Education Archives - Missourinet

Missouri shares virus aid spending suggestions with K-12 schools

April 14, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

The U.S. Department of Education says Missouri’s K-12 schools will get nearly $2 billion in total federal aid from the latest coronavirus plan. State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokeswoman Mallory McGowin said health experts suggest spending some of the virus funding on the basics.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson visits a St. Louis school on July 29, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“The experts shared that while good sanitation in schools is never something that you should omit, purchasing those UV cleaning systems that can be quite pricey or spending a lot of money to do these extraordinary cleaning measures may not be the place to invest your resources. The experts shared that continuing to purchase masks for students, continuing some of those other mitigation strategies would be a better place to drop their dollars into,” she said.

As schools consider what to use the money for, McGowin said many Missouri schools are not set up to have much social distancing.

“If you’re not able to utilize that layer of protection – keeping students and staff at least three feet apart now per the new CDC guidance – then you need to layer on the additional mitigation strategies. That’s when masks become prudent. That’s when the plexiglass barriers and things like that become something you really need to sink your energy into,” she said.

Some Missouri communities and local school boards have lifted coronavirus restrictions. McGowin said now is not the time to ease up school health rules.

“From our perspective and the perspective of the Department of Health and Senior Services, all are in alignment that those mitigation strategies that schools are using and that we’re seeing work must remain in place to ensure that we can continue to offer those in-person learning opportunities safety and with little to no interruption,” she said.

The state strongly encourages the use of face masks but McGowin said there are no financial penalties against schools that do not require masks.

Missouri gaining ground along broadband superhighway, but many more miles to go

April 14, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

A new report says Missouri ranks 32nd in the nation in broadband internet access – a positive step from 41st just a couple years ago. Federal and state aid have helped to boost access around Missouri.

The report says 23% of Missouri students still do not have access to high-speed internet. Plus, it says the state ranks in the bottom five for access to low-cost internet.

Missouri gaining ground along broadband superhighway, but many more miles to go (Photo courtesy of Alisa Nelson)

During a state Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Tim Arbeiter, state Director of Missouri’s Broadband Development Office, said there is still a lot of work to do.

“Within the next three years, I think we could probably cut our divide in half. But I still think we are going to have challenges ahead of us in the affordability space. As I listen to my colleagues across the state, when affordability programs are active and live, there is still some hesitancy from populations to hook on. We don’t know the aspects and the why to that. So, we need to understand that little piece a little bit better,” said Arbeiter.

Arbeiter said Missouri has 255 broadband internet providers, including cable, wireless, electric, and telecommunication companies.

Rob Dixon, the director of the state Department of Economic Development, said Missouri’s economy will not grow without continuing to boost broadband access.

“It’s a key plank in our overall economic development strategy,” says Dixon. “The big question of is it an affordability issue or is it an access issue or is it a device issue. The answer is yes on all of those things. And so, it is a pretty challenging issue all around.”

He said data shows Missouri is a mixed bag in its state of broadband.

“The bottom line message I think that we have is there is still very much a gap that we are trying to close, but we are moving in that right direction. We’re still on the wrong side of that list but we are moving forward. It’s a difficult issue to talk about kind of in a positive way because there is still such a big gap that we are trying to close. I think that’s why there’s so much urgency around this issue,” says Dixon.

Board member Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge of Pasadena Hills said some individuals in the corporate community want to help.

“Maybe where they plug in and play is with these short-term actions,” she said.

Members talked about broadband coverage being spotty from house to house. During the pandemic, some communities have set up portable wifi connections for students to access internet from a building or a parked bus, for instance.

“A lot of homework being done at the McDonalds,” said Board President Charlie Shields of St. Joseph.

To view the report, click here.

Rehder’s bipartisan needle exchange legislation heads to Missouri House committee

April 13, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Bipartisan legislation creating a hypodermic needle exchange program will be heard by a Missouri House committee Tuesday afternoon in Jefferson City.

