Latest news with #SpringfieldCitySchools
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Local school district offering free, low-cost healthcare to staff
A local school district is giving free or low-cost healthcare to its teachers. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 6, free to low cost healthcare is something school employees have longed for. 'We recognized that there was a barrier to access for health care, primary health care,' Michelle Rogan, employee with Springfield City Schools said. TRENDING STORIES: Double deadly fire in Miami County was intentionally set, investigators say Company releases statement on legal battle to re-open Frisch's in the Miami Valley Justin Timberlake cancels concert 10 minutes before taking stage in Ohio In a partnership with Marathon Health, the district broke down that barrier. The collab includes healthcare for employees with Springfield City Schools, the city of Springfield, and McGregor Metal. Michelle Rogan, human resources manager with the district, said it's a big step. 'The priority of health care for the team is exciting. Healthier employees are happier employees,' Rogan said. A new health building designed to exclusively serve those communities was finished last year. Rogan said it's within 15 minutes of anywhere in the city. Another district employee, Evan Copeland, said it's already making a difference. 'I've been here three times since September. That would not have happened previously,' Copeland said. He said each time he's been able to make an appointment and be seen the same day. 'It really makes me value the district. It makes me value the benefits that we offer. Knowing that I have an employer that's invested in my health and my wellness, it really makes a difference,' Copeland said. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What's next for Springfield? Challenges remain, but so does optimism for future
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — After being thrust into the national spotlight during the 2024 presidential debate, the City of Springfield has continued its efforts to address concerns exacerbated by the influx of nearly 20,000 Haitian migrants. What's next for the city? That question echoes throughout the streets and homes of Springfield. The city says they're looking at ways to continue move forward, together. City manager Bryan Heck is at the forefront, coming up with solutions for the city, alongside the mayor and city commission. 'We want to be able to create an environment where people feel empowered and that they can thrive,' he said. Heck said it's been an uphill journey getting to this point, battling the rapid population growth and political spotlight. He believes one of the most important steps is through investment and job opportunities. 'Any community, when you grow your population by 15,000 people, you're going to put strain on some of those systems,' he said. Previous coverage of Springfield's time in the national spotlight As of right now, the city has no plans to add any additional tax levies to the ballot to increase revenue for the growing population. The city said it continues to use existing tax dollars to create a better city for all. They said they're not specifically diverting funds to migrants. City leaders and residents agreed that the strain put on the region's systems – including public health and hospitals, education and law enforcement – has led to tension in the community. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to help Springfield solve those issues. 'We as a state, we welcome people who want to work,' said DeWine. 'We welcome people who want to raise a family, be a part of a community.' It's a message for longtime residents of Springfield as well as the city's Haitian community, some of whom report being the victims of intimidation from hate groups. 'Springfield is beautiful and Springfield is a welcoming community, per se,' said Viles Dorsainvil with the Haitian Resource Center. 'But, you know, it comes with all those challenges. 'In a perfect world, Springfield would have been home for not only the residents, but the strangers as well.' The city has seen an increase in population, but also an increase in resilience. Local leaders are working to cut through the turmoil of recent months, while acknowledging the past. Their biggest message: they're excited for what's yet to come. 'It's understanding we have a rich history, we have a deep history, and we need to be able to appreciate the past,' said Heck, 'but we need to embrace the future of what we're doing in our community.' Springfield Mayor Rob Rue, Springfield City Schools Supt. Dr. Robert Hill and Springfield Police Division Chief Allison Elliott declined requests for interviews for this series. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
STAY INFORMED: Over 100 schools delayed, closed due to slippery roads this morning
Over 100 local school districts are either delayed or closed this morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Springfield City Schools, Clark-Shawnee Local Schools, Northwestern Local Schools, and Springfield-Clark CTC are delayed two hours in Clark County. Clark State College is closed in Clark County. Beavercreek City Schools, Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Schools, and Fairborn City Schools are also delayed two hours in Greene County. Milton Union Schools, Piqua City Schools, and Troy City Schools are each delayed two hours in Miami County this morning. Kettering City Schools and Miamisburg City Schools are also on a two-hour delay in Montgomery County this morning. The Horizon Science Academy Dayton Downtown is closed today in Montgomery County. Other school districts on two-hour delays are Carlisle Local Schools, Celina City Schools, Eaton Community Schools, Sidney City Schools, Springboro Schools, and Urbana City Schools. We will update this story. >> CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CLOSINGS AND DELAYS LIST << Access closings, delays, anytime, anywhere, on any device, 5 different ways: In the free WHIO Weather App in the 'Closing' tab On on your mobile device On on your desktop On WHIO-TV, Channel 7, scrolling on the bottom of the screen On 1290 and 95.7 WHIO during your commute For information on how to enroll your school, church, or business in the free School Watch Program, click here.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City officials push back against racist insults to Haitians at public meeting
