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Mizzou faculty opinion of Mun Choi vastly improves 2 years after scathing report
The last time faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia weighed in on their campus leader, they said he “fostered a general culture of helplessness and submission” and that morale had been “irreparably damaged.” Only 26% of those surveyed in 2022 supported retaining Mun Choi as chancellor of the university, a position he took over in […]
Hearing over Missouri’s ban on gender-affirming care focuses on withheld documents
Attorneys representing transgender minors and health care providers squabbled with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office Wednesday over thousands of documents both sides say are being wrongfully withheld. At its core, the case seeks to determine whether the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors is lawful. The lawsuit was filed by the families of three […]
Missouri committee sets goal to enact performance funding formula for higher education
A Missouri House committee began a new phase Tuesday of a years-long process to create a formula to fund the state’s higher education institutions. Led by state Rep. Brenda Shields, a Republican from St. Joseph, the Special Interim Committee on Higher Education Performance Funding is hoping to pick a performance-based formula that would determine funding […]
Federal rulings out of Kansas, Missouri put Biden student-loan forgiveness on hold
Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday blocked the full implementation of a student-loan forgiveness program proposed by the Biden administration that was set to launch July 1. The SAVE Plan, an acronym for Saving on a Valuable Education, has been partially rolled out. The provisions already in effect may remain, United States District […]
Missouri education commissioner discusses long-standing issues as she preps to leave job
Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven will leave her position with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at the end of the month, ending her 19 years of work in the department. She announced her departure in October, saying it was the “right time to move on personally and professionally.” An educator since 1990, Vandeven […]
Planned Parenthood vows to fight Missouri AG push for transgender youth medical records
ST. LOUIS — A circuit court judge heard arguments Monday over whether the Missouri attorney general’s efforts to access medical records of transgender youth violate privacy protections. Monday’s hearing was convened at the request of Bailey in the hopes that the court would amend a previous order that requires patients to waive HIPAA rights before […]
Missouri education law will require a vote for large districts to have 4-day schedules
The Independence School District recently completed its first school year on a four-day-a-week schedule — a change that made headlines and stirred state officials. Now, with the passage of a new state law, the district will have to ask voters to keep the four-day week by July 1, 2026. Is that enough time to test […]
Missouri appeals court sides with transgender student in $4 million discrimination case
After a decade-long legal battle, a transgender man and former student of the Blue Springs School District should receive over $4 million in damages for discrimination that occurred when he was an adolescent, the Missouri’s Western District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. Judge Anthony Gabbert wrote the court’s unanimous decision, ruling that the school district […]
Missouri AG argues to block Biden administration’s second student loan forgiveness plan
A United States District Court judge in St. Louis heard arguments Monday morning on whether the federal government can continue with a student-debt-forgiveness plan due to begin next month. The lawsuit, filed last month by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, seeks to block an income-driven repayment plan for borrowers proposed by President Joe Biden’s administration. […]
Missouri education package establishes long-time priorities, stomping smaller bills
During Missouri’s 2024 legislative session, 338 bills addressing education were filed: a mix of proposals to change curriculum, increase funding, boost oversight and others. The House appeared poised to expedite more K-12 legislation by forming a Special Committee on Education Reform in addition to its usual Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. Chair of the existing […]
Therapists, social workers face scrutiny in Missouri AG investigation of transgender care
A state investigation of the Washington University Transgender Center in St. Louis expanded to include therapists and social workers across the state who work with minors seeking gender-affirming care. Documents made public as part of various lawsuits show that Attorney General Andrew Bailey has obtained a collection of unredacted and loosely redacted records of transgender […]
Legislative interns help Missouri school districts claim over $1 million in federal funds
In March, the phone in state Rep. Deb Lavender’s office in Jefferson City started ringing constantly, but the calls weren’t for her. They were for her interns, Santino Bono and Alanna Nguyen. The interns, along with Dylan Powers Cody, who was interning for state Rep. Peter Merideth, had spent months cross-checking spreadsheets to pinpoint school […]