News & Commentary

A group of student journalists packed the front rows of the Shawnee Mission Board of Education meeting Monday as editors of student newspapers in the district expressed their concerns with draft policy language on student press rights that got a first reading last month.

“This is a fairly clear Eighth Amendment violation,” said Lauren Bonds, legal director for the ACLU of Kansas, which brought the Medicaid lawsuit. “Delayed treatment is unconstitutional.”

Last year, the ACLU went into court and sought a writ of mandamus that would force Montgomery County prosecutor Larry Markle to comply with those notification procedures. That case is currently pending.

Grace Altenhofen, a plaintiff in the ACLU First Amendment lawsuit against the school district, told the board she had concerns with the proposed student publications policy update.

“Looking in the court context there are very few court cases where racial bias is alleged where you have a smoking gun of racial bias. A lot of times it’s circumstantial evidence that gets you there,” Bonds said.

A black man who was detained by police while moving into his home said Wednesday that Kansas regulators investigated his racial bias complaint and closed the case with no further action.

The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training (CPOST) sent a letter to the man saying the investigation was closed with no further action, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union in Kansas earlier this year challenged rules that ban handheld signs, prohibit unnecessary noise and require the prior approval of activities after Kansas State University students were evicted for staging a protest in March.

Bonds said the ACLU is also concerned that Metsker has “weaponized” the electioneering statute to prevent nonpartisan voter protection workers who are there as watchdogs for voter intimidation, improper provisional ballots, unduly long lines and other election administration issues.