Missouri Set To Close 12 Schools For Children With Severe Disabilities
The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved a plan to close the schools, citing issues of declining enrollment, staffing struggles, and deferred maintenance. Other states making news: New York, Wyoming, Florida, California, and Texas.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
MO Board Of Ed To Shut 12 Schools For Disabled Students
Twelve state schools serving students with disabilities will close next year as part of a plan approved Tuesday afternoon by the Missouri State Board of Education. There was little discussion Tuesday about the plan to consolidate the Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled, or MSSD. Board members delved into the plan more thoroughly during a May meeting and a retreat last month. (Hanshaw, 8/12)
More news from Missouri —
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Missouri Supreme Court Kicks Abortion Appeal To Lower Court
The fight over whether and when abortions can resume fully in Missouri will move to a new courtroom following a decision Tuesday by the Missouri Supreme Court. Faced with deciding whether to side with a Jackson County judge who blocked the state from enforcing almost all of the now-upended laws regulating the procedure, the high court instead assigned further deliberations to an appeals court, giving Planned Parenthood and Attorney General Andrew Bailey another venue to continue fighting over the case. (Erickson, 8/12)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
CNN:
NYC Legionnaires’ Disease Cases Rise To 90 As City Health Officials Propose New Cooling Tower Regulations
Health officials in New York City say a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in Central Harlem has grown to 90 cases, including three deaths. The update comes days after New York City’s health department proposed new regulations for the testing of cooling towers, which they suspect are linked to the outbreak. (Kopp, 8/11)
Wyoming Public Radio:
Wyoming Health Department Tracking Down More Than 200 After Mass Rabies Exposure
The Wyoming Department of Health is tracking down visitors from 38 states and seven countries after hundreds of people were potentially exposed to rabies at a hotel in Grand Teton National Park. Hotel employees are also being contacted, though are believed to be less at risk than those who slept in the rooms. (McMurtry, 8/12)
WLRN Public Media:
Community Foundation Of Broward Invests $900,000 In Local, Life-Saving Cancer Research
The Community Foundation of Broward is investing $900,000 to support cutting-edge cancer research at two leading South Florida institutions, aiming to bring life-saving therapies closer to home — especially for underserved communities. (8/11)
AP:
Silicon Valley Lawmakers Want To Decriminalize Homelessness
As cities across California ban homeless encampments and Gov. Gavin Newsom encourages more sweeps, San Jose lawmakers are standing up against criminalizing homelessness. State Sen. Sasha Perez along with Assemblymembers Ash Kalra, Alex Lee and Matt Haney have co-authored a bill that would make it illegal for cities to prohibit organizations or people from helping homeless residents. Senate Bill 643 has passed the Senate and is being considered in the Assembly. (Chu, 8/12)
The New York Times:
New Video Shows Uvalde School Chief Trying To Negotiate With Gunman
In the more than three years since the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, a key question about the delayed police response has been why the incident commander tried to negotiate with the gunman rather than storm into the classroom where he was holed up with dozens of students. The commander, Pete Arredondo, determined that the gunman was no longer an active shooter but a barricaded subject, a decision that will be central to Mr. Arredondo’s trial scheduled for later this year. He has been charged with abandoning or endangering the children on his watch. Nineteen children and two teachers died in the attack at Robb Elementary School, and 17 other people were injured. (Sandoval, 8/12)
