Missouri is moving closer to asking the federal Education department for a waiver from the requirements of the 10-year-old "No Child Left Behind" law, state Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro told the state Board of Education this week.
"As long as there aren't strings attached to it, to getting a waiver that we cannot, as a state, embrace or live with - to my thinking, there is no downside," Nicastro said. "We're still in the process of evaluating those (waiver guidelines) very carefully.
"We want to make sure that we're very much aware of, and knowledgeable about, all of the conditions of submitting such a waiver - 9 and whatever obligations that might create for our state - before we go too far down this road."
To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.