| Magee Courier-Simpson County News

IHL board president calls presidential search at USM a ‘sacred’ responsibility

101

Wed, 10/05/2022 - 11:56 AM

The auditorium grew quiet as members of the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees waited for people in the audience to take the mic at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Tom Duff – a USM alumnus, one of the wealthiest Mississippians and this year’s president of the IHL board – broke the silence.

“This is kind of like church,” he quipped from the stage of the Joe Paul Theater.

Cleveland superintendent steps down, but remains in district

brandonsup

Wed, 10/05/2022 - 11:38 AM

The superintendent of the Cleveland School District has stepped down, according to a press release issued Friday by the district.

Mississippi Stories: Langston Moore

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brandonsup

Wed, 10/05/2022 - 11:00 AM

According to the USDA ERA, 15% of Mississippi households in 2020 were experiencing food insecurity. In 2018, one in four Mississippi children walked around hungry. Hunger is an invisible problem that affects so much and so many.

Simpson County School District announces 2021-22 accountability ratings

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sfairchild

Tue, 10/04/2022 - 03:02 PM

On Thursday, Sept. 29, the Mississippi State Board of Education approved new accountability grades for all state public schools and districts for the first time since 2019, due to a two-year pause in state assessments as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
SCSD is pleased to acknowledge improvement in the district’s overall accountability score, with many highlights throughout the district. According to the 2021-22 data, SCSD achieved the following highpoints:

Simpson County Technical Center students and staff visit Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss. Students enjoyed seeing the large ships and observing the many jobs represented at the shipyard.

Simpson County Technical Center students tour Ingalls Shipbuilding

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sfairchild

Tue, 10/04/2022 - 02:25 PM

Students at Simpson County Technical Center (SCTC) recently visited Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss.
Students in the construction/carpentry, diesel technology, polymer science and metal fabrication programs toured the facility and learned about the many career opportunities available to them. They also learned how employers design, build and maintain nuclear and non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and provide after-market services for military ships around the globe.

Construction on University of Southern Mississippi's new $7 million volleyball facility was primarily funded by welfare dollars. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America

Timeline: How an NFL star, state officials and a university funded the USM volleyball stadium

1,781

brandonsup

Tue, 10/04/2022 - 11:34 AM

As more documents and text messages come to light surrounding the Brett Favre volleyball project, Mississippi Today has compiled a timeline that gives a greater glimpse into how officials funneled $5 million in welfare funds to build a new stadium at University of Southern Mississippi.

MEC: Ole Miss to Host Family Business Symposium

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brandonsup

Fri, 09/30/2022 - 05:16 PM

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Economic Council:

Family businesses are a very important part of Mississippi’s economy. The University of Mississippi will host “It’s All Relative,” the Ole Miss Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Family Business Symposium is on November 2-3 in Oxford. The conference is designed to education family businesses on future needs they may have to be a multi-generational family business.

MDE: State Board of Education votes to begin APA process on proposed 2022 Social Studies Standards

152

brandonsup

Fri, 09/30/2022 - 03:08 PM

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education:

The State Board of Education (SBE) recently voted to begin the Administrative Procedures Act process on proposed 2022 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards (MCCRS) for Social Studies, which outline the skills and knowledge expected of students in each grade and subject.

State board finalizes updated policy on guns in schools

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brandonsup

Fri, 09/30/2022 - 02:56 PM

The State Board of Education voted Thursday to adopt a new policy regarding weapons on campuses, eliminating an existing one that was not in line with state law.

In 1990, the board created a policy which prohibited weapons in schools, except in the possession of law enforcement officials. The policy also allowed districts to create additional rules about weapons in their district. But in 2012, when state lawmakers passed an enhanced carry law that allowed enhanced permit holders to carry weapons on school campuses, the board never updated its policy.

Abbey Plummer accuses Jeremiah Lowe of physical and emotional violence, along with killing their dog, Shelby. Photo Courtesy of Abbey Plummer

MCIR: Abusers target pets to inflict suffering on their intimate partners

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brandonsup

Thu, 09/29/2022 - 01:12 PM

Jeremiah Lowe told his wife Abbey that an elderly couple, driving on a local road, fatally struck her beloved beagle Shelby.

MCIR: Isolated, alone and afraid, rural domestic abuse victims endure

177

brandonsup

Thu, 09/29/2022 - 11:56 AM

Living in a small Mississippi River town, Hayden endured her husband’s cruelty, adhering to the belief that domestic abuse is something to be hidden from the broader community and kept within the confines of the household.

