In Kansas News
Leaders of the state’s largest school district say they will not tolerate practices that could artificially inflate graduation rates.
Wichita Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld told school board members this week that his staff is still investigating allegations of grade tampering at Southeast High School.
He says the district tries to address questions quickly in the interest of transparency.
“When we know about issues, we’re not going to sweep them under the rug. We’re going to deal with them, and we’re going to deal with them in a way that maintains the integrity of the process.”
Wichita school officials say some student records at Southeast were changed, possibly to meet graduation requirements.
The school’s principal was replaced.
District leaders have not said whether any students received a diploma without earning the required credits to graduate.
In Missouri news
Ozarks Pridefest is set for tomorrow (Sat.) in downtown Springfield, Missouri. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.
Ozarks Pridefest is part of Pride Month observed each June in the United States. The month honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the U.S., according to the Library of Congress.Aaron Schekorra is executive director of the Glo Center, which hosts Pridefest.
“Ozarks PrideFest exists as a celebration of the progress that we've made as the LGBTQ+ community over the last several decades. "But also, it continues to be a protest against the policies that our leaders continue to create that negatively impact our community.”
The event tomorrow, kicks off at noon on Park Central Square, rain or shine. A headliner concert will feature Paige Alyssa, an R&B artist from the St. Louis area; a drag show with two contestants from Ru Paul’s Drag Race; 140 vendor booths and a parade, which gets underway at 11:30 a.m.
Schekorra says they’ve agreed to allow those participating in a nearby No Kings demonstration to join the parade.
Liberty Utilities consumers voiced their concerns with the company's practices during a town hall in Joplin on Thursday. This town hall is the result of the Missouri Public Service Commission's staff investigating the utility company's billing and customer service issues. Liberty representatives, the Missouri Office of Public Counsel, and the Missouri Public Service Commission were in attendance. Dr. Geoff Mark, Chief Economist with the Missouri Office of Public Counsel, says he wants consumers to know their voices matter.
"We're effectively trying to get a sense of the scale of the problem and resolve the issues."
Thursday town hall was the last of four in this region. The company services a large portion of Southwest Missouri.