Feb. 12—Springfield Mayor Rob Rue and City Commissioner Krystal Brown strongly criticized a man who made racist comments against Haitian immigrants at Tuesday's city commission meeting, eventually having the man and one supporter removed from the meeting. The man compared Haitian immigrants' intelligence to that of dogs, leading Brown to call the comments "super racist," and Rue to say it was "probably one of the most offensive and racist things you can bring up." The discord marked a return to the tensions that troubled Springfield City Commission meetings for much of the past year, after a one-meeting reprieve. The Jan. 30 meeting stood out for the large crowd that urged support for Haitian residents. Brown said Tuesday that she had to say something as the only Black American on the commission, with a kinship with Haitians who also are a product of the transatlantic slave trade. She said as a special education administrator at Springfield City Schools, she knows a lot about IQ, and to compare the human brain to that of an animal is insulting. "The comparison to people of African descent as less than animals, again, is super racist," Brown said. "... That was one of the most despicable things I've ever heard having sat in this seat. So I might as well say it now as well: I will not be seeking a second term, and these are the things, there are the reasons. Because the vileness that has come from citizens as I've sat here ... I just can't continue to consume that. It's disgusting." Richard Jordan, a Springfield resident, said during the public comment portion of the meeting that Haitians had the same IQ as dogs and less than that of monkeys, espousing racist rhetoric that has historically been used against Black people. He said that Haitians drivers were causing accidents and the city "could be collecting money" off of them, but was not ticketing any of them. He said that court cases were being thrown out due to translation problems. Previous News-Sun investigation has not found evidence to support Jordan's claims about ticketing and court cases. Jordan also said driving simulators were being used to play "video games." Jordan said this was "a waste of our money," although 10 simulators were donated by the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Drivers Interactive and two were donated in 2023. "That money should have went to us for the misery that you caused, you have caused this whole city," Jordan said. "You failed us on every level. Every single level. You [have] done nothing but demolish it and [expletive] on the citizens, all the citizens. You don't hear our cries. Our cries go in the can of irrelevance and stupidity, and I'm tired of it." Jordan then called one of the white commissioners "a disgrace to your own race," at which point a man in the crowd cheered. Rue had police escort the man who cheered out of the meeting for the interruption, which angered Jordan, who claimed the man's First Amendment Right to free speech was violated. Jordan continued to talk past his three-minute allocated time and was escorted out. Rue told the crowd that everyone has three minutes to speak and the commission listens. He said no one's First Amendment Rights were violated and the man who cheered was removed because he "disrupted the meeting." Ohio law allows government bodies to set such rules for their public meetings. "What that gentleman (Jordan) said about IQs is probably the most offensive and most racist thing you can bring up; let that be said, let that be heard very clearly," Rue said. "That was one of the most foolish things I've heard and one of the most racist. Racist. Clearly." Brown said she has been "gaslit so many times" by citizens and called racist herself, to which she objected. "I implore you to do your research because I've done mine for years," Brown said. " ... I also understand that racism is a construct that continues to divide us, and it is a product of capitalism in my opinion. ... It's another divider for us as people, for those of us who are not independently wealthy white men here in America. It's a device that keeps us divided and busy." Brown said that she has held in what she wanted to say since August 2023, when angry residents began showing up to city commission meetings — some espousing racist viewpoints — following the fatal school bus crash in which Haitian immigrant Hermanio Joseph crossed the centerline on Ohio 41, striking a school bus and killing one student. Last year, neo-Nazi white supremacist group the Blood Tribe began a "months-long campaign of harassment and intimidation" of the city and its residents because of its Haitian population, the city alleges in a federal court case against the hate group. Springfield was then thrust into the national spotlight in September after national Republican political figures spread false rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets. In many cities and school districts, attendees of public government meetings do not receive same-day responses when they raise concerns at a meeting. But those responses have been standard practice more recently at Springfield City Commission meetings. City officials have said they want to be as transparent as possible, although some residents have pushed back against that claim, saying the city is not really listening to their concerns.
