Mid-Missouri

A year after private equity-backed Noble Health shuttered two rural Missouri hospitals, patients and former employees grapple with a broken local health system or missing out on millions in unpaid wages and benefits.

The hospitals in Audrain and Callaway counties remain closed as a slew of lawsuits and state and federal investigations grind forward.

In March, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey confirmed a civil investigation. He had previously told local talk radio that there was an “ongoing” investigation into “the hospital issue.”

Bailey’s comment came weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration notified executives tied to Noble Health, a startup, that they had violated federal laws and asked them to pay $5.4 million to cover unpaid employee health insurance claims, according to a 13-page letter detailing “interim findings” that was obtained by KHN.

The January letter confirms KHN’s previous reporting, which was informed by employees and patients who described missing paychecks; receiving unexpected, high-dollar medical bills; and going without care, including cancer treatment. According to the letter from federal investigators, the Noble hospitals and their corporate owners collected employee contributions for medical, dental, and vision insurance in 2021 and 2022 but then failed to fund the insurance plans.

The owners and executives were “aware of the harm to participants and, in some cases, were attempting to resolve individual participant complaints,” the letter states, adding that “despite the volume and gravity of complaints and bills received,” they failed to respond.

‘Tomfoolery’ and doing ‘everybody dirty’

Marissa Hagedorn, who worked as a hospital laboratory technician, has spent much of the past year starting a new job, caring for her 2-year-old son who was born with spina bifida, and haggling over unpaid medical bills. She told KHN the family owes at least $8,000 for son Ryder’s specialty care in St. Louis, with $6,000 of that in collections. As a Noble employee, Hagedorn said, she was told repeatedly that her employee health insurance would cover Ryder’s care. It didn’t.

Noble has “done everybody dirty,” she said. “We just would like for some responsibility to be taken by this company that didn’t feel the need to get their act together.” Hagedorn’s story of unpaid bills, which was first reported by the local newspaper, the Mexico Ledger, is common among former Noble employees a year after the hospitals closed.

A former employee of the Fulton hospital has filed a class-action lawsuit intended to represent hundreds of employees from both hospitals.

The Jan. 13 letter from federal officials called for responses by Jan. 27 from Noble corporate and hospital executives as well as Platinum Neighbors, which last April bought the hospitals and assumed all liabilities. The letter instructs executives to contact the agency “to discuss how you intend to correct these violations, fund participant claims, and achieve compliance.”

Former employees say their claims have not yet been paid. A Labor Department spokesperson, Grant Vaught, said the agency could not comment on an ongoing investigation.

Separately, the Kansas Department of Labor is reviewing Noble and Platinum’s failure to pay wages and severance to corporate employees. Agency spokesperson Becky Shaffer confirmed that hearings took place in early February on a half-dozen cases totaling more than $1 million in claims for unpaid wages and severance.

Dave Kitchens was among those who filed claims against Noble Health. Kitchens worked briefly as a contract employee and then was hired in October 2021 as a corporate controller, an accounting role in which he was responsible for financial reporting and data analytics. Kitchens provided an audio recording of his hearing to KHN and hopes to eventually get paid more than $90,000 in lost wages, benefits, and severance pay. During the hearing, Kitchens told the administrative judge: “I would just like to be paid what I’m owed.”

Kitchens, who is also named as a fiduciary on the federal investigation, said he was not on Noble’s executive team. When asked by Kansas Administrative Law Judge James Ward whether he expected Noble or the secondary buyer Platinum to pay his wages, Kitchens responded he had “no idea who was in charge.”

“I believe there was some tomfoolery,” Kitchens said.

A ‘rabbit hole’ of responsibility

Noble launched in December 2019 with executives who had never run a hospital, including Donald R. Peterson, a co-founder who prior to joining Noble had been accused of Medicare fraud. Peterson settled that case without admitting wrongdoing and in August 2019 agreed to be excluded for five years from Medicare, Medicaid, and all other taxpayer-funded federal health programs, according to the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

By March 2022, the hospitals had closed and Noble offered explanations on social media, including “a technology issue” and a need to “restructure their operations” to keep the hospitals financially viable. In April, Texas-based Platinum Neighbors paid $2 for the properties and all liabilities, according to the stock purchase agreement.

