Latest news with #KalamazooPublicSchools
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Kalamazoo middle, high schools to use weapon detectors next fall
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Walking through weapon detectors will be part of the daily morning routine for many students in Kalamazoo Public Schools in the fall. The KPS Board of Education unanimously approved installing weapon detection systems at all middle and high school entrances during a meeting Wednesday night. Superintendent Darrin Slade said recent shootings in Texas and Florida highlight the need for expansion. 'There is a school shooting or a shooting in a school or university at least once a week. We just had one in Florida State University. We had one in a public school in Dallas, I think, this month already. The goal is to add an additional layer of security to make sure our students are as safe as possible,' he said during the meeting. GRPS future plans include security upgrades, electric buses Several board members spoke in support of the motion. Trustee Karla Murphy said she was hesitant at first because of previous experience with other detectors. 'Everyone taking their shoes off, everyone taking their belts off. Everyone taking their earrings out and taking their jewelry off; no watches. And that was just to get in to a federal building. These are not that,' Murphy said. She said the OPENGATE system the district uses can be adjusted to avoid an intensive process. Slade said the idea has been discussed for more than a year with teachers, parents and students. During meetings with parents in the winter, district leaders mentioned that last year, a at Kalamazoo Central High School. Slade said detectors were commonplace at his previous districts. The district bought 11 OPENGATE weapon detectors last November and has been using them at sporting events. Comstock Public Schools also use similar detectors during sporting events. uses a similar system. Comstock Public Schools rolls out new rules ahead of first home football game Slade previously said that there should be no additional cost since each middle and high school is already equipped with the system. Several parents at Maple Street Magnet School told News 8 that they like the plan. One woman said that while she supports the idea, she's concerned about long lines and the safety of students who gather outside of the schools and haven't yet walked through the detector. A trainer with CEIA USA, the marker of OPENGATE, said proper communication between students, parents and the district can help create a seamless and safe transition. There will be a test period in one of the district's buildings before the detectors go up in the fall, district leaders previously said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michael Rice, head of Michigan Department of Education, will retire in October
Michael Rice, the head of the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), will retire Oct. 3, according to an announcement Friday. Rice, who began his career as a high school French teacher and formerly led Kalamazoo Public Schools, was appointed by the Michigan State Board of Education in 2019. 'It's been an honor to serve Michigan's 1.4 million public school children over the last six school years,' he wrote in a news release. 'It's been a privilege to work with the State Board of Education and the state's talented teachers, students, parents, administrators, support staff, Governor Whitmer, state legislators, education organizations, broader community, and the dedicated staff of the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), small in number but mighty in battle, to improve education for our children.' Rice wrote that his family members are getting older and, "with a nod to Robert Frost, I have promises to keep to them." He plans to write, consult, and mentor after exiting the state education department. Rice led Michigan's education agency through one of the most turbulent periods in the country's recent history: the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also been a proponent of strengthened reading instruction and dyslexia recognition in schools across the state. And he's been outspoken in more recent months in his opposition to numerous Trump administration moves, including the executive order to eliminate the federal U.S. Department of Education. Among the achievements highlighted in MDE's news release about Rice's retirement: Michigan's four-year graduation rate is the highest in recorded history, at 82.8% in 2024. Michigan has more students completing career and technical education programs than ever. And MDE has helped administer the Michigan School Meals program, passed by the Legislature in 2023, which provides all Michigan public school students in participating districts with free breakfast and lunch. It's unclear when the State Board, an elected body, will convene to choose Rice's successor to lead the state's education agency. Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Head of Michigan Department of Education to retire in October
