In the Dotte dispatch: Why state lawmaker wants KCK schools investigated
Editor’s note: The following is from this week’s In the Dotte newsletter. You can sign up here to get them delivered to your inbox.
Good afternoon, Wyandotte County!
Amid an ongoing debate about Kansas school districts’ policies related to transgender students, a top state official is calling for an investigation into Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools.
And some district parents say they think that politician is barking up the wrong tree.
I’m Sofi Zeman, your guide through all things KCK. Let’s get to it.
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican who is also running for governor, announced last week that he wants the state to investigate Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools for allegedly helping students transition genders without telling parents about their children’s gender identities.
The whole debacle comes after someone sent him leaked videos of district employees discussing students coming out to them at school, and of staff saying the district doesn’t have in-writing policies about how to broach the subject with parents, but rather general, non-public facing guidelines.
But KCKPS, and district parents, say that the school district is following the law. And, one parent said, legislators should be more concerned about fully funding essential school programs, like special education.
Check out what those parents had to say about their experiences raising children in KCKPS, and how they feel their local schools have helped their kids.
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And, if you have questions about Wyandotte County or a tip about what else I should look into, please email me at szeman@kcstar.com
Sofi’s selects
💾 Everyone seems to have questions about how much harm data centers can actually do to their surrounding environments. And more are pointing to how using these turbines around KC could take a toll.
💵 Although it’s not quite a done deal yet, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools has opened the door to potentially collect more residential property taxes next year. Read more.
⚽ After weeks of World Cup celebrations in KCK’s historic Memorial Hall, the organization hosting the city’s free downtown watch parties had to make a change in plans. See why.
Save the date
🍎 Commissioners will soon decide whether, and how, a KC man gets to run a new grocery store to replace the Merc downtown. That vote will come during a 5:30 p.m. meeting Thursday.
⚖️ Who’s going to run the county? Mayor Christal Watson will announce who she wants to replace outgoing County Administrator David Johnston during Thursday’s commission meeting.
Across the River
🧡 We all saw the massive, 22,000-person, orange wave that took over Kansas City’s downtown last week. It was crazy! But how did KC’s fan walk shape up compared to others around the country?
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Thank you for reading. See ya back here next week!