Despite receiving approval for nearly $20 million in federal covid-19 relief money before it closed the hospitals — funds whose use is still not fully accounted for — Noble had stopped paying its bills, according to court records. Contractors, including nursing agencies, a lab that ran covid tests and landscapers, have filed lawsuits seeking millions.

In Audrain County, where community members still hope to reopen the hospital or build a new one, county leaders filed suit for the repayment of a $1.8 million loan they made to Noble. Former Missouri state senator Jay Wasson also filed suit in September, asking for repayment of a $500,000 loan.

Two Noble Health real estate entities filed bankruptcy petitions this year. One Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing names the Fulton hospital property in Callaway County as an asset and lists nearly $4.9 million in liabilities. A third bankruptcy filing by FMC Clinic includes Noble Health as a codebtor.

In the U.S. District Court of Kansas, Central Bank of the Midwest is suing Nueterra Capital over a $9.6 million loan Noble used to buy the Audrain hospital. The bank alleges Nueterra, a private equity and venture capital firm that in 2022 included Noble as part of its portfolio, signed off as the guarantor of the loan.

Federal investigators listed nearly a dozen people or entities connected to Noble Health as fiduciaries who they say are personally responsible for paying back millions in unpaid medical claims. The letter also detailed Noble Health’s ownership for the first time. The owners included William A. Solomon with a 16.82% share, Thomas W. Carter with a 16.82% share, The Peterson Trust with a 19.63%, and NC Holdings Inc. with 46.72%.

NC Holdings is also listed on the stock sale agreement with Platinum along with several signatures including Jeremy Tasset, chief executive of Nueterra Capital.

Tasset did not respond to a request for comment for this article. In an email to KHN in March 2022, the Nueterra Capital CEO wrote, “We are a minority investor in the real estate and have nothing to do with the operations of the hospitals.” In May 2022, Tasset wrote in an email to KHN that “everything was sold (real estate included) to Platinum Neighbors, a subsidiary of Platinum Team Management.”

It is unclear who owns and controls The Peterson Trust, which federal investigators identified. Peterson, who is listed on Noble’s state registration papers as a director and in other roles, didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article. He previously told KHN that his involvement in Noble didn’t violate his exclusion, in his reading of the law.

He said he owned 3% of the company, citing guidance from the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Federal regulators may exclude companies if someone who is banned has ownership of 5% or more.

In March 2022, Peterson created Noble Health Services, which federal investigators note in their letter was “established to restructure the ownership of multiple Noble entities.” Peterson dissolved that company in July 2022, according to a Missouri business filing.

In September, Peterson posted on LinkedIn that he was “sitting in the Emirates Air lounge in Dubai” to finish up due diligence on “launching a new business.”

A 2013 OIG advisory states that “an excluded individual may not serve in an executive or leadership role” and “may not provide other types of administrative and management services … unless wholly unrelated to federal health care programs.”

KHN examined the federal system meant to stop health care business owners and executives from repeatedly bilking government health programs and found that it failed to do so.

The OIG keeps a public list of people and businesses it has banned from all federal health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. KHN’s review found a system devoid of oversight and rife with legal gray areas.

In the wake of KHN’s reporting, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat who is the chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, said “it’s imperative that federal watchdogs can ensure bad actors are kept out of Medicare.” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the government needs to do more and “it’s also up to private-sector entities to do a better job checking against the exclusions list.”

“We can’t just depend on one or the other to do everything,” Grassley said.

In recent months, the Missouri hospitals appear to have been sold twice more, according to public records. Oregon-based Saint Pio of Pietrelcina notified state officials of a change of ownership in December and requested an extension of the hospital licenses, which was denied. In January, Audrain County officials, in its lawsuit, revealed another owner named Pasture Medical, which registered as a Wyoming company on Dec. 27, 2022.

