school discipline

A white male student was caught in a cell phone video assaulting a Black female student and calling her the N-word at Shawnee Mission East high school. Both students were suspended, leading to calls for reforms from students of color.

DeLaSalle, a charter school in Kansas City, started requiring students to place their cell phones in magnetically sealed bags in 2023. But now it’s thinking about relaxing the policy in response to student feedback.

During the most recent school year, KCPS launched a different grading system where the minimum grade on any given assignment is 40% — even if the student didn’t do a single bit of it. It has drawn a mix of praise and criticism.

Although most Kansas schools prepare students and staff for intruders with active-shooter drills, they don't train teachers how to deal with more common violence on campus. Plus: In a Kansas county that’s lost more than half of its population, one restaurant offers a renewed sense of hope — and a cheeseburger worth driving for.

Kansas doesn't require schools to report or track teacher injuries. And although most schools prepare students and staff for intruders with active-shooter drills, they don't train teachers on how to deal with more common violence on campus.

Woodman Elementary School in Wichita is experimenting with a program called Meaningful Work. Students who need extra attention are paired with an adult mentor and offered something constructive to do on a regular schedule, like feeding fish or making copies. So far, behavior problems are down and attendance is up.

The Girard School District Board of Education voted unanimously to remove a district dress code policy that stipulates boys’ hair cannot “touch the collar of a crew neck t-shirt … or extend below the earlobes.” The ACLU warned the policy violated religious freedom, after an 8-year-old member of the Wyandotte Nation was forced to cut his hair.

The 8-year-old boy, a member of the Wyandotte Nation, started growing his hair out after attending the Nation's annual gathering. School officials at a Gerard elementary warned his family that his hair needed to be cut to comply with the dress code, which the ACLU says violates his religious freedom.

Standardized test scores have become a hot-button issue in this year’s school board races in Kansas. But experts say test scores don't paint a full picture of whether a student is succeeding or failing.

Poor classroom behavior is pushing some teachers out of the profession. The Missouri state education department wants to implement learning standards that include self-awareness, respect and empathy.

The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch gave Missouri an "F" grade for its compliance with international child rights standards. Missouri still allows 16-year-olds to be married, and allows corporal punishment in public and private schools.

School districts across the country, including in Missouri, have begun punishing students by forcing them into online classes, sometimes indefinitely. Critics charge that these punishments can deprive students and their families of due process rights.