Kansas
As I step away from the classroom, please support Kansas public school teachers • Kansas Reflector
As classrooms close for the summer and families and teachers reflect on the experiences and the ways that their students have grown since August, I am preparing my classroom for a new, incoming teacher.
After 11 years of service to the profession, I am stepping away from my beloved role as a public school teacher.
In those 11 years, I’ve personally participated in and witnessed countless examples of educators and families collaborating for the success of their students. I’ve seen advocacy on behalf of greater educational equity. I’ve seen students’ lives changed through daily, incremental rhythms of continuity of care and the deliberate, skilled expertise of teaching teams focused on increasing students’ social, emotional and academic gains.
I, too, have watched the many ways that systemic structures shortcut the potential of teachers, and as such, their students. Striving for the utmost support of our teachers is paramount for a world in which each one of our students and local communities is better empowered to thrive.
Be leery of anything or anyone sugarcoating the privatization or commodification of education. Let’s recognize the role of Kansas public school teachers within our communities as cornerstones of our collective success. Our public school teachers are doing incredible work with what they are given. However, it is also true that teachers are systemically and rhetorically under-resourced.
The beauty of a public school is that the public, when informed by experts in the field, has the potential to be a part of exponentially powerful redesigns. We all benefit from public policy that supports public school teachers.
The beauty of a public school is that the public, when informed by experts in the field, has the potential to be a part of exponentially powerful redesigns. We all benefit from public policy that supports public school teachers.
Kansas is at a critical juncture, one in which we are poised to blaze the trail forward. It is time we lead the way with a teacher supportive agenda. The following proposals would strengthen both educators and our state.
- Demand higher salaries for public school teachers.
- Equitably staff our public schools, including specialized support staff in the buildings.
- Finance individualized teacher professional development and continuing education with opportunities for rotating sabbaticals.
- Provide robust benefits, including paid parental leave and child care options.
- Adjust all teachers’ retirement packages to KPERS 2.
- Reduce teacher-to-student ratios.
- Create opportunities for flexible instructional hours and schedules.
- Reserve an elected position in our legislative government (specifically in education committees) and local school boards for active teachers.
In the near future, I won’t serve in the classroom daily, but I will be sending my child to a public school. I will continuously raise my voice for the teachers and for the policies that elevate teacher voices, wellbeing and expertise. When teachers succeed, their students do, too. When teachers are supported, their students are.
May the heartland of our nation set the bar for unparalleled support of our public school teachers, our local public schools and our children. We know the way. It’s time to link arms, drown out the noise of distracting ploys from out-of-state demagogues, and remind the rest of the world just what Kansas is: a state that invests in its people.
For our people are our greatest asset, and the public school teacher teaches all.
Whitney Morgan is the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year and taught ELA and ESOL at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Kansas
Sheriff: Carfentanil seized during Kansas drug bust
MONTGOMERY COUNTY —A series of recent drug arrests lead to taking methamphetamine and fentanyl off the streets in southeast Kansas.
On January 7, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a maroon Mercury Grand Marquis at the intersection of 10th Street and Walnut Street in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.
Deputies contacted the driver, identified as Breeanna Conrad of Independence, Kansas, and informed her of the reason for the stop. Deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle. During the search, deputies located more than six (6) grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of cocaine, marijuana, multiple pills, and drug paraphernalia.
Conrad was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections, where she was booked on the following charges:• Distribution of methamphetamine• Possession of cocaine• Possession of marijuana• No proof of vehicle insurance• Improper emerging from an alley, private roadway, or building.
Later on January 3, 2026, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a Saturn passenger vehicle at the exit ramp from U.S. 400 to U.S. 75 Highway, north of Sycamore, Kansas. The vehicle was occupied by three individuals. Deputies contacted the driver, identified as Heather Leach of Independence, Kansas, and informed her of the reason for the stop.
Deputies developed probable cause to search the vehicle.D uring the search, deputies located more than nine (9) grams of methamphetamine, more than six (6) grams of suspected carfentanil, pills, and drug paraphernalia. Leach, along with Tyler Norton and Noah Daniel, both of Independence, Kansas, were taken into custody.
All three were transported to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and booked on the following charges:Heather Leach• Distribution of fentanyl• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of drug paraphernalia• Failure to stop or yield at a stop sign• No proof of vehicle insuranceTyler Norton• Distribution of fentanyl• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of drug paraphernaliaNoah Daniel• Possession of methamphetamine• Possession of a depressant• Possession of drug paraphernalia
Kansas
Kansas City man injured after single-vehicle crash Sunday
WYANDOTTE COUNTY, Kan. (WIBW) – A Kansas City man was left with minor injuries after a single-vehicle crash Sunday.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol Crash Log, the crash occurred around 5:50 a.m. in Wyandotte County.
A 2019 GMC Terrain was traveling eastbound on westbound I-70 in the outside shoulder when it struck the end of the concrete bridge railing for 134th Street.
The driver, a 23-year-old man, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
View the KHP report HERE.
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Kansas Citians hold vigil, protest for Renee Good to get ‘justice’ while demanding ICE reform
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Large protests were organized across the country calling for justice for Renee Good, including in Kansas City, where Good lived before her move to Minneapolis.
Because Renee Good once called Kansas City home, locals still consider her one of their neighbors. They want her death to be a turning point in how ICE works.
The gathering began with a vigil as roughly 1,000 protesters honored Renee Good and everyone else who has died in ICE custody or encounters. Reports show that since President Trump took office again, more than 30 people have lost their lives in that category, marking 2025 the deadliest year for the agency in over 20 years.
Speakers call for reform
“The killing of Renee Good reminded this country of a hard truth: this system doesn’t just harm immigrants,” one speaker during the vigil said. “It harms the soul of our communities.”
In attendance was Bradford Bray, an Iraq War veteran who served in the Air Force and Navy from 1995-2005. He said he is furious about how ICE operates.
“It’s the constitution. That’s what we’re fighting for,” Bray said. “It’s the land of laws. These people are not trained. They’ll hire anybody with a signing bonus. If these people are trained, I’m the Pope.”
Like most in attendance, he disputes arguments by the federal government that Renee Good was trying to run over the ICE agent.
“Even the guy that shot her was filming her and she said I’m not mad at you,” Bray said. “She was pleasant. She was just trying to get out of the way and do the right thing. She was turning her wheels to get out of the way when she was shot.”
March moves through Plaza
After the vigil, most of the crowd turned the protest into a march through the Plaza, spreading the message that killings by federal agents cannot become the norm.
“I’m a 71-year-old great-grandmother who’s afraid for the future of my great-grandchildren in a country that’s turning fascist,” Terisa Mott said. “Any of them could be grabbed off the streets or shot like they shot that woman.”
Counter-protesters present
Some Trump and ICE supporters, like Scott Watts, were among the crowd. He sent condolences to Renee Good’s family but said he believes illegal immigration should not be tolerated.
“I spent time at the southern border and I saw thousands of pretty dangerous people being let out of that border,” Watts said. “That are here now and that’s what Trump’s trying to do is protect us.”
Watts carried a sign highlighting American citizens who had been killed by illegal immigrants over the years, including Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn, Iowa, who was stabbed to death while jogging in 2018 by Christian Behena Rivera.
“I’m at a loss for words when it comes to stuff like this,” Watts said. “But I’ll stand out here day after day to try to educate people. I don’t want to fight or anything like that. I just want people to realize there’s dangerous people out there and they need to be aware of those people.”
The gathering stayed peaceful, and traffic kept moving smoothly.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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