“We haven’t come out of the rabbit hole on this one,” said Steve Bollin, director of the division of regulation and licensure for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Bollin’s agency, which conducts inspections and approves hospital changes in ownership, said he would support his agency doing financial reviews.

“It’s probably not a bad idea that someone takes a little bit deeper dive. We don’t have that many changes of ownership, but we would need appropriate staffing to do that, including some really good CPAs [certified public accountants].”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Originally Appeared Here

Residents from across Callaway County attended a meeting on Wednesday to hear updates from various levels of government about solar energy and Grain Belt Express within the county.

Joe Burns, a member of Mid Missouri Landowners Alliance and an organizer of the meeting, kicked off the meeting by providing an update on recent efforts.

A document at the event details the estimated time the Mid Missouri Landowners Alliance members spent taking action against solar and Grain Belt Express in the past eight months.

An estimated total of 1,600 hours have been accumulated by the group. This time includes legislator meetings, public meetings, researching and obtaining signs and petitions.

The document also breaks down estimated group expenses since May 2022. The group has spent an estimated $8,821. This includes hiring a lawyer, mailing to meetings and producing handouts and other materials.

“…We need your help, we need you to be involved. We need you to use your voice. This is still America, you still have the right to speak up and we’re asking you, please donate your time, donate your money, donate whatever you have to give to this cause if this means something to you,” Burns said.

The first legislator who spoke at the meeting was Rep. Jim Schulte, R-New Bl0omfield, who introduced Rep. Mike Haffner’s bill, House Bill 1052.

“I’m proud to be among this group right now, and working with them,” Schulte said.

HB 1052 aims to ensure that solar and wind farms could not use eminent domain to forcefully construct on property.

Haffner, a Republican from Pleasant Hill, said this bill will go to the Agriculture Policy Committee next week. He is the chair of the committee.

“It takes that eminent domain authority away from them. It takes it away from solar panels, it takes it away from wind turbines, but it only takes it away from the site going out. It does not take it away from the electrical corporation attaching back in. We can’t attack that,” Haffner said.

Haffner also spoke about House Bill 1044. This bill would change how many commissioners are appointed to the Public Service Commission.

“Right now the governor, with the Senate’s approval, they can appoint seven commissioners to the Public Service Commission. The last time that was updated was 1949,” Haffner said.

HB 1044 would increase the amount of commissioners to 11, one for each congressional district. He added that three of the members would have to be farmers.

Haffner briefly spoke about House Bill 992, which includes a collocation clause.

“…which gives some power to electrical corporations. If they collocate, they can use eminent domain. Our commitment to you is we’re going to stay engaged with that. We want these transmission lines, these power lines to be collocated with existing lines, but unfortunately within statute right now…there is no compensation for the farmer, the rancher, the landowner if they collocate and come onto your property,” Haffner said.

He encouraged citizens to talk to him about these bills, as he said they can be very complex to understand.

Steven Jeffery, an attorney hired by the alliance, spoke next.

He has more than 35 years of experience in environmental law, according to the Jeffery Law Group’s website. From 1987-1993, Jeffery served as the General Counsel for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Jeffery spoke about about the loan application Grain Belt Express filed with the U.S. Department of Energy. He said the DOE will have to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS).

“Under the law, to do an EIS, the Department of Energy is required by law to consider whether or not there is even a purpose or a need for this project… Assuming that there is, then they have to analyze ‘Well, are there alternatives to the project,” Jeffery said.

In a letter submitted to the DOE, Jeffery asked why these projects could not be constructed underground as an alternative.

The EIS will also examine how it will impact the environment, such as the loss of wildlife habitats.

He said a draft of the EIS is supposed to be available in the fall, when the public will be able to review it and provide comments.

Jeffery also touched upon eminent domain, and some of the legal history related to the topic in Missouri.

After Jeffery, Sen. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, spoke about Senate Bill 549. This bill is identical to House Bill 1065 filed by Rep. Kent Haden, a Mexico Republican.

SB 549 would provide options against solar farms for counties that are not planning and zoning.

