After abusive rant about sex and suicide, unwell lawmaker can’t teach again in Kansas
No matter what caused the clearly unwell Kansas state Rep. Mark Samsel to go on a tirade about masturbation, suicide and lesbians in front of students at a Wellsville high school last week, he won’t be going back into any classroom in that school district ever again.
Of course that’s the right call, because his behavior was abusive. Samsel is troubled, and must get help. And teacher shortage or no teacher shortage, he should also be stripped of his license to teach.
Samsel, a Republican from Wellsville, was working as a substitute teacher in the school on Wednesday when students recorded video of him ranting. “Make babies. Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn’t it? Procreate … You haven’t masturbated? Don’t answer that question. … God already knows.” Then he initiated a physical altercation with a student. He was arrested on charges of misdemeanor battery, and then released from jail on $1,000 bond.
Now Superintendent Ryan Bradbury has said that Samsel will no longer be allowed to work for the district. The private employment company that placed Samsel at the school as a substitute said he’s fired.
“We are definitely not going to be working with this person ever again,” said Jerry Hellebusch, president and owner of Morgan Hunter Education, a private company that contracts with nine Kansas school districts to place substitute teachers in schools.
Hellebusch said all the substitutes they work with are vetted and have to pass a background check. That’s a state requirement for teachers and substitutes. “Apparently he passed the background check,” Hellebusch said. “He is a state representative so of course you would think he would have passed, no problem. But it is impossible to know what any one person might do on any given day.”
Samsel, who is a lawyer, holds a substitute teacher license that allows him to work, in an emergency, a few days at a time, in any Kansas school. His license does not allow him to fill in as a full-time or long-term substitute, though. His license expires next month but Samsel could reapply. Would he be renewed?
‘Looks like a downward spiral’
State education officials said on Monday they are aware of what Samsel said and did in that classroom. They saw the news accounts. And on Tuesday morning, they got official notification from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which alerts the Kansas State Department of Education whenever a teacher gets in trouble with law enforcement.
But just because they got an alert, doesn’t necessarily mean Samsel won’t be allowed to keep his substitute teaching license, said Mischel Miller, director of teacher licensure and accreditation. It only “indicates to us that we need to explore the situation further,” Miller said. “It notifies us something came up and then our legal counsel takes it from there.” But it’s not like his name immediately goes on a do-not-hire list.
Samsel is also a referee for KSHAA, the Kansas State High School Activities Association, which governs high school sports in Kansas. Officials there said they are aware of the Wellsville classroom incident and the ongoing police and school district investigations. He currently has no contracted games with the KSHSAA.
Some Kansas lawmakers expressed concern for Samsel because they said his behavior is out of character.
“The words and action suggest a detachment from reality,” said Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher, who served with Samsel in the House. “When you see what looks like a downward spiral, it concerns me. What might happen next? Some damage has already been done. Those students were traumatized.” She said she and others have contacted Samsel suggesting that he get help.
Samsel’s Republican colleagues also said the man they saw in the videos is not the one they know. State Rep. William Sutton, a Gardner Republican, told The Star that what was on the videos was “completely out of character.”
Samsel did show up in the Capitol for a series of high-stakes veto override votes on Monday. And that too is worrisome. “You don’t want someone making decisions for you when they may be impaired,” Holscher said.
Samsel did not respond to messages The Star Editorial Board left for him on Monday. If he’s troubled, and those who know and work with him seem to think he is, we hope that friends and family will help before something worse happens.
This story was originally published May 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "After abusive rant about sex and suicide, unwell lawmaker can’t teach again in Kansas."