Kate Royals - Mississippi Today

Despite federal law, many domestic abusers keep their guns in Mississippi

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 1,913 Reads
Fri, 03/26/2021 - 09:41 AM

This article is the third in a series about how the criminal justice system fails domestic violence victims in Mississippi.

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Mississippi schools will soon be required to teach computer science

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 777 Reads
Fri, 03/26/2021 - 09:33 AM

Beginning in the 2024 school year, all Mississippi elementary, middle and high schools will be required to offer computer science courses.

This week, Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law “The Mississippi Computer Science and Cyber Education Equality Act,” which sets out a timeline for schools to incorporate the curriculum.

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Declining enrollment, increased absences threaten public school funding

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 1,937 Reads
Fri, 01/08/2021 - 10:26 AM

Schools across the state saw massive drops in student attendance in the fall semester, and more than half of Mississippi school districts appealed to the state superintendent of education with concerns about their funding as a result.

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Mississippi launches telehealth, teletherapy pilot in schools as ‘a way to keep kids learning’

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 3,419 Reads
Tue, 12/29/2020 - 10:00 AM

For children in some areas of Mississippi, a visit to the pediatrician can mean an hour-long drive and missed class time. Some parents miss work or lack access to transportation, and in the worst cases, the child never makes the appointment at all.

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Magnet student Amerie Thomas, 10, mixes colorful volcanoes using vinegar, baking soda and food dye.

Pay for new, mid-career teachers in Mississippi ‘extremely low’ compared to other Southern states

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 837 Reads
Wed, 12/23/2020 - 09:44 AM

A first-year teacher in Mississippi will take home an average of $25,500. By their 15th year on the job, that number only rises to around $27,000, according to new data from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

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State investigates Holmes County school district, appoints financial adviser previously accused of fraud

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 252 Reads
Wed, 05/05/2021 - 12:29 PM

Following a string of alarming events in the Holmes County Consolidated School District, the Mississippi Department of Education is conducting an investigation and has appointed a financial adviser to oversee the district.

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Here’s why Greenville school bus drivers went on strike

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 228 Reads
Thu, 04/29/2021 - 01:38 PM

On Monday, around 20 bus drivers in Greenville Public School District went on strike to protest reduced hours, low pay and what they say is poor treatment by the district.

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Smilow Prep Charter School must meet certain conditions in order to continue serving 5th through 8th graders in Jackson. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Mississippi charter school leader calls renewal process unfair, an ‘injustice’

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 1,824 Reads
Tue, 04/20/2021 - 12:01 PM

Operators of a Jackson charter school say the board overseeing charter schools in the state did not take into account the most recent data and denied them due process when considering the school’s contract renewal.

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A teacher in Leland gets her pre-K student to recite her months of the year as she points to them. Credit: Aallyah Wright, Mississippi Today

Though access remains low, Mississippi pre-K earns high quality marks

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 436 Reads
Tue, 04/20/2021 - 11:55 AM

Mississippi’s state-funded pre-kindergarten program has again received high marks in a national report that measures the quality of state-funded education for 3- and 4-year-olds nationally.

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Charter school must improve to continue operating, board says

By Kate Royals - Mississippi Today, 7,355 Reads
Tue, 04/13/2021 - 10:29 AM

Despite pleas from school officials and a parent for a full five-year contract renewal, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board extended Joel E.

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