State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City) speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on March 9, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

State Sen. Holly Rehder (R-Scott City), who has sponsored the bill for several years, will testify before the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee. Her two-page Senate Bill 64 has already received final approval from the Missouri Senate.

Senator Rehder tells Missourinet that the needle exchange program would help prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis. She has said that if addicts have access to clean needles, it would reduce the transmission of those diseases.

Under her bill, any entity that’s registered with the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) that operates a syringe exchange program would be exempt from the offense of distribution or sale of drug paraphernalia, as long as the entity is not located within 500 feet of a school building.

Groups like St. Louis-based non-profit Criminal Justice Ministry have testified for the bill in previous years. They say it could save the state money in the long run.

What we’re watching this week in Missouri Legislature: federal stimulus funding, state budget and workers compensation issues (AUDIO)

April 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Testimony involving stimulus dollars under the federal “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, alternatives to Medicaid expansion and workers compensation for firefighters and first responders will highlight this week in the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City.

State Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 18, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The 2021 session has about a month to go. The last day of session will be Friday, May 14.

A brand-new Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending will meet for the first time Monday morning in Jefferson City. They’ll gavel-in at 11 a.m. Committee Chairman State Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs) is humbled by the appointment.

“It is a committee that will be doing some very important work in terms of vetting both the priorities and the need for these federal stimulus dollars that are yet to even be received,” Richey says.

The subcommittee will hear testimony on Monday about capital improvement needs that could be eligible for federal stimulus funds under the Rescue plan. President Joe Biden (D) signed the bill, and House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) has said that he expects Missouri to receive billions of dollars in federal funding.

“There will be opportunity for several one-time appropriations for capital improvements and deferred maintenance that we know exist throughout the state,” says Richey.

He tells Missourinet that examples include universities, public safety, mental health and hospitals and state buildings.

Chairman Richey is emphasizing the importance of due diligence. He tweeted Saturday that “the American Rescue Plan isn’t funded by tax payer dollars, it’s funded by tax payer indebtedness.”

The Medicaid expansion issue will also come up again this week in the Legislature.

The Missouri House Budget Committee is expected to vote Tuesday on a budget blueprint from Chairman Smith, a plan which directs dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs, including MO HealthNet. That’s the state Medicaid program.

Smith outlined the plan last week. House Bill 21, an eight-page bill, is just over $1 billion. $894 million of that would come from federal funds.

Funding includes $26 million for programs like respite care, adult day care and home-delivered meals. Chairman Smith testifies the funding also includes $88.2 million for funding long-term care services for care in nursing facilities. HB 21 also includes $18 million for k-12 public school transportation, and $2 million for adult high schools. It also includes $11.6 million for treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, and $2.2 million for youth community programs. It also provides about $1 million in additional funding for the State Public Defender System.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Democrats on the Budget Committee are expected to oppose the plan, saying that 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August. Regardless of the committee vote, the issue will almost certainly be debated again on the House floor soon.

The Missouri House Public Safety Committee will meet Tuesday morning to hear legislation from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence), which involves workers compensation for firefighters and first responders.

“This is a bill that protects those who protect us. The firefighter cancer presumption bill creates a presumption that if a firefighter develops cancer, he or she got it as a result of the hazardous toxins of which he or she was regularly exposed. There is also a component to PTSD for first responders. I am proud of this bill and it is far overdue,” Sauls tells Missourinet.

Sauls’ House Bill 863 would allow Missouri firefighters and first responders to receive workers compensation for diseases of the heart or cardiovascular system, any infectious diseases, diseases of the body systems or organs from carcinoma, and diseases of the lungs or respiratory tract.

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri Senate, the chamber is expected to take up legislation involving mechanical contractors early this week. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) tells Missourinet he expects his Senate Bill 11 to hit the floor on Monday.

Schatz’s bill is called the “Missouri Statewide Mechanical Contractor Licensing Act.” Under the bill, the statewide mechanical license for mechanical contractors would be regulated by the Division of Professional Registration, within the state Department of Commerce and Insurance. The bill creates the Office of Mechanical Contractors, within the division.

