Schools

Three Rivers police said an investigation is ongoing into a situation involving nude photos of a juvenile being distributed to Three Rivers Middle School students. According to a department media release, the department was contacted Jan. 27 by middle school officials regarding photos a male student allegedly sent of himself to multiple female students. Possible charges of possession and distribution …

Organizers behind an effort to recall three members of the Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education failed to secure the minimum number of signatures to put the matter before voters. TR Cares leader Sherrie Nowicki said petitions to recall Pete Bennett, Diana DeGraaf and Erin Nowak each were about 200 signatures short of the 1,165 minimum. TR Cares officials …

Three Rivers High School has been named an award-winning school by U.S. News and World Report. The publication named the high school a bronze-level winner in the “America’s Best High School 2015” contest. A number of factors are used to determine which schools qualify at which level, Principal Carrie Balk said. In the case of Three Rivers, it has improved …

The average percentage of St. Joseph County students who tested proficient on new 2015 state assessment tests was below the state average at every grade level and in every subject. A report compiled by the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District shows that score disparity was greatest on the fifth-grade social studies test, while the countywide grade-level averages in English …

Fewer Michigan schoolchildren are getting immunization waivers, a drop that state health officials attribute to a year-old rule that requires parents to first talk with a local health department about the risks of not being vaccinated. Preliminary numbers released by the state Thursday show nearly 8,000 fewer waivers from the last school year, a 41 percent decline from about 19,100 …

Two area high school students have been nominated by U.S. Rep. Fred Upton to United States Service Academies. In all, Upton made 16 service academy nominations for the 2015-2016 academic year. The group of young men and women has excelled academically and athletically in their respective schools and have gone through an extensive selection process, Upton stated in a media …

Mendon Community Schools made a minor personnel move during the district’s board of education meeting last week. Board members approved changing the employment status of Pan Cook from part-time kindergarten aide to full-time second-grade aide for the balance of the school year. Mendon alumna and Kalamazoo Valley Community College student Jenna Griffith was subsequently hired as a part-time kindergarten aide, …

Members of the Mendon Community Schools Board of Education have authorized a special election for the renewal of 18 operating mills. The non-homestead property tax renewal ended its 20-year life with the 2015 tax levy. Its continuation will allow the district to collect tax dollars from properties that are non-homestead within its boundaries. District officials said the 18 mills generate …

Mendon Community Schools Board of Education members gave interim superintendent Roger Rathburn a vote of confidence Monday, as the seven-member panel agreed to extend Rathburn’s contract through the 2016-17 academic year. Rathburn joined the district after board members agreed last spring to not continue to participate with Centreville Public Schools in a shared-superintendent agreement. Rathburn said he’ll confirm his decision …

Authorities say a 13-year-old girl stabbed a boy in the neck with a pencil while they were on a school bus in Calhoun County. Battle Creek police responded Thursday afternoon to the stabbing, which took place after crude comments were being made toward the girl on the Battle Creek Public Schools bus. Police say the 12-year-old boy was treated for …