James Meredith honored in UM ceremony 60 years after enrollment

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brandonsup

Thu, 09/29/2022 - 11:12 AM

Nearly 60 years to the day after James Meredith walked onto the University of Mississippi campus to enroll and was met with resistance and violence, he returned for one of a series of commemorative events honoring him as the first Black student to attend the school.

“Sixty years ago, our university was in turmoil,” said Donald Cole, emeritus professor and assistant provost. “So much did (Meredith) change our thinking that we will never go back.”

Belhaven University Earns National Award for Excellence in Higher Education

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brandonsup

Thu, 09/29/2022 - 09:24 AM

Below is a press release from Belhaven University:

Colleges of Distinction, a national guide for college-bound students, awarded Belhaven University three major awards for its commitment to higher education. Belhaven University is one of only three universities in Mississippi to earn the prestigious title 2022-2023 College of Distinction. This is the 13th consecutive year Belhaven has earned this national award.

MDE: Advanced Placement (AP) Participation and Achievement Among Mississippi Students Reaches a Record High in 2021-22

152

brandonsup

Wed, 09/28/2022 - 04:46 PM

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education:

During the 2021-22 school year, the number of Mississippi students taking and passing Advanced Placement (AP) exams reached a record high, with 10,534 public school students taking 14,788 AP exams, and 5,573 exams earning a qualifying score. The exam pass rate reached an all-time high of 37.7%.

In 2020-21, 8,775 students took 12,515 AP exams. The pass rate was 37.4%, with 4,678 exams earning a qualifying score.

MDE releases pandemic-era school and district grades for 2021-22

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brandoned

Tue, 09/27/2022 - 02:28 PM

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Education:

Mississippi schools and districts will earn new grades for the first time since 2019 when the Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) approves accountability grades Thursday, Sept. 29, for the 2021-22 school year. The grades reflect how student achievement has improved after declining during the early part of the pandemic.

Students prepare for the 'third grade reading gate' in the Jefferson County School District on June 17, 2019. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/Report For America

New school ratings show most Mississippi districts rated C or higher

312

brandoned

Tue, 09/27/2022 - 02:00 PM

Only 12% of school districts in the state received D or F grades according to data released by the Department of Education on Tuesday, though officials warn the pandemic played a role in schools’ improved letter ratings.

Students wait in line after eating breakfast on the first day of school at Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Only one charter school approved to open next year

177

brandoned

Tue, 09/27/2022 - 09:24 AM

Just one of the ten applicants hoping to open a new charter school in Mississippi received approval Monday.

The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board voted to approve Instant Impact Global Prep unanimously at their Sep. 26 board meeting. Four other schools were denied charters at the meeting, two with split votes and two unanimously.

Empower reacts to charter board approving only one new charter

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brandoned

Mon, 09/26/2022 - 04:46 PM

Below is a press release from Empower Mississippi:

Today, the Mississippi Charter Authorizer Board approved one new charter application and denied four others, including denying a strong application from Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School to open a high school, which would have been the first charter high school opened in the state. The board approved Instant Impact Global Preparatory Charter School which plans to open as a K-8 school in Natchez in the fall of 2023.

Empower CEO Grant Callen released the following statement after today's vote:

Alisa Archie, 58, left, and her daughter Shalanda Cook, 30, continue to mourn the loss of their daughter and sister, Anteeatta “Tee” Archie Swims, 36, who was killed by her husband, David Swims, 41 in their Oxford, Miss.,home in 2021. Timothy Ivy/MCIR

MCIR: He admitted killing his wife and previously abused others. Why has he been free for over a year?

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brandoned

Mon, 09/26/2022 - 12:34 PM

The soft, halting notes of a piano lingered in the dark room from a video as Shalanda Archie-Cook rocked her 6-year-old sniffling son to sleep. “She’s right here,” she told him, pausing to take a shuddering breath. “In your heart.”

They cried together until the video ended.

Carmen J. Walters answers questions from the audience and media after it was announced that she has been named Tougaloo College’s new president during a press conference at the Tougaloo’s Woodworth Chapel Monday, March 18, 2019. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/Report For America

Tougaloo to receive $420,000 for security and mental health care in wake of HBCU bomb threats

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brandoned

Mon, 09/26/2022 - 12:04 PM

Tougaloo College will get nearly half a million dollars from the federal government to shore-up campus security and mental health care in the wake of this year’s nationwide bomb threats targeting historically Black colleges and universities.

The funding will come from a U.S. Department of Education initiative called Project SERV, or “School Emergency Response to Violence,” that provides short-term support to educational entities that have experienced a traumatic event.

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