Pro Tem Schatz also says education reform legislation could go to the Senate floor this week.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full four-minute interview with Missouri House Subcommittee on Federal Stimulus Spending Chairman Rep. Doug Richey (R-Excelsior Springs), which was recorded on April 9, 2021:

School nurse group hopes Missouri districts will put federal aid toward hiring nurses

April 12, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri’s K-12 schools are getting a big chunk of change in the latest federal coronavirus relief package. The U.S. Department of Education says $1.95 billion total has been designated for Missouri schools. The plan also includes funding for a program to increase student internet connectivity for virtual learning and aid for nonpublic schools.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks to schoolchildren and teachers in mid-Missouri’s California School District on September 9, 2020 (photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Linda Neumann, with the Missouri Association of School Nurses, says the group hopes the state’s school districts will consider using some of the federal funding to hire school nurses.

“The Missouri Association of School Nurses is hoping that in Missouri, they will invest the federal funding in a way that will effectively achieve safer classrooms in schools, to improve the physical and mental health and academic success of children. Part of this involves hiring school nurses in those schools that do not have access to a school nurse,” says Neumann. “If they need school nurses or if they need a counselor or maybe they can expand the number of school nurses they have so that one school nurse doesn’t have to cover three schools.”

Neumann tells Missourinet a 2020 state Education Department report shows about 20% of Missouri public school districts do not have a nurse.

“For some students, the school nurse is their actual health care home because of lack of access in their community, especially in some of our rural communities. That tends to be where there is a lack of school nurses right now, where not every town has a doctor, dentist, or a pharmacy, but they have a school. If that school has a registered nurse there to take care of those kids, that school nurse can really fill in the gaps, find resources, and have resources brought in. “It’s not that schools don’t appreciate having a registered nurse there. It is often a budget issue,” she says.

Neumann says in the early 1990s, about 50% of Missouri public school districts did not have a school nurse on hand. Then, an effort began to tax smokeless tobacco products and designate that revenue toward putting more nurses in schools.

In 1995, Missouri allocated $5.4 million annually for 15 years for school health services, which increased school nurses in schools to 99.7%. That funding ended in 2010. As a result, not all school nurse positions were sustained.

For the schools without a registered school nurse, some have a health aide. Others rely on their principal or an administrative assistant to field health problems. Without a school nurse, Neumann says the level of expertise and care the kids are going to receive is not going to be the same.

According to the state Department of Health and Senior Services, there are more than 72,000 Missouri K-12 public school students with asthma, some 27,000 have life-threatening food allergies, about 7,300 suffer from seizures, and more than 2,200 have Type 1 diabetes.

“This doesn’t even mention the impact that COVID-19 has had on kids,” says Neumann. “COVID-19 has definitely disrupted learning of students and compromised their physical and mental health. We have seen anxiety and depression go up tremendously in our state both in children and adults during covid.”

Neumann says having a school nurse on staff helps to reduce student absenteeism.

“When a registered nurse is there to help manage those chronic health conditions, like asthma and diabetes, those are things that the healthier we can keep the kids the more they can be in school,” she says.

Neumann cites The Journal of American Medical Association showing the benefits of investing in a school nurse.

“Their determination was that in schools, for every dollar invested in a full-time registered school nurse, that society would gain $2.20,” she says.

When administrators or school boards are determining how many school nurses are needed, Neumann says the schools should keep in mind student safety.

“That means nurse to student ratio and it really varies depending on the health needs of the students and the social determinants of the population,” she says. “If you have 700 kids that are all well, one school nurse is sufficient. But if you have eight kids with Type 1 diabetes, three with seizure disorders, three with sickle cell, a kiddo with chemotherapy – there are just so many factors that play into that.”

Missouri has about 550 traditional public school districts and charter schools serving roughly 900,000 students.

Missouri House’s bipartisan budget increase for foster children praised by Kids Win Missouri (AUDIO)

April 8, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A coalition that’s dedicated to improving the well-being of Missouri children is praising the Missouri House’s bipartisan approval of a $76 million increase for foster and adoptive children.