The bill would require any person constructing a solar farm to submit an application to the commissions in each county where the solar farm would be located. The county commissions would have to grant a permit prior to any person or organization obtaining a certificate of public convenience or necessity from the Public Service Commission.

SB 549 would also tax solar farms at a rate of 37.5 percent.

Fitzwater’s bill has not yet been sent to a committee. He asked for the bill to be sent to the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee, to which he is the vice-chair.

“It’s an uphill battle, honestly. Callaway County is being targeted, and it’s in large part because we have infrastructure. We have space, we have Ameren close that’s building infrastructure that these groups want to tie into, and they want to tie into counties that don’t have zoning and planning. So they don’t have the rules they have to follow that would prevent maybe some of the stuff we’re all concerned about happening, like homes, the American dream being surrounded by panels,” Fitzwater said.

He said it is difficult to protect the community, while also ensuring that farmers retain their property rights.

“We’re doing what we can, and we want to be a voice for you,” Fitzwater said.

Haden spoke about his bill, HB 1065.

Burns said testimony was heard for his bill last week at a public hearing in the House Utilities Committee. He said around 30 people attended the hearing to testify. The hearing lasted six hours.

“They (Utilities Committee) commented about how they had never seen so many people, and I thought to myself there are only 30 of us,” Burns said. “…so it made an impact, can you imagine what 100 people would have done?”

Haden spoke about a previous solar energy bill he sponsored in 2022 that “basically mirrored what the wind legislation we passed four years ago had.”

He said there are probably around 100 different solar projects across Missouri.

Haden said every area across the state probably has solar projects, but people just aren’t aware about them.

“…they have bids going out on land that, just like here, nobody knows about,” he said.

Haden said that during the hearing for HB 1065, people from urban areas asked if this was just a Callaway County problem that could be fixed by zoning.

“They did not realize that a majority of our state is not zoned. Now Callaway may be one of the bigger counties that’s not zoned… but the majority of our state is not zoned. They do not understand that,” Haden said.

“They are used to dealing with homeowners associations to make rules they want and everything else, so they just wondered why don’t you guys just do that and fix your own problem. They don’t know what freedom’s about either,” Schulte said.

Haden said he thinks it will be difficult to get HB 1065 out of committee.

“It’ll be 50/50 at best, and if I’m calling it right now I think it’s probably 40 to get it passed and 60 to not,” he said.

The last speaker was Roger Fischer, Western District Commissioner. Randy Kleindienst, Eastern District Commissioner, was also in attendance. Presiding Commissioner Gary Jungermann was not at the meeting.

The Callaway County Commission was previously presented with a proposed conditional use ordinance and a utility permit application.

The ordinance would provide guidelines and limitations for solar energy facilities in the county, including where they can operate and other rules.

The utility permit was used in Ralls County to slow down the Grain Belt Express, Burns said.

“Guys, time is of the essence,” Fischer said. “They’re out there, they’re coming in and they’re getting contracts signed. We’re looking for trucks to start rolling in. They start drilling holes and putting pipe into ground, you’ve gotta start watching for a grandfather clause to show up someplace, no matter what we do down the road.”

He said this is a statewide problem, but the state isn’t aware of it yet.

Fischer said he doesn’t like the idea of infringing on any citizen’s property rights.

He added he is in favor of the ordinance and the restrictions it includes.

Fischer spoke about a decommissioning fund. This would go toward the removal of solar panels and solar farms.

“The decommissioning fund is very concerning to me. I think it needs to be something that is viable. It’s got to be able to cover full disposal…,” Fischer said.

After the legislators spoke, community members at the meeting were able to ask them questions.

Marilyn Smith, a member of Mid Missouri Landowners Alliance, said the meeting was very important to gauge community support.

HB 1065 would require any solar construction “to be at least one thousand linear feet from any church or school or city, town, or village limit of any private residence.”

Smith said 1,000 feet isn’t a lot, but it does provide some much-needed space. She said solar farms would be on three sides of her church.

HB 1065 also seeks to tax solar farms at a rate of 37.5 percent business tax.

“…which isn’t huge, but it’s better than nothing,” Smith said.

