News & Commentary

The ACLU of Kansas seeks a Legal Director to lead its statewide program of impact-oriented litigation and legal advocacy. This is an opportunity for a visionary attorney to build on the success of the premier civil liberties and civil rights legal organization in Kansas.

Earlier this month, the ACLU of Kansas was contacted by a person who, while seeking to validate petition signatures at the Sedgwick County Election Office, was told that the signature of anyone who registered to vote using the federal form or at the DMV without providing proof of citizenship would not be counted.

Earlier this week, the ACLU of Kansas learned that an employee in the Franklin County Clerk’s office had advised a voter registration advocate that people who register to vote using the national voter registration form will not be allowed to vote in local elections in Franklin County.

Earlier this month, the ACLU of Kansas wrote to Sheriff Randy Henderson of the Reno County Sheriff’s Department regarding the legal mail policy of the Reno County Correctional Facility. According to the jail’s handbook, inmates are only allowed to send sealed mail to the attorney on their case. Any legal correspondence with potential attorneys or service organizations, such as the ACLU of Kansas, must be sent in unsealed envelopes, opening the door for potentially unconstitutional inspections. We have recommended that the jail revise its mail policy to allow for private correspondence between inmates and all lawyers, regardless of whether they are the official attorney on record for an inmate.

During a June 12 meeting of the Tonganoxie USD 464 school board, members of the public were made aware of the following policy: "Individuals may not publicly address the board concerning matters relating to named individuals or students."

In considering boundary changes across its district, the Shawnee Mission School Board has proposed a plan that would consequently increase racial segregation at one of its elementary schools. Under the plan, the minority population at Rising Star Elementary School in Lenexa would rise 9%, from 54% of the student population to 63%.  Other elementary schools  would experience no more than a 3% increase in minority population.

The Shawnee Mission School Board recently implemented a new policy that prohibits members of the public from commenting on specific employees during open forum portions of school board meetings.

Secretary Kobach claims the Texas travel advisory we issued yesterday in the wake of the passage of SB4, a law that will allow law enforcement officers in Texas to make immigration status inquiries during routine traffic stops, makes no sense.

In April, the ACLU was contacted by a board member of the Shawnee Heights USD 450 Board of Education regarding a proposed policy of randomly drug testing students engaged in extracurricular activities. The board voted against the policy on March 27, but plans to revisit the issue at a board meeting on May 15.