South Bend Schools

Community members are continuing to express frustration over the South Bend School Board’s decision to close two elementary schools and “redesign” two others.

South Bend parents and community leaders spoke out at a meeting held by the Community Forum for Economic Justice to discuss the future of South Bend public schools.

Two more school corporations in Michiana approved back-to-school plans Monday night. Both South Bend and Penn-Harris-Madison schools will start the year virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools across the country are preparing for what the 2020 school year will look like amid the pandemic. South Bend Community Schools released its plan this week for reopening in the fall but some parents have concerns.

The South Bend Common Council and the South Bend Community Schools Board held a first-of-its-kind joint meeting Tuesday night.

The two groups wanted to create a more formal partnership and solve problems that impact them both. 

“We come together for this exciting and historic meeting to begin a dialogue between our two bodies so that we may continue to move our community forward,” said School Board President John Anella in his opening remarks.

A new classroom at the South Bend International Airport was opened Monday for students in the South Bend Community School Corporation’s Aviation and Flight program. 

The new classroom is on the west side of the airport and features a flight simulator for students to learn how to fly.

Representatives from the United States Department of Justice are visiting schools in South Bend this week. It’s part of a decades long agreement to integrate the district.

The South Bend Community School Corporation is under a consent decree to integrate its schools from a 1980 court case. Decades later, what that means is the district speaks regularly with the government about it’s progress and problems. 

More than six percent of youth in South Bend Schools don’t have stable housing. That’s according to a survey run by the Youth Services Bureau (YSB) and IU South Bend.

Youth with unstable housing in South Bend are less likely to have regular medical care, and more likely to have unmet physical or mental health needs. These numbers are largely in line with similar nationwide surveys.

The Indiana University School of Medicine in South Bend ran the survey. The goal was to identify unmet health needs in South Bend’s kids.

The South Bend Community School Corporation received a $5.5 million federal grant to help educate, recruit, and retain teachers.

Twenty-six soon-to-be graduates of South Bend schools ceremonially signed their intent to join the military this morning at a joint ceremony attended by their principals, superintendent and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

This is the first year South Bend Community Schools has done a ceremony together for all district graduates joining the military. Superintendent Kenneth Spells. “I see students that are going to gain strong leadership skills. Students that are going to be leaders of this country and students that I’m very proud of.” Spells is a Navy veteran.

The South Bend School Corporation hosted a panel of students  and officials from throughout the district Thursday at John Adams High School to talk about school safety.

At the panel, held the day after nationwide student walkouts against gun violence, students from different high schools told school officials how they felt in their respective buildings.

The South Bend School Corporation hosted a panel of students  and officials from throughout the district Thursday at John Adams High School to talk about school safety.

At the panel, held the day after nationwide student walkouts against gun violence, students from different high schools told school officials how they felt in their respective buildings.