WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A principal released and grades allegedly changed to meet graduation requirements: Wichita Southeast High School is in the spotlight at the state level as Kansas lawmakers address claims of grade tampering. The situation has also prompted a debate on how best to measure school success.

Following the report from Kansas’s largest school district, the state’s school finance task force dove into the issue.

“They were really promoting the idea that their graduation rates had improved by 5%. And then I go and look online to pull up that particular school’s results and they’re almost twice as bad as our state’s for the lowest category,” said Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, of Southeast High School.

The questioning follows Wichita Public Schools’ celebration of district-wide improvements for graduation rates, reporting the more-than 5% jump from 2023 to 2024. But with that celebration comes the investigation into grade tampering at Wichita Southeast.

In a statement Wednesday, Wichita Public Schools confirmed “less than 10 students’ records were changed and there is no indication of data inaccuracies in past years.”

The acknowledgement of grade tampering is enough to get Rep. Williams to question the use of graduation rates to measure student success.

“Graduation rates are not correlated at all. I mean, if we want to babysit, that’s one thing. We want to have a safe place for them, that’s one thing, but that doesn’t mean you’re learning anything,” she said.

Not everyone feels the same.

“I think when you look at any industry, including the legislature, there are bad actors that you have to do things around. That doesn’t mean you should throw out that metric altogether,” said Kansas State Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Dr. Frank Harwood.

Dr. Harwood said while graduation rates are the best indicator of economic drivers, there are other things to consider.

“We could talk to business and industry about what those things are,” he said. “When we have those conversations, it’s actually about character development much more so than many other things, so I mean if we’re going to talk about some of those things, employers are looking at character development much more than they’re looking at state assessment scores.”

Ultimately, lawmakers say that if a diploma is going to be used to measure success, then they need to define what graduation really means.

“I’m hearing some employers say for some reason, they’re getting the really great students coming out, and then I’m getting those that say, ‘Wow, they really aren’t coming out knowing or being able to do much,’” said Kansas Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita.

Kansas lawmakers haven’t decided on how best to measure student and school district success, or whether they’ll change current practices.

Copyright 2025 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A multi-vehicle crash in Kansas City Thursday morning resulted in minor injuries for six people.

The Kansas City Fire Department said it happened on Linwood Boulevard in the area of Bruce R. Watkins Drive.

The crash occurred just after 8 a.m. and resulted in six people being transported for evaluation, with four of those patients being children, KCTV said.

No serious injuries were reported.

KCFD said the scene has been cleared and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department is investigating the crash.

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Highlighted by a marquee home matchup with UConn, a trip to North Carolina, and an appearance at Madison Square Garden against Duke, Kansas men’s basketball on Wednesday announced its loaded non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Additionally, KU will also face power conference foes Missouri and NC State and three more top programs in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas.

Kansas will host a total of 16 games inside historic Allen Fieldhouse in 2025-26, including six non-conference matchups (Green Bay, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Princeton, UConn, Towson, and Davidson). Season ticket renewal information for the 2025-26 season is available online by clicking here or by getting in touch with your account representative. Those interested in purchasing new season tickets can fill out a form here to be contacted by a ticket representative.

“Once again, we have a non-conference schedule that should be one of the most challenging non-conference schedules that anyone will play,” KU head coach Bill Self said. “We have a home game against UConn in early December, away matchups at North Carolina and NC State, and neutral games with Duke in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden, the three games at the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, and another with Missouri in Kansas City. Those, along with the Big 12 competition, make this a very tough and demanding schedule. Our non-conference slate should certainly prepare us for what will be considered another great Big 12 season.”

Kansas will open the season at ACC foe Louisville in an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 24, at the KFC Yum! Center. KU will then host Fort Hays State in an exhibition contest on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks will open regular season play on Monday, Nov. 3, against Green Bay. Four days later, Kansas will play at fellow blue blood North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 7. This will be the third meeting between the two schools since 2022, with KU claiming the last two contests – 72-69 in the 2022 NCAA title game and 92-89 in Allen Fieldhouse last November.

KU then returns home for a pair of contests against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday, Nov. 11, and Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Kansas and Duke will square off in the Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 18, in New York City at historic Madison Square Garden. Since 2020, KU has won its last five Champions Classic contests. In fact, beginning in 2016, KU has won eight of its last nine Champions Classic battles.

Kansas will make its debut in the Players Era, Nov. 24-27, in Las Vegas. KU will play three games in the event, with details and opponents for the Players Era to be announced later.

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Kansas returns home to host UConn for the second time in the past three seasons. These two powers have won three of the last four NCAA National Championships, with KU in 2022 and UConn in 2023 and 2024.

In the last meeting, then-No. 5 Kansas defeated then-No. 4 UConn, 69-65, on Dec. 1, 2023, in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas will face Border Showdown foe Missouri on Sunday, Dec. 7 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and will then travel to NC State on Saturday, Dec. 13, in a return game from last season where KU defeated NC State, 75-60, on Dec. 14, in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas closes out non-conference play hosting Towson on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and Davidson on Monday, Dec. 22.

Specific dates and times for the Big 12’s 18-game league schedule, along with television details will be announced later. The Big 12 Championship will be March 10-14 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, with NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday set for March 15.

In 2024-25, Kansas ranked 12th in NCAA Division I in strength of schedule, marking the 18th time under head coach Bill Self that the Jayhawks have recorded a top 20 toughest schedule in the nation, with 14 of those in the top 10, and 10 in the top three.

Kansas Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Schedule (Home games in ALL CAPS; Times and TV to be announced later)

Oct. 24 (Fri.) – at Louisville (Exhibition)

Oct. 28 (Tue.) – FORT HAYS STATE (EXHIBITION)

Nov. 3 (Mon.) – GREEN BAY

Nov. 7 (Fri.) – at North Carolina

Nov. 11 (Tue.) – TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI

Nov. 15 (Sat.) – PRINCETON

Nov. 18 (Tue.) – vs. Duke (Champions Classic, New York City)

Nov. 24-27 (Mon.-Thurs.) – at Players Era (Las Vegas)

Dec. 2 (Tue.) – CONNECTICUT

Dec. 7 (Sun.) – vs. Missouri (Kansas City, Mo.)

Dec. 13 (Sat.) – at NC State

Dec. 16 (Tue.) – TOWSON

Dec. 22 (Mon.) – DAVIDSON