Trend – Critical Race Theory
A mystery company wants to invest in Kansas. Thank goodness legislators make us look alluring.
Hello, mystery megaproject company! I hear you’ve picked Kansas as one of two finalists for a $4 billion production plant that could generate 8,000 jobs and $2.5 billion annually. Who might you be? Amazon? Airbus? Google? GameStop? Whatever the case, we’re all excited around here. You’ll be glad to know that Kansas legislators have been […]
Kansas Sen. David Haley asks: Why hide our nation’s historical ‘Roots?’
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum and a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. Forty-five years ago this […]
Kelly, Schmidt and Marshall delve into King’s legacy of struggle, nonviolence and faith
Gov. Laura Kelly, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Sen. Roger Marshall share personal insights into their view of Martin Luther King's legacy.
Kansas Legislature kicks off 2022 session as coronavirus, election-year politics flare
TOPEKA — The 2022 Legislature convened Monday in Topeka to begin policymaking with election-year politics looming large and coronavirus-related legislation, as well as redistricting, front and center over the coming months. The 125 representatives and 40 senators will begin committee deliberations this week, hoping to pass legislation Gov. Laura Kelly sees fit to sign. As […]
Kansas legislative session promises more debate on COVID-19, critical race theory
TOPEKA — As Kansas lawmakers converge Monday in Topeka to work out issues with the ever-present COVID-19 illness, election law and the state’s economic wellbeing, some advocates are hopeful humanity, not political gamesmanship, can shine through in 2022. An election year, mixed with public outcry over the handling of the pandemic, sets up a noteworthy […]
Does CRT make white students feel bad? Try being a Black student
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum and a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. Patrick recalled the horror […]
Partisan education debates limit opportunities for next generation of Kansans
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Steve Lopes was a union organizer for Kansas-NEA for 30 years. As a former teacher, I strongly oppose the use of CRT in public school classrooms […]
A Christmas letter to the undiscovered country
Phil, You’ve been away for a good long while so here’s a Christmas letter to catch you up on all the news you’ve missed. So much has changed. Time steals like a shadow over the living, rendering us all Henry Adams at history’s eclipse. There’s much I want to share, because you could have helped […]
Kansas politics have been a freak show this year. There’s a cynical explanation for that.
I think it’s time to take a step back. In the nearly four months since I became the Kansas Reflector’s opinion editor, we’ve had a grand old time chuckling at the antics of Kansas politicians. I wrote about Derek Schmidt playing footsie with fascism, a modern-day medicine show promoting COVID-19 quackery, an anti-vaccine frat party […]
The latest fear for Kansas schools: CRT is turning our children gay
Critical race theory is turning our precious children gay. No matter how loony it sounds, that was the terror coursing underneath the words of parents, advocates and legislators at a hearing last week by the 2021 Special Committee on Education. Remember, CRT is an academic theory taught by precisely zero K-12 schools in Kansas. Somehow, […]
Hearing on critical race theory in Kansas schools veers into sex, religion and supposition
TOPEKA — A state education official told lawmakers Wednesday they need to “stop calling everything under the sun” critical race theory if they want to work together to improve student achievement. Ann Mah, a Democrat on the Kansas State Board of Education and former state representative, clashed with Republicans during a hearing on how CRT […]
Kansas child death report looks beyond rep’s claim that critical race theory shames white girls
TOPEKA — Kansas children who kill themselves typically die with a gun or by asphyxiation, according to an annual report on adolescent deaths in the state. The team of health professionals, law enforcement officers, educators and attorneys who examine each child death in Kansas point to a history of physical or sexual abuse, family discord, […]