Jordan Public Schools will close early at 1 p.m. this afternoon due to the weather.

For more information, call the school district at 952-492-6200.

The National Weather Service estimates the region could see three to five inches of snow today with another 1-1/2 to three inches tonight. Total estimates for the storm range between five and nine inches of snow.

A former Jordan student is suing Jordan Public Schools for a sexual assault that allegedly occurred during football camp at Minnesota State University-Mankato in July 2007.

The man, who was 15 at the time, claims another teen undressed him while he was sleeping, took photos of him in sexually explicit positions and showed the images to other players and coaches at the camp.

The civil complaint, submitted by the plaintiff's attorney, Patrick Noaker of St. Paul, also names the university and alleged attacker, an unnamed juvenile identified as “John Doe D.”

One of Jordan Middle School's Knowledge Bowl teams took home the first-place trophy at regional competition Wednesday.

Twenty-seven teams competed at the meet. The Jordan team tied with one from Montgomery-Lonsdale in overall points, but Jordan took the win by having the most points in the last round, Knowledge Bowl coach Fran Bohlke said.

Members of the team, Jordan Maroon Gold, are ninth-graders Justin Freund, Spencer Kubista, Chris Quatmann, and Tyler Regnier, and seventh-graders Michelle
Jablonski and Shelbi Deutsch.

The Minnesota Department of Education announced last Tuesday that it would delay state aid payments to schools in a state attempt to avoid short-term borrowing.

“The state’s cash flow situation reflects lower than anticipated revenues due to the struggling economy,” state Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said in a statement. “These payment delays are required by state law under these circumstances. We have taken steps to mitigate school district budget difficulties by targeting this action to districts with solid reserve funds.”

Applications are being accepted through April 1 for the United States Naval Academy (USNA) Summer Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Program 2010.  STEM is held in three sessions: June 7-12, June 14-19 and June 21-26.

The academy’s Summer STEM Program is an overnight academic camp designed for rising eighth- to 11th-grade students in good academic standing who have an interest in math and science.   

Thirty years ago, Jordan High School’s one-act play cast won districts and Kathy Heimkes took home the best actress award.

Read about this and more of Jordan's history in the Looking Back
column published in the Jan. 28 print edition of the Jordan Independent.  

The Jordan School Board plans to discuss hiring for itself three positions currently staffed through the Minnesota River Valley Special Education Cooperative and Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative.

Director of special services Scott Hare suggested the change as a means for the district to save money, superintendent Kirk Nelson said at the last board meeting. Nelson explained that hiring the positions through the district instead of the co-ops could reduce administrative costs and estimated that savings could total about $75,000 across the three positions.

A press release from the Minnesota Department of Education:

State education officials submitted Minnesota’s official application for President Obama’s Race to the Top (RTTT) initiative with overwhelming support from the state’s schools and districts.