The team’s goal is to bring together dozens of parent voices and communicate with the school district through a single channel.
Building lasting relationships, supporting students and creating a safe environment are goals all three bring to their new positions.
Only three candidates applied for the seat vacated by Amanda Cormier, and then one dropped out.
Patricia Kroth, who retired in June, has left a lasting mark on the band program and thousands of students.
ELi has learned East Lansing Public Schools Board Trustee Amanda Cormier has tendered her resignation from the board. A special school board meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. today (Aug. 4) to develop a process for her replacement. Cormier won her seat in November 2022, along with Trustees Terah Chambers, Kath Edsall and Tali Faris-Hylen,…
Parents also gave a presentation on the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative during the fast-paced regular meeting.
Nominations are due Aug. 6 for the annual awards celebration and fundraiser planned for May 2024.
The nonprofit organization teaches the game of football, but also promotes “sportsmanship, teamwork, honesty, responsibility, and self-discipline.”
The high school is dedicated to providing a supportive environment for all students.
Six retiring educators and staff and the Michigan Lottery Educator of the Year recipient were all recognized during the June 12 meeting.
A local resident pushed the school district to open the facility for regular public use.
The official grand opening of the renovated Patriarche Park pickleball facility is Thursday but, once the nets went up last week, there was no stopping the enthusiasts from playing.
Eleven track team members have qualified to compete in the state championships Saturday, June 3, at Rockford High School.
Ashley Schwarzbek takes the leadership reins at the high school after some challenging times during the school year.
A long conversation about bias, responsibility and moving forward as a community preceded the school board’s unanimous decision to approve Ashley Schwarzbek as the next principal of ELHS.
The recommendation will go before the ELPS Board of Education in a special meeting this week or next week.
A long-time physical education teacher has issued an apology after the May 10 matter.
Board hears about the professional learning experiences teachers participated in during the school year.
ChatGPT has taken the ability for cheating to a whole new level.
Recent tensions, anger are not seen at the April 24 meeting, as the school board recognizes theater students, talks Graduation Alliance program and much more.
Every member of the team qualified for nationals and have the chance to travel to Louisville, Kentucky.
Senior players are forced to retire early from matches in order to make graduation.
FOIA response shows fact-checking notes taken by Superintendent Dori Leyko.
Superintendent Dori Leyko lays out the safety steps taken so far; public comments indicate parents want more.
Despite efforts of an experienced facilitator, frustrations dominated the team-building session.
Superintendent Dori Leyko gave a detailed update on security measures that have been implemented in the district.
Superintendent Dori Leyko has provided ELi more information about the hiring process that was used.
An email leaked to ELi provides details on what Superintendent Dori Leyko says led to Shannon Mayfield’s resignation.
Superintendent Dori Leyko cites “privacy and confidentiality reasons” for providing little information.
A single threat of violence led to the emergency closure of EL schools and locking of City Hall doors.
This article has been updated throughout the day.
East Lansing Public Schools are closed today (Wednesday) because of a concerning social media post. According to an announcement on the official East Lansing Public Schools Facebook site, the district was made aware of the post this morning. “While there is no direct threat to any specific school building,” the announcement says, “the post does…
ELPS administrators and Black parents and mentors paint differing pictures of the easing tensions.
The process used for filling the vacant position was decided out of sight of the public.
The deadline to apply is coming up fast: Feb. 24 at 4 p.m.
What happened at Monday’s school board meeting? ELi catches you up on the leadership shake-up and expressed public concerns.
Randy Talifarro’s first formal statement as East Lansing’s interim city manager was about the killings on MSU’s campus.
ELi spoke with MSU Prof. Glenn Stutzky to get his take on ongoing concerns in East Lansing’s public schools.
The ever-growing group helps students build critical-thinking skills.
In-depth digging (and lots of capitalizations) raise concerns about this foundation.
Trustee Monica Fink is calling out transparency problems with East Lansing’s school board. We explain her objections and the backdrop.
Kath Edsall resigned as president rather than facing a vote to remove her. A new safety plan was presented and public comment brought many strong comments. ELi brings you details from the four-hour meeting.
The ELPS district and ELEF devoted $35,000 for K5 classrooms to buy books this year.
As struggles at East Lansing’s High School are making statewide news, the school’s administration has shifted approaches to student discipline starting today. The school board will meet tonight to discuss a “School Safety Plan.”
The latest in the push to deal with concerns about violence in East Lansing High School.
The Trojans program continues to grow in numbers and wins.
Hundreds turn out for event at Hannah Community Center.
ELi brings you a wider look at what’s going on with the tensions in East Lansing Public Schools.
The latest events occur as ELi continues to work to understand what happened at the school on Tuesday morning.
The event is an opportunity for community members to have their say about safety concerns. Meanwhile, ELHS students are calling for the school board president to step down, and the school board has issued a statement.
ELPD called the school to confirm it was, in fact, in lockdown.
The shelter in place lockdown that occurred around 10 a.m. ended late this morning.
“There was a firearm within four feet of me,” a student who rushed to help a teacher told the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Ed. “I had no clue.”