Missouri House Speaker Rob Vescovo (right) and House Budget Committee chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) listen to budget debate in the chamber on March 30, 2021 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson says the House budget provides unprecedented support for the kinship and foster families who care for the thousands of children in Missouri foster care. The state Department of Social Services (DSS) says there are currently 13,917 foster care children in Missouri.

“It increases everything from the maintenance, the monthly maintenance payments that foster guardian and adoptive parents get. But then also increases important things like the diaper allowance for people who are caring for infants,” Stevenson says.

The House budget increases the infant care enhancement from $50 to $80 per month. There is a $44 per month foster care monthly maintenance increase for foster children ages 0-5, and $47 per month for ages 6-12. It’s $127 per month increase for foster teens.

Mr. Stevenson also notes the House budget includes a 45 percent increase to the clothing allowance for foster teens.

“We all know that it takes a lot of resources to clothe and keep our growing kids in appropriate clothing,” says Stevenson.

The House budget increases the clothing allowance for foster teens by $220 annually, up from the current $480. It also increases the clothing allowance for Missouri foster children ages 6-12 by $110 annually, up from the current $290.

Stevenson is thankful to House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold) and to House members in both parties for their support, saying it represents a much-needed investment.

“Foster parenting is a calling, and we are grateful for the commitment of the House of Representatives in providing additional support for those caring for children,” Stevenson says.

Kids Win Missouri’s website says its mission is “to further child well-being by advancing the health, education, safety and development of Missouri children and their families, especially those who are at-risk because of poverty, abuse, neglect, racial inequities or other risk factors.”

Vescovo, who was elected House Speaker in January, focused on early childhood education and adoption during his opening day address. He called on state lawmakers that day to expand Missouri’s adoption tax credit, so that families who want to adopt a child aren’t blocked from doing it simply because of cost.

Speaker Vescovo was adopted.

The Missouri House approved a $34.1 billion state operating budget last week. That budget now heads to the Missouri Senate. The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget by early May.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with Kids Win Missouri policy director Craig Stevenson, which was recorded on April 2, 2021:

Missouri’s House Budget Committee chair outlines alternative to Medicaid expansion; Kirk Mathews is Acting Medicaid director

April 6, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Budget Committee learned new details Tuesday in Jefferson City about a budget blueprint from the committee chair to direct dollars slated for Medicaid expansion for other programs, including MO HealthNet. That’s the state Medicaid program.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) speaks on the House floor in Jefferson City on April 1, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Democrats are expected to oppose the plan, saying Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August.

Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) and the House Appropriations director presented House Bill 21, which is an eight-page bill. It’s just over $1 billion, with $894 million of that coming from federal funds.

“This is an appropriation, a rate increase, that again as you (the House Appropriations director) noted, it’s written as a one-time increase. I think it’s up for up for question as to whether or not this should be a general revenue increase, or perhaps an f-map increase,” Smith testifies.

He says this involves a one-time nursing facility rate increase of about $10 per day.

While Chairman Smith opposes Medicaid expansion, his plan would provide an additional $735 million to the MO HealthNet Division for transitional payments. House Appropriations Director Glenn Fitzgerald testifies this is a brand-new proposal.

“This is 735-and-a-half million (dollars) federal funds for transitional payments related to Medicaid reform,” Fitzgerald testifies.

Then-State Rep. Kirk Mathews (R-Eureka) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on April 7, 2016 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

HB 21 also includes $18 million for k-12 public school transportation, and $2 million for adult high schools. It also includes $11.6 million for treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, and $2.2 million for youth community programs. It also provides about $1 million in additional funding for the State Public Defender System.

There was no testimony in support or in opposition to Smith’s bill on Tuesday. Chairman Smith tells the audience that he hopes for a mark-up on either Thursday or Monday. This is a short week in Jefferson City, due to the Easter break.

Medicaid is a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Rural House members from those districts have led the opposition to funding Medicaid expansion.

