News highlights from the last 7 days: Dec 21

Michigan State University held a private ceremony Monday to unveil the official portrait of former President Lou Anna Simon, who resigned in 2018 amid the Larry Nassar scandal. The event at the Breslin Student Events Center attracted student protesters who felt Simon should not be honored. They wrote messages in chalk on the sidewalk, including “Simon knew,” “Cowards” and “505,” the number of Nassar’s known victims, according to The State News. Simon was accused of lying to police after stating she was unaware that Nassar was the subject of a Title IX investigation in 2014, but all charges were dropped in 2020. The portrait was part of Simon’s retirement agreement, but the event surrounding it was not. 

The Lansing School District will merge multiple elementary schools starting in the 2023-2024 school year. Reo Elementary students will attend Attwood Elementary, and Kendon Elementary will become part of North Elementary. In addition, Willow Elementary students will use Riddle Elementary while a new building is constructed. Lansing Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said the mergers will allow more full-time teachers, better usage of empty space and better building conditions for students. Kendon will partner with Capital Area Head Start to continue its pre-K program, and Reo will be used by nonprofits including Lansing Promise, Shuldiner told WKAR. 

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At a Dec. 16 board meeting, a Michigan State University trustee said the school will not reinstate its swimming and diving programs. After filing a Title IX lawsuit against the school alleging unequal athletic opportunities, former female swimmers hoped MSU would bring back the programs and end the case. Earlier this year, MSU Trustee Melanie Foster said university officials would reach out to former swimmers and divers to “strategize a plan forward for the team in the next academic year.” However, Foster now says the university cannot afford to build a new competition pool, which prohibits it from reinstating the programs. 

Ricky Dale Jack, 37, of Lansing, was sentenced to life in prison on Dec. 14 for the death of his 4-month-old son, according to Lansing State Journal. Jack was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree child abuse after battering the infant and engaging in “subterfuge” to cover up the crime. The child was found dead in July 2018 with 14 fractured ribs, abdominal bruising and a broken spine. The medical examiner ruled that the trauma couldn’t have occurred all at once.