A long-time East Lansing resident says her son was racially profiled by the library director, and she wants the director removed from her position. What comes next is not clear.
Oaths of office, election of officers, parents’ concerns about play spaces and fighting, and a hint of future district policies. ELi brings you the news.
“I’m ready to give up, which I suspect is the point,” MSU biostatistician and ELPS parent Ahnalee Brincks told ELi.
The retiring school board president and vice president honored during Dec. 12 meeting.
OK2SAY, a state-wide reporting program, is one tool being used by the school district.
A lively scene downtown, especially at City Clerk sites, indicates high voter turnout in the 2022 Midterm Elections.
Board Vice President Chris Martin says the board does not yet have enough information to approve the project.
ELPS Board of Education has followed through on its promise to reopen the elementary school in the Red Cedar Neighborhood.
The East Lansing Educational Association is backing incumbents Tera Chambers and Kath Edsall, plus newcomers Tali Faris-Hylen and Jim McEvoy.
“We do not have enough information to determine whether or not the threats are credible – so we’ll err on the safe side,” said Superintendent Dori Leyko.
While East Lansing Public Schools has only one unfilled teacher position, custodians and support staff are still a problem.
Readers asked ELi to get candidate views on what measures are needed to create a safer environment for students, teachers and staff at ELPS.
Five of the 10 candidates on the ballot for four ELPS Board seats respond to a key concern of parents and residents.
ELi’s first question to candidates delves into their reasons for running for board and where they are on the political spectrum.
Annual event is expected to last about an hour.
ELPS is looking to end the contract with Jani-King and to take a different approach.
Shannon Mayfield brings a diverse background to his new job as principal of East Lansing High School.
We need your help articulating questions that will help registered voters decide who to back.
Emily Joan Elliott and Al Hargrave Jackson discuss Covid 19 and continuing efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in East Lansing Public Schools. Give a listen!
The School Board unanimously approved a new curriculum for teaching about HIV and AIDS, a high school-led trip to Germany, and a new contract with the teachers’ union. Al Hargrave Jackson reports.
Mark Wood, an original member of the group Trans-Siberian Orchestra, will perform with ELHS and MMS students this Friday. Al Hargrave Jackson reports on the concert and partnership.
Following the murder of George Floyd, ELPS administrators vowed to undertake new efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Where does the district stand on meeting those goals?
In the final season for the 20-year head coach — plus a highly-decorated senior class — the Trojans were chasing the ultimate prize of a state championship. Andrew Graham reports on their run at a title.
A group of anti-abortion protesters gathered outside ELHS last week. We share ELHS student Marie Adele Grosso’s reporting on students’ responses to the group.
![Ask ELi: A Fence on Campus, Basketball Hoops Unlocked, and Construction On Burcham Drive [UPDATED]](https://eastlansinginfo.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Schools-on-Burcham-768x429.png)
ELi’s Emily Joan Elliott brings a few pieces of news and a noteworthy PSA about construction on Burcham Drive.
The School Board unanimously voted to adopt five new policies on Monday as it reviews and revises its new policy manual. Al Hargrave reports on the policy changes.
Several ELHS students recently attended the Mid-American Model UN Conference in Kalamazoo. How did they do?
As MSU prepares for requiring sophomores to live on campus this upcoming academic year, University officials consider how they might exercise greater control over the behavior of registered student organizations and associated individual students. What might this process, including collaboration with City authorities, look like?
The election applies to the small number of East Lansing residents who live within the boundaries of the Lansing School District. Emily Joan Elliott reports on that and the bond proposal they’ll be voting on.
Superintendent Dori Leyko announced an almost identical policy nearly two weeks ago, but the Board held an official vote due to language in the recently approved policy handbook. What did the four trustees present have to say about the policy?
Andrew is joined by Emily Joan Elliott to talk about the current stages of the pandemic, how different things are now from early 2020, and where things might be headed next. Listen in!
A letter sent to East Lansing High School families, staff, and students from the administration notified families that local law enforcement would be present at the school this morning, Feb. 25, following a concerning social media post made last evening.
The City of East Lansing resumed public meetings this week after pausing meetings outside of City Council during the omicron surge. On this episode of the Insider, the ELi team digs into what some of the boards and commissions have been up to as the City gets back to action.
ELPS will continue to require masks through at least mid-April. The Board also discussed a new Black American history course, standardized testing, and more.
![What Does the Attorney General’s Opinion On the Open Meetings Act Mean for East Lansing’s Public Bodies? [UPDATED]](https://eastlansinginfo.news/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Lahanas-and-Leyko-OMA-opinion-768x431.png)
The ELPS School Board weighed the benefits and setbacks of increasing options for public comment at its Feb. 14 meeting.
Wells started working in the district as a lunchroom monitor and paraprofessional, serving in a multitude of roles before eventually being named the principal at ELHS. Al Hargrave reports.
Robert L. Green and Glencairn Elementary schools are without power and heat, and parents have been asked to call and release their children from school early. Andrew Graham reports on the outage.
Each troop has its own personality and interests, but all give back to their communities in meaningful ways. Al Hargrave reports.