House Democrats and Amendment Two supporters say Missouri voters have spoken. They say Medicaid expansion will help the working poor by expanding the program for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

The House voted to give final approval last week to a $34.1 billion state operating budget, which does not contain funding for Medicaid expansion.

We also learned during Tuesday’s one-hour hearing that former State Rep. Kirk Mathews (R-Eureka) is serving as the interim director at Missouri Medicaid, with Director Todd Richardson out on leave.

Mathews has been MO HealthNet’s chief transformation officer. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and and served two terms, from 2015-2018.

What we’re watching this week in the Missouri Legislature: PDMP, budget, foster care and human cloning

April 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would create a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) is expected to receive final approval from the Missouri Senate in Jefferson City on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) tells Missourinet that the PDMP issue should come up tomorrow. That’s when state lawmakers return to Jefferson City, following the Easter break.

State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 31, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The Senate voted to give initial approval to PDMP last week, and it had bipartisan support. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan), who voted for Senate Bill 63, tells Missourinet Sullivan affiliate KTUI that informed doctors make better decisions.

“49 states currently have a PDMP, and actually it just provides a layer of protection against drug and dependency and dangerous drug interactions,” Schatz tells KTUI.

A PDMP is an electronic database that collects data on controlled substance prescriptions within a state. Missouri is the only state in the nation without a PDMP.

Opponents of Senate Bill 63, including State Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), worry about potential data breaches.

Pro Tem Schatz also says the state operating budget will get a lot of attention in his chamber during the next five weeks. The House has approved a $34.1 billion budget, that does not include funding for Medicaid expansion. The budget now heads to the Senate.

“The governor had made recommendations. The House has made their modifications to it and now it’s our turn to work through the things that we think are priorities in funding in this state,” says Schatz.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget, by early May.

State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on March 22, 2021 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Across the Capitol Rotunda in the Missouri House, the Budget Committee meets Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 to hear testimony from Committee Chairman Cody Smith (R-Carthage) about his budget proposal to use Medicaid expansion funding for other programs.

Medicaid is formally known as MO HealthNet, and it’s a federal and state program that assists with medical costs for residents with limited incomes. 53 percent of Missouri voters approved Medicaid expansion in August, although it failed in 105 of the state’s 114 counties. Rural House members from those districts led the opposition to Medicaid expansion last week. Amendment Two supporters say the measure expands Medicaid for residents between the ages of 19 and 64 with an income level at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.

Chairman Smith says Medicaid expansion would help able bodied adults, many who choose not to work. He’s filed a bill to use the $1.9 billion to instead support seniors in nursing homes, to provide care for the developmentally disabled and to expand mental health programs. It would also increase k-12 school transportation funding. That proposal will be outlined on Tuesday.

Meantime, the Missouri House Emerging Issues Committee meets Tuesday evening at 5, to hear a foster care proposal from State Rep. Robert Sauls (D-Independence). House Bill 1335 would prevent children from being aged out of foster care during a pandemic.

“During uncertain and difficult times, our most vulnerable children shouldn’t have to worry about homelessness,” Representative Sauls tells Missourinet. “That’s why I sponsored HB 1335. I want to make sure that during a moment of crisis, the children of Missouri have the stability that they need.”

Foster care continues to be a bipartisan issue at the Missouri Capitol. It’s also a top priority for House Speaker Rob Vescovo (R-Arnold).

The human cloning issue will also come up this week in a House committee. The Children and Families Committee will hear testimony on Wednesday morning from State Rep. Sara Walsh (R-Ashland), which would prohibit public expenditure of public funds for research projects involving abortion services and human cloning.

Walsh’s proposal is House Bill 852.

Missouri bill would lower school immunization requirements

April 5, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri children attending daycares, K-12 public schools, or public higher education schools might not be required to get vaccinated against certain illnesses – if they have a “conscientious belief” opposing the immunizations. State Representative Suzie Pollock, R-Lebanon, is proposing the change for vaccinations against polio, rubella, rubeola, mumps, tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria, and hepatitis B.

