Nearly 100 Students Fall Ill After Norovirus Outbreak Hits Elementary School

Almost 100 students and staff at a Kansas elementary school have fallen ill after a norovirus outbreak ravaged the campus. Indeed, Bentwood Elementary School in Olathe, Kansas, had 95 incidents of students and staff getting sick linked to the virus, according to PEOPLE, citing a joint statement from the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) and Olathe Public Schools.

Emporia High Looks to Build Momentum, End Droughts Against Topeka High on Senior Night

The regular season comes to a close Friday night, and Emporia High will have plenty on the line when the Spartans welcome Topeka High to Welch Stadium for Senior Night. Emporia enters the regular-season finale at 3-4 after a dominant performance against Coffeyville last week. The Spartans rolled to a 40-16 victory, building a 40-point lead by halftime, and will look to carry that momentum into the postseason, which begins next week.

95 cases of Norovirus confirmed at metro area elementary school

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - Health officials have confirmed a norovirus outbreak at Bentwood Elementary School after 95 cases were reported over the past week. Bentwood Elementary School is near 129th and Quivira Rd. in south Overland Park, but it is part of the Olathe School District. JCDHE Director Charlie...

De Soto contract negotiations persist, leaving teachers frustrated

Teachers are typically working under new contracts by this time of year — but it’s an unusual year for De Soto teachers, who are still working to finalize contracts with the district. The USD 232 Board of Education, the De Soto Teachers Association and both of their negotiation...

Behind the scenes with Zum bus drivers during National School Bus Safety Week

MERRIAM, Kan. (KCTV) - Hundreds of kids in the Shawnee Mission School District start their day by getting on a bus. For drivers, keeping kids safe starts long before the first pickup. It’s a routine every Zum driver runs before a single student ever steps on board. “You’d come...

Girls flag football championship resumes

St. James Academy beat St. Thomas Aquinas to take home the first-place trophy in the first state sanctioned girls flag football season 26-7.

St. Thomas Aquinas and St. James to compete in flag football championship after tragedy

The third place and championship games were set to be played in Wichita on Saturday. However, the events were postponed when a truck sped through the Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita and killed two people: 6-year-old Cole Adrian and 35-year-old Nicholas Schaefer of McPherson.

Norovirus outbreak confirmed at metro area elementary school with around 85 cases reported

Health officials have confirmed a norovirus outbreak at Bentwood Elementary School after about 85 cases were reported over the past week.

Teachers, Students Discuss the Importance of Third Spaces

Teachers and students alike evaluate how important a space between work and school can be. Most students at Shawnee Mission South wake up in the morning and get to school by 7:40am. They drive home after 2:40pm and spend the rest of their evening at home, going to sleep later in the night. Some students go to sports practice or a club after school. However, in the gap between sleep and school, where do students go?

Shawnee Heights Middle School Ground Breaking

Close to Wichita tragedy, students at 2 JoCo Catholic schools host prayer vigils

Two Johnson County Catholic schools that had students present during a deadly incident at a sports complex in Wichita, Kansas, are responding with concern and prayers. Both St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park and St. James Academy issued statements expressing sadness after a woman drove a pickup truck through a soccer field, killing two people and injuring 10 others on Saturday.

Headlines for Wednesday, October 21, 2026

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) — Health officials in Johnson County have confirmed a norovirus outbreak at an elementary school. About 85 cases have been reported at Bentwood Elementary in Overland Park and two of those cases have been confirmed. KCTV reports that the remaining cases appear to be linked. Norovirus is highly contagious and causes vomiting and diarrhea. It spreads easily in schools where students and staff are in close contact. Anyone who gets norovirus is urged to stay home for at least 48 hours after symptoms stop.

Lansing school board attempts to silence minority board members

USD 469, Lansing, school board member Kirsten Workman has been under fire by her colleagues for her student-focused outspokenness for some time. Indeed, the board is proposing policies that would essentially turn the board of education into a rubber stamp for the board president and superintendent of schools. The board...

Blue Valley Schools Cuts Middle School Sports, Benefits Amid Budget Crunch

Blue Valley School District is preparing for another round of budget cuts heading into the 2027-28 school year, with plans that include suspending seventh- and eighth-grade wrestling, cross country and drill/dance teams, trimming administrative positions and scaling back performing-arts support. The Johnson County district says the reductions are necessary even after it already eliminated certain leadership roles and support positions and withheld administrator raises for the current school year.

Shawnee Mission weighs $370M bond options to rebuild Belinder, Rosehill and possibly a ‘TBD’ school

Shawnee Mission’s Board of Education is weighing two options for an upcoming March bond that would fund the rebuilding of more aging elementary schools and a new career and technical education center. But the proposals’ outlines, presented to the school board last week, sidestep for now the question of...

Kansas High School Football Game Ends On Controversial Goal-Line Stand That Spoiled Top-Five Upset On Final Play

Mill Valley defeated Olathe West during a tense top-20 high school football matchup in Kansas on Thursday. However, the final play of the game could’ve gone either way and might’ve changed the outcome. It was ruled as a game-winning goal-line stand. Based on the high school football broadcast, the running back appeared to get in […] The post Kansas High School Football Game Ends On Controversial Goal-Line Stand That Spoiled Top-Five Upset On Final Play appeared first on BroBible.

JCCC Updates: Celebrating National Transfer Student Week with seamless transfer opportunities to 4-year universities

JCCC is celebrating National Transfer Student Week by providing Cavaliers with all the tools needed for a successful transfer. Transferring is on the rise as an increasing number of students recognize the value in starting at a community college and finishing their degrees at four-year universities. A report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found 500,000 students transferred from two-year to four-year institutions in fall 2024 alone.

St. James Academy students who now perform in the cafeteria poised to get $16M arts center

The Lenexa Planning Commission approved a long-in-the-works plan for St. James Academy to construct an auditorium to perform and showcase art on campus. On Oct. 5, the Lenexa Planning Commission recommended approval for a preliminary plan to build the future St. James Academy Cultural Arts Center, as well as other future additions to the property.

Kansas State Board of Education candidates on the issues: Proving value to taxpayers

Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates in federal, state and local races address leading up to the Nov. 3 election. Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to residents across Johnson County. Each day...