Shawnee Mission School District

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.

Recent graduates Brooklynn Hato and Clare Bradley took home the title of "High School National Champions" at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Mesa, Arizona, last month.

Sales of Brendan Curran's "Ted Lasso"-themed T-shirt soared when Jason Sudeikis, Curran's Shawnee Mission West basketball teammate, wore them on the Emmy award-wining series. He also wore them off the set while promoting the show. Curran expects sales to keep growing with the expansion into "Ted Lasso" merchandise.

After two years of free meals, students had to pay for lunch after starting this school year. Now, fewer students are buying lunch and meal debt is piling up for Kansas City area schools.

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.

Impact KCK in the Kansas City, Kansas school district is a national model for how communities can address student homelessness by bringing different organizations and resources together to connect families to stable housing, jobs and other services.

Shawnee Mission West senior Bella Messmer launched Bubba’s and Bella’s Boards after her homecoming dance last year. The business specializes in charcuterie boxes, charcuterie cups and grazing tables.

Shawnee Mission South High School is home to one of the country's oldest high school Arabic programs.

Burkley Hoover has published her first book at the age of nine. Tilted “Here Comes Football: A Kids Guide To The Game,” it covers the history and mechanics of the sport and includes interviews with several professional players.

Shawnee Mission North math teacher Alex Morris was booked into Johnson County jail on Wednesday. He is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

As students prepare to head back to class, some schools are looking at new ways to keep them safe.

The Shawnee Mission school board's new plan completely removes a requirement that schools bring back masks if 5% of students are absent due to illness — the threshold that prompted seven elementary schools to bring back universal masking earlier this month.