She said she would be happy if all three bills get passed, but there is still more that needs to be done.

“We’re looking at the state House to give us some good laws, and we’re looking at our community to see how much support we have, and we’re looking at our commissioners to stand behind us,” Smith said.

Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring starting pay up for teachers in Mid-Missouri this year.

In the Mid-Missouri area, rural districts ranging in size were most dependent on the money, from the more than $150,000 spent in North Callaway to the $52,000 spent in Southern Boone.

Schools may now be able to begin applying for the second round of grants, which would be awarded after governor signs next year’s budget. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released updated guidance for schools looking to apply for the program known as the teacher baseline salary grant. In a newsletter sent out Wednesday morning, DESE said that it is starting the process for districts to apply for the grant for the 2023-2024 school year.

Under the grant, any public school district or charter school that has a base salary for teachers that is between $25,000 and $38,000 will be able to apply.

Educators and legislators have pushed to bring Missouri’s lowest-in-the-nation teacher pay up. State law sets the minimum at $25,000, but last year the legislature approved the salary grant program to help schools pay teachers at least $38,000.

The state will provide up to 70% of the money needed to reach the base salary of $38,000, while the other 30% will come from local sources. According to the newly released guidance, the money cannot be used toward extra-duty pay, salary-related benefits or any other non-regular teaching duties.

This is an optional grant program, and districts with baseline salaries under $38,000 are not required to apply.

As of December of last year, Missouri was ranked last in the nation for teacher salaries. DESE also released that half of Missouri teachers leave teaching by their fifth year. This prompted DESE and Gov. Mike Parson to make paying teachers better wages a priority and to request the continuation of this grant program.

More than 300 school districts applied for the grant in 2022. Frederick town received $190,361 to pay 55 teachers the base pay, making it the district that received the most money. Blair Oaks received only $410 for two teachers, making it the district that received the least.

Other local schools that received a lump sum of money include:

• Boonville – $98,508 for 34 teachers
• North Callaway Co. – $156,102 for 54 teachers
• Fulton 58 – $82,200 for 61 teachers
• Southern Boone Co. – $52,502 for 39 teachers.

The grant program is only eligible for one year. School districts will be contacted when the application becomes available.

Missouri State Teacher’s Association spokesman Todd Fuller said he would like to see the money built into each school district’s budget, rather than a grant that lasts a year.

“I think it’s a little concerning,” Fuller said. “I mean at some point it needs to be something that is not just a grant, but something that becomes a part of the budget every year.” 

Paul Katnik — assistant commissioner office of educator quality for DESE — countered it by saying the state has to approve the amount of money each year, which is why the grant can only be given out on a yearly basis.

“Since 70% matches our money, that’s gotta be approved each year, so it’s gonna be something looked at each year,” Katnik said.

Fuller also said that the problem does not only stem from teachers looking to find work at a better-paying district in Missouri, but in states that border Missouri as well. He gave Arkansas as an example, which he said pays its teachers $50,000.

“We’re not only gonna have to compete against ourselves from district to district, we’re going to have to compete against neighboring states,” Fuller said.

Some school districts that had teachers who were pair under $38,000 in 2022 did not apply for the grant, according to Fuller. This is largely because of the fact that the grant only lasts for a year, which made some districts afraid that they’d only be able to give the teachers a pay raise last year, and not be able to afford it the following year.

Fuller said he believes a simple increase in the percentage the state provides each district would incentivize them to apply for it, if approved for the 2023-24 school year.

“If we were able to increase the percentage from the state even just to 80% , I think it would change the minds of some of the administrators and the individuals working on the finances in those districts, and they would become part of that grant process as well,” Fuller said.

Originally Appeared Here

Early on in his administrative career, longtime Missouri educator Chris Belcher had what he called the worst experience of his life.

“The kid screamed, and I felt awful,” he said.

He didn’t want to do it, but he had to.

It was the 1980s, and Belcher was told to paddle a student who was enrolled in the school district’s special education program. The administrator who typically oversaw discipline for that particular student was out that day, leaving Belcher to handle the punishment.

