Crime

Keep up with Columbia public schools

Below the overview of the district are links to KBIA's coverage of Columbia 93 district schools, updated as more stories are published. Columbia 93 at a glanceThe Columbia 93 school district currently includes 32 different schools. In 2014, the district had a k-12 enrollment of 17,204 students, which is 2% of the total k-12 enrollment for the state. Enrollment has been slightly increasing in recent years, 2% since 2011. While a small percent, that amounts to almost 400 more students. There have also been major re-drawing of attendance areas with the addition of Battle High School. Middle school attendance areas shape high school boundaries 00000178-cc7d-da8b-a77d-ec7d2f9e0000The changes have affected all schools in the district, including causing high school attendance to increase and overcrowding at one middle school at least.

SUV driver dead, three children rushed to hospital in Columbia school bus accident

KBIA | By Louie Kaczmarek

Published June 12, 2014 at 6:56 PM CDT

Twenty-two children and a bus driver are being evaluated by Columbia healthcare personnel after an SUV collided with a Two Mile Prairie school bus. The driver of the SUV identified as Lawrence W. Ferguson of Auxvasse was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident occurred on the students' way home from summer school Thursday, between Judy School Road and Mexican Gravel Road.

"We're working now on getting the students evaluated by healthcare personnel and getting them reunited with their families," Columbia Public Schools' Community Relations Director Michelle Baumstark said.

Columbia ambulances transported three of the children and the bus driver from the scene of the incident. Boone County Fire District Captain Martina Pounds says the status of the driver and injured children is currently unavailable.

"The remaining 19 (children) were put on another bus, taken to Two Mile Elementary School, and from there, all 19 went to the hospital for further evaluation," Pounds said.

Pounds says the Boone County Sheriff's Department is working with traffic control to keep the scene of the accident on Route Z completely blocked off from traffic. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is currently investigating the incident and the cause of the collision is still unknown.