EAST ST. LOUIS • The East St. Louis School Board voted unanimously Monday to reinstate the boys track season, which was canceled after a brawl in the stands at a meet last week.The altercation started in the stands, but some members of the track team joined in. Superintendent Arthur Culver said he had canceled the track season because he was worried for safety at future track meets.That decision had drawn a small group of protesters who rallied outside the East St. Louis School District's administration office early Monday morning seeking to have that decision reversed. Brawl in the stands involving some athletes postpones conference track championships in East St. Louis "This is their one key to getting out of here, to be somebody," said Erica Brooks, an East St. Louis alumna of Lincoln High School and a former track athlete. "Please don't take this opportunity away from the kids."Brooks was among 16 people who held a press conference Monday morning.The school … [Read more...] about East St. Louis School Board votes to save track season, which had been canceled after brawl last week
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Racial discrimination is alive and well in St. Louis schools; now let’s end it
If you thought school segregation was a thing of the past, guess again. The practice of denying educational opportunities to African-American kids is alive and well in St. Louis schools. That’s unacceptable.We’re helping to lead the fight to end St. Louis schools’ segregation policy, and our goal is to take this fight to the Supreme Court. But for that to happen, we need to hear from families in the community who have been affected by this unconstitutional policy.Many people may be shocked to learn segregation persists in their community’s schools, believing we won that fight in the last century. But it’s sadly true — the only difference is today’s segregation has taken on a new face. Let’s take a step back to explain how we got here.In 2016, we represented Edmund Lee, a bright 11-year-old boy, in a lawsuit to vindicate his civil rights. When Edmund’s mother, La’Shieka, moved her family to a safer neighborhood, she sought to … [Read more...] about Racial discrimination is alive and well in St. Louis schools; now let’s end it
Decision on St. Louis school board and charter school renewals among delays from state board standoff
The Missouri Board of Education has now missed two of 11 meetings scheduled for this year, because it doesn’t have enough members for a quorum. As a result: • Some charter schools are awaiting renewal of their charters, the contracts that spell out how they will operate and what they will accomplish. • Changes intended to make Missouri’s school accountability system more equitable are likely delayed another year. • A residency program that would recruit and train teachers for hard-to-staff schools in the St. Louis area is waiting to officially launch. • And St. Louis residents are still waiting on the State Board of Education to decide who should govern their school district and how that transition will happen. That’s on top of the search for a new state education commissioner — the vacancy that led the board to its current standstill. In the last six months of 2017, Gov. Eric Greitens appointed 10 people to the state board that oversees … [Read more...] about Decision on St. Louis school board and charter school renewals among delays from state board standoff
St. Louis schools need help paying off student meal debt
Updated 10:17 am, Sunday, February 4, 2018 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Some school districts in the St. Louis area are asking the community to help pay off student meal debt for families who can't afford daily lunches for their children. More than 2,100 students in the Francis Howell School District collectively owe nearly $19,000 in their school lunch accounts. The district has asked community members to pitch in to a dedicated lunch debt fund, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported . Schools try to avoid "lunch shaming" students whose families haven't replenished their lunch accounts, and to prevent lunch debt from using up district money. Lunch shaming has gained nationwide attention amid stories of cafeteria workers throwing away food and giving sandwiches to students with no money. Local Channel Now Playing: Now Playing Police responding to shooting at S.A. intersection San Antonio Express-News San Antonio Police respond to shooting on West Side 21 Pro … [Read more...] about St. Louis schools need help paying off student meal debt
St. Louis schools should have elected board, task force says
ST. LOUIS • The city’s public school district should be governed by an elected board, a special task force decided Wednesday after weeks of studying input from experts and residents. The group’s decision was largely driven by a desire to hold a school board accountable to voters and to give representation to city residents. There was little discussion of what would be best for students. The vast majority of school boards in the U.S. are elected, and there is not much evidence showing one type of school board is structurally better than another, task force member and St. Louis teachers union member Ray Cummings said at Wednesday’s meeting. Task force members said they thought individual board members’ integrity and ability to work together to implement best practices — rather than the structure of a school board — were the most important keys to a board’s success. Some task force members also said they wanted to avoid having to go to the … [Read more...] about St. Louis schools should have elected board, task force says