians pointed to a potential exemption "if considered artistic or informational in nature.”