Four-Year Seat
I am not originally from Kansas. I moved here in ‘96 when my youngest was one year old. My children were raised here in Kansas, and I have four grown children and five grandchildren. I run a non-profit that feeds the homeless and low income families as well as a second chance felons program. I have grandkids at Broken Arrow, Billy Mills and Hillcrest. I was also a library aide in Lawrence Public Schools.
The issues that my grandchildren face in schools are totally different than what my kids faced in schools in the 1990s. Bullying is a major issue in our schools and it looks different to today than it did then – there is a new age of bullying. And we need to support our teachers and staff to identify it and support our students. My granddaughter was bullied on her first day of school and it didn’t stop. We need support for students who are bullying other students and their parents too – we need mental health services for those families.