As upsetting as the situation was to both the student and Belcher, it also reaffirmed his strong belief in cognitive and nonpunitive strategies.

School corporal punishment, which gained traction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is a physical disciplinary method to correct student misbehavior. In most instances where the practice is used, students are paddled by a district superintendent or school principal.

Missouri’s Cassville R-IV School District made headlines last August when it chose to reinstate its corporal punishment policy. That move — which ignited a national conversation on swatting’s place in schools — came shortly after a state law regarding student discipline took effect. The statute, RSMo 160.261, required districts to get written parent permission to administer swats before doing so. Districts that implement corporal punishment are expected to send out permission forms at the start of the school year.

Amid the media frenzy surrounding Cassville’s decision came public debate on the practice. Although some argue corporal punishment traumatizes students and damages childhood development, others call the tactic time-tested and effective. Apparently caught in the middle are districts with policies that allow corporal punishment but instead opt for conversation-based strategies.

So at a time when alternative behavior management practices have become mainstream, why do some Missouri districts hold on to corporal punishment?

Carla London, chief equity officer of Columbia Public Schools, identified a core reason:

“People go to — good or bad — they go back to what they know, what was used on them.”

Columbia Public Schools does not use corporal punishment, but London has about 30 years of experience in monitoring childhood development. She spent most of her career in education but also worked at Texas Child Protective Services and was a medical social worker at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. She has a background in psychology.

 

‘Building strong character’

 

A hallway in northwest Missouri’s King City School District is decorated with wording that asks students to be kind (Sofi Zeman/Columbia Missourian).

Although the U.S. Supreme Court solidified the constitutionality of the practice in 1977, use of corporal punishment has waned in recent decades. Today, Missouri is one of 19 remaining states that legally allow it.

At least 123 Missouri school districts used language — found in their 2022 or 2023 district policies or 2022-23 school year handbooks — that authorized corporal punishment, according to a Missourian investigation on the status of almost every public school district in the state. Several districts weren’t identified for the following reasons: They lacked detailed information on district policies, their policies weren’t updated, or they posted conflicting information on their websites.

Pamela Halstead, administrator of Callao C-8 School District in north-central Missouri, said corporal punishment is a last resort in her district. She said the last time she swatted a student was about 10 years ago, and she did it at a parent’s request.

“I know we’re probably one of a few districts that do keep corporal punishment on there,” she said in February. “We keep that as an option. Is it going to be the first option? No, not even the second.”

Although it has been years since Halstead used corporal punishment, she said the district’s school board continues to uphold longstanding policy that favors the practice. The only time corporal punishment is really discussed in the district, Halstead said, is when the board has to review its policies.

“It has always been voted to keep corporal punishment in,” she said.

The district’s policies often reflect the values of the board, Halstead said. Callao’s present board has strong feelings about discipline and follows the mindset that building strong character outweighs academics.

“Part of building strong character is discipline,” Halstead said.

The difference between discipline and abuse stems from the mindset of the person administering corporal punishment, Halstead said.

“If you discipline with a clear mind and conversation along with it, and you’re not angry, and in your heart feel that there’s merit to this corporal punishment, then it can be effective,” she said.

In Advance R-IV School District in southeast Missouri, the idea of being swatted is a stronger deterrent against misbehavior than the actual swatting, Superintendent Shannon Garner said in an August interview.

“Just the thought of it, especially in the elementary-level schools,” he said.

Corporal punishment has been allowed in the district for as long as Garner can remember. Building principals are the only people authorized to administer swats in the district.

Garner said that even before legislation required parental permission, the district always checked in with parents before administering swats. At the beginning of this school year, permission slips were sent home with each child in a stack of usual back-to-school paper work. The slip asked parents whether they consented to their child being swatted.

“We contact all parents regarding all discipline before any discipline is performed,” he said. “Then, it becomes a conversation between the parent and the building-level principal.”

 

Developmental impacts

 

Corporal punishment puts students at risk of demonstrating negative externalizing and internalizing behaviors and decreased academic performance, according to a 2022 study from the University of Amsterdam’s Research Institute of Child Development and Education.

