Southern Boone School District to provide dental care, vision screenings to students

The Southern Boone School District’s health and wellness program will continue to provide dental health care for students through Missouri’s Preventive Services Program.

Last year, 404 students were given dental exams and fluoride treatment, and 71 were recommended for further care, according to a report at Monday’s school board meeting. This year, lead nurse Amber Cobb said the Dental Bus program will return to provide comprehensive exams and treatments, including teeth pulling and filling cavities.

This is the first year the program will be extended to the middle and high school, according to the report.

In addition, KidSight will perform vision screenings again this fall. Last year, 232 students were screened. A KidSight optometrist returned to evaluate 12 students further, all of whose prescription glasses were provided at no cost to families.

Flu vaccines available at community clinic

The Health and Wellness program is “working with the Boone County Health Department to find ways to provide flu shots to our community despite state funding cuts.”

This fall will be the first time in 15 years the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department will not provide free flu vaccines and public health staff to administer shots to Boone County students in preschool through 12th grade, according to the Columbia Missourian.

Health Department spokesperson Austin Krohn said said school-based flu vaccinations were cut after the department lost more than $800,000 in federal funding.

Amber Cobb, the lead school nurse for the district, said that the Health Department will still run a community vaccine clinic in the primary building after school. However, students will not receive the shot for free.

Cobb said more information will come, as dates and other details are still being worked out.

Four-day school week update

Superintendent Tim Roth gave updates from the four-day school week committee facilitating the deliberations about whether the district should adopt the change in schedule.

The committee will hold a community presentation on at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 in the middle school cafeteria. A question and answer session with a panel will follow a brief presentation. Questions can be submitted in advance on the district website closer to the presentation.

The committee is also finalizing a list of FAQs to keep parents, guardians, staff and faculty in the loop as discussions continue. Matt Sharp, public relations director for the district, said parents and guardians can expect the FAQ list as well as a sample calendar in an email later this week.

Bus routes for the 2025-2026 school year

The Southern Boone School Board also approved the district’s final bus routes for the 2025-2026 school year at Monday’s meeting.

The district recently added two new 77-passenger school buses to serve more than 800 students registered to ride school buses.

However, the district is currently short one bus driver. Transportation Director Kyle Foreman has been driving the routes while the district searches for a new driver.

Parents and guardians can find the final bus routes for next year on the district’s transportation page.