school

A pair of bills were debated by the Senate education and workforce development committee aimed at expanding access to activities like sports and clubs to students who are homeschooled.

The bill would require students in Kansas to be assigned to male and female sports teams based on biological evidence at birth, including a person’s genitalia, chromosomes or reproductive potential. Among 41,000 girls competing in Kansas high school athletic events, only three are known to be transgender.

The Missouri bill, introduced by Republican Mike Moon, is even broader than Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law. It would impact public and charters schools throughout grades K-12, and bans discussion of gender or sexual orientation unless it's by a licensed mental health provider with parental permission.

The program provides free musical instruments and lessons to children living in Kansas City's Historic Northeast neighborhood. Some of the program's graduates are now headed to music school.

Kansas Democrats can't seem to overcome the urban-rural divide that's keeping them out of the state legislature, despite some gains in Johnson County. Plus: A new law is changing how Missouri students are taught to read.

Education leaders want Missouri teachers to lean into research-backed literacy instruction methods, known as the science of reading.

Kids around the metro are returning to class after the holiday break — but the new semester has some familiar issues kicking around. Staffing issues in schools, fights over curriculums and controversial mascots were some of the top stories in 2022, and those continued debates are setting the tone for the year ahead.

A Democratic state representative from St. Louis claims school suspensions do no good and should be prohibited below fourth grade. In Kansas City, suspensions are not permitted through fifth grade, except in instances in which students present dangers to themselves or others or have broken the law.

Kansas City has its share of popular rappers, including Tech N9ne and Amira Wang — but few of them are middle schoolers. This local fifth-grader is making kid-friendly rap music that’s just as cool as the adult stuff.

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.

Judge David Munton initially ordered Agape be shut down last week at the request of the state Attorney General and Department of Social Services. The state’s petition claimed that an Agape staff member had been placed on Missouri’s child abuse and neglect central registry for physically abusing a student.

Gardner Edgerton's proposed policy would require students and staff to use pronouns from their original birth certificate, with changing rooms and restrooms designated solely for those assigned to the corresponding gender at birth. Students in violation of the policy would be disciplined.