Keith Oates News Today

As the starting quarterback and middle linebacker for the East Pennsboro High School football team, Keith Oates III leads the Panthers in both touchdowns and tackles, and the Panthers are 6-0 for the first time in nine years.

With the new school year commencing on Aug. 10, the Marion Community Unit District 2 Board of Education took action last week to approve the hiring of faculty at MHS.

WSIL -- A comprehensive report by Pro Publica is sparking debate over how some Illinois schools are punishing students. Specifically, using school resource officers as a way to fine students.

Schools in Illinois are free to enforce mask mandates and other COVID-19 mitigations on their own, but the emergency rules that the Illinois Department of Public Health issued requiring schools to enforce those mandates are no longer in force.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS (WSIL) -- Carterville and Marion are making face masks optional for students following a judges ruling on Governor JB Pritzkers mask mandate.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS (WSIL) -- Carterville and Marion are making face masks optional for students following a judges ruling on Governor JB Pritzkers mask mandate.

Marion School Board to hold special meeting on comments made by track coach The Marion School Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, May 12 to discuss a controversy involving a high school track coach. (Source: KFVS) By Brooke Buckner and Amber Ruch | May 12, 2021 at 3:24 PM CDT - Updated May 12 at 5:58 PM MARION, Ill. (KFVS) - The Marion School Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, May 12 to discuss a controversy involving a high school track coach. The meeting will...

MARION, Ill. (WSIL) -- One person returned to protest outside Marion High School on Tuesday, a day after dozens turned out. She wasnt alone for long. Within the hour, more than a dozen others showed up and demanded the firing of girls track coach Sara Baker. Baker is being investigated for allegedly saying a racist remark to a Black student-athlete. Black barefooted African from the third world is the phrase allegedly used against 16-year old Amari. Protesters chanted the phrase outside the sch...

Members of that crowd say they’ll be back outside the school again on Tuesday calling on the district to do something.

MARILYN HALSTEAD The Southern MARION, Illinois — More than three dozen people met Monday at the Harry L. Crisp Sports Complex to protest the treatment of a Black Marion High School track athlete by a white female track coach. The crowd, led by Akeem Petty, a former Marion High School athlete, and Korshawn Johnson, who led Black Lives Matter protests last summer, chanted things like, “Black students matter!” and “Mrs. Baker must go!"  Track Coach Sara Baker all...