Hazelwood School District
Hazelwood School District is a school district in suburban St. Louis, Missouri and is the second largest district in St. Louis County. The District extends from I-70 on the west and the I-270 bridge on the east, covering 78 square miles, an area larger than the City of St. Louis. Its northern and southern boundaries are the two Great Rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi, and I-270.
The District covers a large portion of north St. Louis County, Missouri, including all of Black Jack and Spanish Lake. Additionally it includes portions of: Bellefontaine Neighbors, Berkeley, Bridgeton, Dellwood, Ferguson, Florissant, Glasgow Village, Hazelwood, and Old Jamestown.
The district is headquartered in an unincorporated area; the district headquarters has a Florissant address, but is not in that city.
Faculty and staff educate more than 18,000 students in the district's 20 elementary schools, 6 middle schools and 3 high schools, plus separate campuses for early childhood, gifted, and individualized learning.
The Hazelwood School District is accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
History
Formation and growth
The Hazelwood School District was officially formed in 1949 through the consolidation of several small, rural school districts in Northern St. Louis County, including Bonfils, Elm Grove, and Twillman. The district experienced rapid population growth during the 1950s and 1960s, driven by the post-World War II suburban expansion and the economic influence of the nearby St. Louis Lambert International Airport and the McDonnell Douglas aerospace manufacturing facilities.Supreme Court cases
The district has been the subject of two landmark Supreme Court of the United States cases:- Hazelwood School District v. United States : This case concerned allegations of employment discrimination against African American teachers. The U.S. government argued that the district engaged in a "pattern or practice" of discrimination in hiring. The Supreme Court's ruling set a significant legal precedent regarding the use of statistical evidence in discrimination lawsuits, determining that the proper statistical comparison was between the racial composition of the teaching staff and the qualified teacher workforce in the relevant labor market, rather than the student population.
- Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier : In this First Amendment case, the Supreme Court ruled that public school curricular student newspapers that have not been established as public forums are subject to a lower level of First Amendment protection. The case arose after the principal of Hazelwood East High School removed articles regarding teen pregnancy and divorce from the student newspaper, The Spectrum. The Court held that schools may exercise prior restraint if their actions are "reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns."
Budget and programming changes
In 2016, the Hazelwood School District Board announced a plan to cut $6.6 million from the budget following a reported 22 percent drop in assessed property values. The cuts included reductions in staff for elementary band and orchestra, reduced physical education classes for elementary students, and the elimination of funding for field trips.Jana Elementary contamination
In 2022, conflicting reports emerged regarding radioactive contamination at the district's Jana Elementary School. Concerns arose from the school's proximity to Coldwater Creek, which was contaminated by waste from nuclear weapons production during World War II.In October 2022, a private study by Boston Chemical Data Corp found significant levels of radioactive isotopes, including lead-210 and polonium, inside the school. Consequently, the school board voted to close the school and switch to virtual learning until students could be reassigned to other buildings. However, subsequent testing by the United States Army Corps of Engineers found no evidence of radioactive material above naturally occurring background levels.
Despite the USACE findings, the school remained closed. In April 2023, the U.S. Senate passed the "Justice for Jana Elementary Act," sponsored by Senator Josh Hawley, to mandate a federal cleanup of the site. In August 2024, the school board voted to repurpose the building as the "Hazelwood School District Logistics Center" for storage use.
2024 Attorney General investigation
In March 2024, a video of a severe fight between students near Hazelwood East High School garnered national media attention. Following the incident, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched an investigation into the district, alleging that the district's Diversity, equity, and inclusion policies contributed to a lack of safety enforcement. The district disputed these claims, noting the fight occurred off school property and stating that the investigation contained inaccuracies regarding their discipline policies.Schools
The district contains 19 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, and 3 high schools.;Elementary Schools
;Middle Schools
;High Schools