By Lex Grattan
Conservatives have taken a 6/10 majority of the Kansas State Board of Education following the November eighth midterm election, pushing a once moderate board further right. The Kansas State Board of Education is composed of ten voting members, who are each elected to four-year terms from districts composed of four contiguous state senatorial districts. Elections to the board are staggered, with even-numbered districts holding elections in presidential election years and odd-numbered districts holding elections in midterm election years. Their mission statement is “to prepare Kansas students for lifelong success through rigorous, quality academic instruction, career training and character development according to each student’s gifts and talents.” Over the past several years the Legislature has often been at odds with the growing conservative state school board. As lawmakers pursued bills on classroom curriculum, the board insisted they had interfered with the responsibility of the state and local school boards. Board members, at one point, floated the idea of suing the Legislature. Teachers across Kansas seem to be holding their breath as they wait to see what this new board will do in the coming months. Many have shown concern for a push for a parent’s rights bill. As of June sixth, 2022, six “parent’s rights” bills have been enacted; two in Florida, two in Arizona, and one each in Georgia and Louisiana. A parent’s rights bill states that all parents have a right to direct the upbringing, education, care, and mental health of their child. While this may sound like a positive bill to push, it lets parents inspect any materials, activities, curriculum, lessons, syllabi, surveys, tests, questionnaires, examinations, books, magazines, handouts, professional development and training materials, and any other materials or activities that are provided to the parent’s child. If a parent then looks over the material and decides that they do not believe their child should be a part of a certain lesson, activity, or test it then falls to the teacher to restructure their curriculum. This also means that teachers either cannot change their lessons once submitted or must go through a lengthy application process to do so. As of the time of writing, the new Kansas State Board of Education has made no public statements but educators across the state are waiting and watching for what will come next.