Externalizing behavior can include bullying, verbal and physical aggression and general rule-breaking. Internalizing behavior is when a person directs a set of negative behaviors toward themselves. Internalizing presents itself in a few ways, such as mental and social withdrawal, anxiety and depression.

Belcher, who was a Columbia Public Schools superintendent and today works as an assistant teaching professor in the MU College of Education and Human Development, said the more problematic a student’s behavior is, the less corporal punishment would help shape positive behavior. He said he hasn’t seen research that proves corporal punishment is better than cognitive intervention.

Being swatted at school not only embarrasses a student, but it also alters their perception of whether that environment is safe, Belcher said. This also applies to students who don’t receive swats but are in an environment where they’re administered.

“It might change your behavior, but it might change your entire viewpoint of adults, and schools, and safe and caring environments,” he said.

Belcher added there’s a difference between swats dealt by a caregiver and swats from a school administrator. The former is personal; the latter is institutional.

“That is a completely different psychological event for that student,” he said.

Similarly, London said that a mother spanking a child is different than a schoolteacher or principal. She added this is detrimental to relationship-building, something that is foundational in keeping students on track.

“I do think it would potentially damage that relationship forever,” London said.

 

Relationship building, alternative strategies

 

In northwest Missouri’s King City School District, Superintendent Danny Johnson sees no need to hit his students.

“I’m not of the mindset that there’s never time for a child to be spanked, but I’m not going to do it here at school,” Johnson said.

Although the district has corporal punishment listed as an option in its 2022-23 handbook, its discipline policy states that the method is strictly prohibited. Instead, Johnson and district faculty push for conversation-based resolutions.

On a Thursday in early March, a preschool student refused to file into the school building at the start of the day. It was clear to Ryan Anderson, principal of King City’s elementary school, that the student was just having a tough morning.

Rather than moving into disciplinary action, Anderson let the student sleep off the bad mood in his office.

“He’ll sleep for another 30-40 minutes, we’ll give him breakfast, and then he’ll go start his day,” Johnson said while Anderson was with the student. “He’s not disrupting his peers, he’s not disrupting his teacher. So, those kids are learning, he’s getting what he needs, and then once he’s rested a bit better, we’ll get him on his way and get his day started.”

With a population of roughly 800, King City is relatively small. The entire district is housed in one school building, and high school graduating classes typically consist of about 25 students.

Johnson said the closeness of the community helps build relationships with students and their families. Staying in touch with parents when their children are doing well in school makes difficult phone calls home a bit more manageable.

Relationship-building is also essential among students, Johnson said. On Fridays, high school students walk down to the elementary wing of the building to teach younger students various character-building and healthy communication strategies that had been taught to them. This is the first year of that program.

“We’ll tweak it and make some adjustments for year two, but that has been a pretty successful avenue for building relationships with the kids,” Johnson said.

For one King City teacher, physical discipline has a completely different meaning. Anita Gilbert said she doesn’t need to discipline her students often, but when she does, she’ll either talk to them or have them do exercises, like burpees.

“And backward bear crawls,” piped up one student in her physical science class.

Nichole Staley, when asked what she does when her students are acting up, turned the question to her sophomore math class.

“She makes us clean!” called out a handful of students. Staley explained that misbehaving students sweep the classroom and hallways and clean the room’s whiteboards, desks and tables. She has a corner with brooms and cleaning supplies at the ready.

London said Columbia Public Schools strives to teach students strategies to healthily navigate conflict, compromise and self efficacy. The district this school year kicked off its five-year behavior education plan, spearheaded by London. The plan aims to maintain consistency in the behavior management methods districtwide, as well as level the playing field for students of color, who London said are disproportionately disciplined.

 

A multigenerational cycle

 

“That’s how I was raised.”

It’s a chief argument among supporters of corporal punishment. Often, people who were swatted as children believe that it taught them to respect their elders and that passing the paddle on to the next generation will do the same.

“These people on school boards who support corporal punishment probably had some strong discipline corporal punishment as a child,” Halstead said. “And they grew up to be these well-rounded people who could hold a position on the school board, and they don’t see what the big deal is.”

