Delmar Cobble among list of schools for disabled children to permanently close
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Delmar Cobble School in Columbia is among the number of schools for disabled children around the state to permanently close, according to a Tuesday press release from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The DESE Board decided on Tuesday to close six buildings that were already “temporarily consolidated due to staff vacancies,” immediately, which includes: Delmar Cobble, Briarwood (Harrisonville), Lakeview Woods (Lee’s Summit), Gateway/Hubert Wheeler (St. Louis), Rolling Meadow (Higginsville) and Ozark Hills (Salem).
Another six buildings will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year, which includes: Citadel (Potosi), College View (Joplin), Crowley Ridge (Dexter), Dogwood Hills (Eldon), Lillian Schaper (Bowling Green), and Prairie View (Marshall).
“The State Board of Education believes this is the first step in providing more opportunities and strengthening education for all students enrolled in Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled,” State Board of Education President Mary Schrag said in the release. “This decision is not taken lightly but will result in a more efficient program that enriches quality resources provided to students and their families.”
The release says Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled enrollment has dropped by 36% during the past 16 years.