State briefs 10/27/17

Suit: Staff falsified attendance reports

RIVERVIEW GARDENS, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis school system is being sued over allegations attendance records were falsified to improve the district's chances of regaining full accreditation. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported two lawsuits filed Tuesday against the Riverview Gardens district claim the tampering happened after the 2016-2017 school year. An elementary-school principal who alleges she was unfairly demoted to assistant principal filed one of the suits. A middle-school principal who is on paid leave filed the other one. Besides playing a role in accreditation, attendance partly determine how much state money a district receives. Last December, the once unaccredited district regained provisional accreditation. The district said in statement Wednesday it "strongly denies any allegations of wrongdoing."

Program adds local beef to school lunch

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. -- The Mount Vernon School District is the first and so far only district to participate in a new program designed to use local cattle ranchers to add more meat to school lunches. The program, MO Beef for MO Kids, is a joint effort of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the Missouri Beef Industry Council, Opaa Food Management and the school district.

Woman admits fraud disability payments

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A 47-year-old Neosho woman pleaded guilty to receiving disability payments for her son while concealing a $4 million settlement they received. The Joplin Globe reported Kerry Sanders pleaded guilty Tuesday to participating in a conspiracy to steal government property and theft of government property. Federal prosecutors said Sanders received at least $56,138 in Social Security disability benefits over seven years. The family received a $4 million settlement because circumstances involving her son's birth. Sanders didn't reveal the settlement to the Social Security Administration and gave false statements to continue receiving disability benefits.

-- From wire reports