MSU has seriously changed the game for housing sophomores at fraternities and sororities in East Lansing. ELi’s Andrew Graham connects the dots to bring this special report.
A co-op program with a roster featuring players from a number of local schools, the Eastside Stars are unlike most other high school teams. Andrew Graham reports.
First-graders from Robert L. Green Elementary expressed their thanks for Sparrow’s healthcare workers through handwritten cards. Sarah Spohn reports.
A 911 call was placed yesterday concerning the behavior of a school bus driver. Here is what ELi found out from ELPS, ELPD, and Dean Transportation.
The Lansing Curling Club held an open house and ELi’s Andrew Graham tagged along with his camera — plus some sure footing — to capture the fun.
The athletic field and tennis courts at ELHS will undergo significant renovations this summer, and remaining bond money will be used to create outdoor learning spaces at the elementary schools. Al Hargrave provides a School Board round up.
Santo has been missing since last October. A recent petition had called for damming the river to look for his body. Police have notified the family and expressed their own grief at the outcome.
ELi brings answers to a series of questions about how ELHS is handling Covid-19 after reports in early January that hundreds of students were absent.
ELi’s Andrew Graham interviews a teacher and two students from East Lansing High School about their in-the-halls experiences with Covid-19. Listen in.
Ever wanted to slide relatively massive granite stones across a sheet of ice to try to get closest to a center target? Now’s your chance to give curling a whirl.
The ELPS School Board unanimously voted to make Kate Powers president in 2022, as the district faces high numbers of absenteeism at ELHS and challenges from the more transmissible Omicron variant.
The article that had appeared at this url, about a sale of Girl Scout cookies, has been unpublished This year, one Girl Scout in East Lansing is working to keep alive a tradition started last year by a Girl Scout Troop from Whitehills Elementary School: collecting enough donations to give a free box of Girl…
On this episode, Andrew and Chuck are joined by Emily Joan Elliott to delve into the current state of the pandemic. Give a listen!
The Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding the federal Covid-19 vaccine mandate today. What does this mean for workers employed by the City of East Lansing and East Lansing Public Schools?
With the arrival of Omicron, how will the district balance protecting students from both Omicron and the detrimental effects of social isolation, just as students were adjusting to in-person learning?
Hundreds of students are reported absent at East Lansing High School, while the City cancels meetings and restricts access to the public library. Meanwhile, the City Manager defends the absence of a vaccine mandate for City workers, including police officers and ELFD paramedics.
The plan calls for remote (online) education for the first three weeks of the semester. Learn more from ELi.
We asked our reporters which stories that they wrote meant the most to them in 2021. They answered, passing along a varied collection of stories for this year in review.
MSU announced today that it will require students, faculty, and staff to get a Covid booster for the upcoming semester. On Wednesday, the Parks and Rec Commission drafted a letter to the City Manager and Council, asking for the City, which has no plans for a vaccine mandate of its own, to change course on the issue.
At its first meeting since the school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, the ELPS School Board discussed student safety and a host of other issues, including finances, a new policy handbook, and curriculum changes. Al Hargrave delivers your School Board round up.
East Lansing’s staff has decided to require special approval for new or newly-occupied frat and sorority houses, but “will not be applying the requirement retroactively.”
With a number of stories worth catching up on, Andrew and Chuck are joined by Al Hargrave to discuss some of the recent news. Give it a listen!
Before Farah Stockman became a world-traveling, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and book author, she grew up in East Lansing and graduated from East Lansing High School in 1992. How has her life in East Lansing influenced her work?
Tonya Williams, Neighborhood Resource Specialist with ELPD, has put the word out that crossing guards are sorely needed to help out the local public schools. But the City is also seeking lots of other workers and also volunteers.
ELHS students, many dressed in the blue and gold colors of Oxford High School, walked out of class and into the falling snow to take a stand against gun violence and remember the four students shot and killed by a classmate earlier this week.
As part of International Ninja Day on Sunday, daughter and mother Tristin and Nichole Martin are hoping to introduce more kids to the sport of “ninja” while also fundraising for a meaningful cause to them. Andrew Graham reports.
Every year, students enter the National Merit Scholarship (NMS) competition by taking the Preliminary SAT. This year, East Lansing High School is proud to have four Semifinalists and two Commended Students for the National Merit Scholarship among the ELHS Class of 2022.
East Lansing, including Michigan State University, occupies the Lands of the Anishinaabeg, and Indigenous faculty at MSU are drawing attention to that with a Land Acknowledgement statement. The City has sometimes adapted and used the statement, too. What is the history of this Land Acknowledgment? What might it mean moving forward?
ELPD and ELFD responded to a call to a house this morning where four people were unconscious. One died at the scene, and the three others were taken to Sparrow Hospital.
ELi’s Andrew Graham spoke with ELHS players, parents, and the district’s athletic director about what happened, what they felt, and where it all goes from here.
ELPS continues to grapple with issues related to returning to school during a pandemic, including vaccinating students, addressing mental health stressors, and messaging good student conduct. Here’s the School Board meeting round up.