Halstead was raised in a home that used corporal punishment, and she said it taught her to respect her parents. She spanked her children when they were young.

Belcher said the need to continue the cycle stems from public schools being reflective of community values.

“That’s what they grew up with, that’s what they did in the home,” Belcher said, adding that this concept isn’t exclusive to rural districts.

London said the cycle stems from two factors: not being equipped with different resolutions and a need to regain control.

She said corporal punishment comes from people not having alternatives to deal with their children at home when all they know is physical discipline. She tries to give parents different behavior management tools besides what they already know.

And, London said, people who grew up in abusive environments sometimes use physical discipline on their own children as a means to regain control over what happened to them.

“I think it’s a mindset, I think it’s a trauma, and we go back to what we know.”

Brooke Muckerman, Megan Sundberg and Caroline McCone contributed to the reporting of this story.

This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.

Originally Appeared Here

Two Mid-Missouri organizations are looking to do a little matchmaking.

No, they’re not looking to find a little love between individuals.

They are looking to match retirees with nonprofit agencies who need volunteers with specific skills and interests.

GIVE 5, a retiree civic matchmaking program in Jefferson City, is a collaboration between the Columbia-based Aging Best and the United Way of Central Missouri.

The program sets to “(reimagine) what volunteering can look like,” said Hannah Gerard, local United Way operations specialist. It looks for senior volunteers with specific professional know-how and experiences, then connects them with participating nonprofits that need those skills.

“I know (The) Salvation Army is looking for professionals who are interested in teaching life skills classes to those who are living in their shelters or (Rape and Abuse Crisis Service) is looking for retired healthcare professionals to advocate for their clients,” Gerard said.

Another reason United Way launched the voluntary program is due to the state’s aging demographic.

“We do have lots of Baby Boomers in our community that are getting ready to retire, with that, they will have a lot of free time on their hands that they can give back to those agencies that really need volunteers,” Gerard said.

People aged 60 and older make up a quarter of Missouri’s population, according to the latest census data. Another 12 percent of the population is set to retire in this decade as well.

Currently, 16 agencies are participating with United Way. One of them is the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jefferson City, an organization that holds one-on-one mentoring for schoolchildren. It currently has 120 volunteers, program director Lee Knernschield said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters officials hope GIVE 5 volunteers will become mentors and office assistants with clerical skills to do data entry work. The organization also hopes for “someone who has a marketing background willing to help put together a newsletter,” Knernschield said.

“Any individual that can make a commitment to spending consistent time with a child could be a good mentor,” she said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters joined the GIVE 5 program because the organization has a small office staff and needs more volunteers, she said.

“There are so many children that need a mentor,” Knernschield said.

Meanwhile, Capital City CASA, another participating agency, has not set specific positions for the GIVE 5 members yet, Executive Director Gina Clement said. Depending on the volunteers’ skills, they may serve on various committees on financial matters, fundraising and fund development.

So far, United Way received nine applications from volunteers, including retired CEOs, teachers and CPAs, Gerard said. She hoped to recruit 20 volunteers for the program.

The applications, which began in Feb. 9, are open for the rest of the week, Gerard said. Interested retirees or soon-to-be retirees can apply on United Way’s website.

The program is scheduled to run for five straight weeks, with one GIVE 5 session on each Wednesday starting from March 29, according to United Way’s website.

During these sessions, GIVE 5 volunteers are expected to tour all the participating agencies with Gerard and Jody Doppelt, the volunteer manager at Aging Best. During the tours, each organization is set to have around 45 minutes to give a tour, talk about itself, as well as the general and specific volunteering opportunities it offers to GIVE 5 members, Gerard said.

On the fifth Wednesday, April 26, there is set to be a graduation day where GIVE 5 volunteers are expected to choose one or more nonprofits with which they will serve five hours a month, according to United Way’s website.

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In the accompanying video, United Way of Central Missouri operations specialist Hannah Gerard talks about the Give Five program.

Originally Appeared Here