Our View: Our school crisis is a community crisis
In times of crisis, it is important not to panic, but instead focus energy on a clear-eyed view of the circumstances with an emphasis on solutions.
Weather Update: Area schools to continue virtual-only classes due to weather
Classes in the Columbus Municipal School District and the Lowndes County School District will be held virtually on Wednesday.
School starts in Columbus under strict COVID protocols
The first day of school always means a bit of apprehension. But this year, those fears were of a different nature.
SOCSD delays student start date to Aug. 24
Classes will start Aug. 24 in the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, Superintendent Eddie Peasant announced Friday, instead of Aug. 6 as originally planned, in order to prepare teachers for an unexpectedly high number of students who will learn through the district’s virtual option.
‘No right answer’: Parents grapple with education options for children during pandemic
Christine Lawson had “tossed around the idea of homeschooling” her two sons in the past, but it is the continuing COVID-19 pandemic that has convinced her to do it.
Lawson and her older son, who is 11, both have health conditions that make her wary of sending the boys back to Lowndes County School District in case they unknowingly bring the virus home. Schools across the state and nation closed their doors and implemented online learning from March to May due to the pandemic, and families throughout the Golden Triangle have much to consider when deciding whether to send their children back into school buildings next month.
LCSD to implement full in-person learning plan starting Aug. 20
Lowndes County School District plans to start the school year with a hybrid learning method, then return to a fully in-person traditional method after two weeks.
School districts making tentative plans to reopen buildings for 2020-21
Keeping track of the ever-changing impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is a lot of work, said Cherie Labat, the superintendent of Columbus Municipal School District.
K-12 education takes on new methods, challenges during pandemic
Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close in March, Elise Wilson has had a lot on her plate.
School districts navigate ‘uncharted waters’ of delivering remote education
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is not the first disaster Cherie Labat has dealt with in her educational career.
States suspending standardized tests as schools close
Closing schools to combat the spread of the coronavirus is having a sweeping impact on an annual rite of spring: the standardized tests that are dreaded by millions of students and teachers alike.
Area school districts still feed students during closure
Since Monday, school districts in Columbus and Starkville, along with a Starkville grocer, have provided more than 3,500 meals to home-bound kids.
Universities extend spring break, most K-12 schools plan to re-open next week
Schools and universities throughout the Golden Triangle are modifying class schedules and making other preparations for the outbreak of COVID-19 in Mississippi.
Discipline or treatment? Schools rethinking vaping response
A glimpse of student athletes in peak physical condition vaping just moments after competing in a football game led Stamford High School Principal Raymond Manka to reconsider his approach to the epidemic.
Parents question whether shooting drills traumatize kids
Long before an ex-student opened fire on his former classmates in Parkland, Florida, many school districts conducted regular shooting drills — exercises that sometimes included simulated gunfire and blood and often happened with no warning that the attack wasn’t real.
Anger over Ed Dept mulling federal money for guns in schools
The Education Department said Thursday that it is weighing whether to allow states to use federal funds to purchase guns for schools, prompting a storm of criticism from Democratic lawmakers and educators.
Government blesses omitting race from admissions, enrollment
The Trump administration said the government would no longer encourage schools to use race as a factor in the admissions process, rescinding Obama-era guidance meant to promote diversity among students.
Agency warns retailers not to sell Juul e-cigarette to kids
Federal health officials on Tuesday announced a nationwide crackdown on underage use of a popular e-cigarette brand following months of complaints from parents, politicians and school administrators.
Study: Armed security officers are on the rise in US schools
Armed security officers are becoming more prevalent at America’s schools, according to a federal study released Thursday amid a heated debate over whether teachers and other school officials should carry guns.
Local school officials: Training key if new law arms teachers, staff
A controversial Mississippi House bill that would allow conceal carry permit holders to take firearms on public property now comes with an amendment that may allow teachers and other school employees to be armed in the classrooms.
New Hope school attendance bounces back today
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, continue to look into a pair of social media posts that threatened violence at New Hope schools that had concerned parents keeping their children out of school Monday.