Schools

Former Kansas teacher sentenced to prison for child sex crimes

As Kansas begins its school year, mental health experts say to watch social media use by teens

Lawsuit: Kansas school employee locked teen with Down syndrome in closet, storage cage

Kansas high schooler dies after medical emergency during football practice

As school begins, mental health experts say to watch social media use by teens

Schools have made slow progress on record absenteeism, with millions of kids still skipping class

Updated Aug 17, 2024

Years after COVID-19 upended American schooling, nearly every state is still struggling with attendance, according to data collected by The Associated Press and Stanford University educational economist Thomas Dee.

Roughly one in four students in the 2022-23 school year remained chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year. That represents about 12 million children in the 42 states and Washington, D.C., where data is available.

Before the pandemic, only 15% of students missed that much school.

No serious injuries when school bus and car collide in east Wichita

Aug 16, 2024

A Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor said two people had minor injuries, and a USD 259 spokesperson said none of the eight Minneha Elementary students on the bus were hurt.

Hutchinson Public Schools increasing pay for all employees

Updated Aug 13, 2024

Certified staff like teachers will see an additional $4,000. Classified employees, such as office staff, custodians, bus drivers and business managers, will see a $1 per hour increase. Daily substitute pay is increasing an extra $25, to $135. In addition, the board has increased its monthly healthcare contribution by $85, bringing the total contribution to $615 per month, representing a 16% enhancement.

Hoping to lure families back to public schools, Wichita launches K-6 microschool experiment

Updated Aug 9, 2024

The new Creative Minds program will feature a one-room-schoolhouse approach, with about 20 students from kindergarten through sixth-grade learning from one teacher.

How much is too much? Some Kansas school districts are cutting back on screen time

Updated Aug 13, 2024

The Kansas State Board of Education recently convened a task force to address cell phones and other devices in classrooms. The group will develop policy recommendations and present them to the board later this year.

Some WPS students are being assigned a city bus to get to school

Updated Aug 6, 2024

Wichita public schools is assigning some high school students to a Wichita Transit city bus for the 2024-2025 school year because it is facing a school bus driver shortage.

Salina teacher to bike across America to raise money for music education in schools

Updated Aug 6, 2024

One Salina man has made it his mission to raise money and awareness for music education and teacher mental health by biking solo across the country.

Texas middle school bans all-black clothing, citing mental health concerns

Updated Aug 6, 2024

The El Paso Independent School District said in a statement that the middle school “is updating its uniform policy to enhance student’s well-being and sense of pride.” Schools in the district are allowed to create their own dress code.

Wellington High School joins other schools in banning cellphone use in its classrooms

Updated Aug 14, 2024

Wellington High says it reevaluates all its policies annually, and this year teachers decided action was necessary to combat everyone’s favorite distraction- cell phones. Storage caddies added to every learning space is what the school has come up with.

Nike to provide Wichita high school teams with uniforms

Updated Aug 6, 2024

The Wichita Public Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to sign a new agreement with BSN Sports to make Nike the official provider of uniforms for high school sports teams.