Current state law allows student vaccination exemptions for religious and medical reasons.

Her bill would also mean the state’s roughly 120,000 K-12 private, parochial, and parish school students would not have to get those vaccinations.

Missouri Capitol (Photo by Alisa Nelson)

Pollock says the state needs to reign in schools and local health departments.

“They require forms. Some schools and health departments require that the form be put on card stock or have a certain seal, or that they have to make an appointment with a nurse and watch a video. The difficulties just keep mounting and they make it more and more difficult every day,” Pollock says.

The legislation would only require the meningitis vaccination for Missouri college students living in publicly owned housing.

During a House committee hearing, Pollock, a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist, says more than 72 vaccination doses are required of students by the time they are 18, but most in the first four years.

“In 1982, there were 24 doses. And today, there are over 72 doses. There are no studies that they (vaccinations) are making them better,” says Pollock.

Linda Neumann, with the Missouri Association of School Nurses, says 31 doses are required before age 18 – not 72. She tells Missourinet the bill would weaken the state’s immunization requirements for kids at a time when other states are strengthening theirs.

“We believe that childhood immunizations are safe and effective. This is a real pivotal time for us. I hate to see us loosen our requirements,” she says. “Children in – it doesn’t matter what their setting is – whether it’s public, private, or parochial, they all deserve to live healthier and be free of communicable diseases. We have seen what’s happened with COVID-19 and what can happen with a communicable disease.”

Another example she points to is the measles.

“It’s extremely contagious and can lead to all kinds of things that you don’t want like blindness or brain damage, which is possible from the very high fevers. But thanks to the measles vaccine, we went from four million cases annually to in the year 2000, we were declared measles free in our country. But unfortunately the decline in the vaccination rate has led to a return to a measles outbreak,” she says. “In 2019, we had 1,282 cases, I believe, in the United States.”

Neumann cites a study saying about 40% of parents against vaccinations oppose them for philosophical reasons and another 60% oppose them due to inconvenience. She says there has been a huge effort, especially in Missouri, to increase access to students whose parents might not have the means to get their children to an immunization appointment.

“There are schools that have immunization vans come out during the summer to help run kids through before school starts,” says Neumann. “We’re doing everything we can to make it easier on parents, but we need parents’ help too. We understand that there are truly religious exemptions, but we also understand that not having your child immunized just because it’s an inconvenience leads to a bigger population that’s not immunized and we start losing herd immunity. We know that herd immunity works.”

Pollock calls the legislation a freedom bill.

“It separates and weakens government overreach into our private schools, businesses, and property,” says Pollock.

Neumann says she understands that people have rights and liberties.

“But we all have those rights and liberties. We have a right to feel protected from communicable diseases when we have vaccine to prevent these things,” says Neumann.

The Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee has voted 10-6 in favor of the bill. The House Rules Committee is considering Pollock’s measure.

To view House Bill 37, click here.

Missouri Senate committee to tackle school bus safety on Tuesday

March 30, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A state senator from Kansas City wants to see a task force study school bus safety, including the effectiveness of seat belts.

Then-State Rep. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City) speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on April 11, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

State Sen. Greg Razer (D-Kansas City) will testify Tuesday morning in Jefferson City before the Missouri Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee, which is chaired by State Sen. Justin Brown (R-Rolla).

Razer’s two-page Senate Bill 609 would establish the Joint Task Force on School Bus Safety to study school bus transportation safety in public schools. The task force would include two state representatives appointed by the Missouri House Speaker, two state senators appointed by the Senate President Pro Tem, Missouri’s Education Commissioner or his or her designee, the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) director or his or her designee, and the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) director or his or her designee.

If lawmakers approve Razer’s proposal, the task force would begin meeting in 2022 and would meet at least three times a year. They would examine the effectiveness of seatbelts, analyze school bus entrance and exit safety and other related topics. They would submit an annual report to the governor and to the Legislature by December 31 every year.