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Missouri lawmakers push for mandatory 5-day school week

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2023

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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Independence School District Superintendent Dale Herl is concerned lawmakers may prevent his district from going to a four-day week in 2023-2024.

“If legislation passes depending on what that looks like, not only would that impact Independence, but it would impact every school district in the state of Missouri,” Herl said in an interview with FOX4 Wednesday.

Herl says more than 140 school districts in the state currently have a four-day week. There are more than 500 school districts statewide.

“There is broad bipartisan support to get this done,” Democratic State Senator Doug Beck of St. Louis County said to FOX4 Wednesday.

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Beck was the lawmaker who proposed adding a mandatory five-day school week amendment into Senate Bill 4 or the ‘Parents Bill of Rights.’ Wednesday though, it did not so go in, so the Independence School District can continue with their planned four-day school week which would begin next year.

“This goes completely against local control,” Herl said of the lawmakers idea. “Every school district has a dually elected school board that makes these decisions. This is quite a bit of overreach by the state legislature to come in and take away that control from local school boards.”

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Herl says teacher applications have gone up by 530% since they’ve announced they’re going to a four-day school week. The four-day school week is supposed to start in August of 2023. Beck wonders when the reduction of school days per week will stop though.

“Say two years from now, every school district in the state is going to four days,” Beck said. “Now it’s no longer an incentive right? So, what do we do? Do we go to three days?”

Beck thinks his amendment could be attached to another education bill later this session.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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