Leavenworth Schools: Why Family Trust Has Worn Thin

Why my family’s trust has worn thin, and what Leavenworth schools need to do to earn it back

I still have children in Leavenworth schools. When I say this district needs to change, I’m talking about a place my family depends on. We have already changed how we educate some of our children because we were not satisfied with what they were receiving. We still rely on the district for others.

That is a difficult place for a parent to be. You want the school to succeed and know good people who work there. But your child does not get another chance to be seven, ten or thirteen while the adults work things out.

On September 28, 2026, police recovered a handgun from a student’s backpack at Leavenworth High School. Students reported a concern, staff separated the student and belongings from other students, and police recovered the gun and arrested the juvenile. Officials said the situation was contained and a lockdown was not needed. ^[1] ^[42]

The students who spoke up and the adults who acted deserve credit. But some parents told KSHB they heard about the gun through their children or rumors before receiving enough information from the school. The district and police said the investigation and approval for juvenile detention delayed the notice. ^[1] ^[2]

Two days later, on September 30, Richard Warren Middle School was placed on a precautionary Hold while administrators and police investigated a reported concern. The district said the threat was found not credible and the Hold was lifted. It said both schools used ParentSquare to update families. ^[2]

Trust wears away one problem at a time

That incident brought fresh attention to the district. For my family, it brought us back to a question we have been dealing with for years: how much confidence can we place in these schools?

My family’s experience here begins in July 2020, when we moved to Leavenworth. Since then, the district has faced abuse, disputes with parents, falling enrollment, budget pressure, school closures and changes in leadership. Each problem has its own facts. Families still carry the memory of what came before.

Trust builds over time. It wears away the same way. After enough disappointment, another promise carries less weight. Parents want to know what changed after the last problem and whether it stayed changed.

That is where I believe USD 453 is falling short. The district needs to earn confidence through work that parents can see and results that hold over time. Getting through the next meeting or issuing the next statement will not be enough.

Why I take this personally

I spent 26 years in the Army and retired as a First Sergeant. I worked as an Assistant Inspector General, supported victims of sexual harassment and assault, and trained leaders. Those experiences shape the questions I ask here.

I grew up fatherless. My ministry work has included advocating for fatherless boys, and I am a father of six. Children need adults who accept responsibility for them and take that duty seriously.

Protecting children in Leavenworth schools

I also know there are people willing to harm others, including children. They may go unnoticed. But discovering harm does not tell us when it began. That is one reason I take the adults around my children and the safeguards meant to protect them seriously.

I remember riding my bike from sunup to sundown. I also remember eating a bowl of cereal with a missing child’s face on the milk carton. Looking back, those two pictures are hard to put together. We had freedom, yet the warning was right there on the breakfast table. The adults around me did not seem to think it could happen in our community.

Danger was never confined to somewhere else. We face different threats today, but children have always needed adults who pay attention.

Today, I work in leadership and wellness coaching and training. I also officiate baseball and wrestling at youth, scholastic and collegiate levels. I look at who is responsible, what is expected and whether the work gets done. That is some of the experience I bring to this record, along with much more from service, work, ministry and family life.

I want children to learn in Leavenworth schools where staff can do good work and parents trust the adults in charge. In my view, the problems that have piled up show a failure of leadership to give families that confidence. Asking people to be patient again will not fix it.

What families carry in Leavenworth schools

Four of my six children are school age. One is homeschooled now. Last year, we homeschooled two. We make those decisions one child at a time, based on what that child needs and what our family can manage.

Our decisions include the education, the environment, the activities our children want to join and how they do socially. We consider an academy, homeschooling, public school or a combination. What works for one child may not work for another. Last year’s choice may need to change this year.

If we could remove all of our school-age children without causing a hardship for our family, I would want to do that. But we have to live with the effects of that decision. We remain partly dependent on the district. That need should not be mistaken for approval of everything it provides.

Staying does not mean everything is fine

School leaders need to understand that point. A family can have children enrolled and still have serious doubts. Staying may reflect work schedules, money, transportation, activities or a child’s needs. Enrollment alone does not tell leaders how much trust the families still inside the system have left.

One of our children spent two years being homeschooled. When we removed him, we believed he was a year and a half to two years behind. He has since returned to public school and is earning nearly straight A’s, with perhaps a B-plus.

That experience matters to me because it shows why I can’t make one schooling decision for every child and leave it there. We have to pay attention, make a choice and keep checking how our child is doing. I expect school leaders to take that same care with the education they provide.

We also had repeated problems with a particular classroom. After one child’s experience, we made sure our younger children would not be placed there. Avoiding that classroom became part of our family planning.

Think about what that means. We had to plan around a classroom we no longer trusted. We found a way forward for our children. That did not fix the problem for the next family.

Good educators in Leavenworth schools deserve better

At the same time, I know teachers, coaches and administrators who do good work. Some are friends. Some are dear friends. My connection through scholastic sports gives me another view of the effort people put into these schools. They deserve recognition and real support.

Those good people deserve Leavenworth schools that support them, deal with poor performance and follow through. They should not have to carry the same unresolved problems year after year.

I learned that in the Army too. Good soldiers could not carry every weak part of an organization forever. Support the people doing their jobs. Fix what keeps letting them down.

Children were harmed. What changed afterward?

The most serious matter in this record is the abuse committed by former Henry Leavenworth Elementary teacher Jerome Riscovallez. Sentencing reports said six children were involved and placed the abuse between August 1, 2023, and February 25, 2025. He entered a no-contest plea and was convicted of two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. On October 10, 2025, he was sentenced to 122 months in prison. ^[5] ^[6] ^[7]

Children were harmed by an adult working in an elementary school. That must stay in the foreground. It carries far more weight than an argument over artwork or a political disagreement at a board meeting.

My work with victims taught me to keep the people harmed at the center of the response. I also helped leaders earn a national credential to work with victims of serious crimes. These children and their families need protection, support and adults who follow through. But getting past the court case is not the same as meeting those needs.

Reports place Riscovallez on leave on February 14, 2025. Sentencing coverage says a parent report led to a police investigation on February 25. The district said it fired him two days later. ^[5] ^[7] Those dates leave important questions about how concerns moved through the school and reached police.

The criminal cases against other staff ended without convictions. On March 23, 2026, a judge found Amy Sloan not guilty on three failure-to-report charges. In separate February trials, juries found Kelsey Stimatze and Alyssa O’Neal not guilty on two charges each. O’Neal’s remaining charge ended in a hung jury and was later dismissed. ^[6] ^[7]

The criminal outcomes and the civil case

A federal civil lawsuit was filed on June 17, 2026, naming USD 453, Sloan, Stimatze, O’Neal and Amy Jo Troyer as defendants. Its allegations must be tested in court. Filing a lawsuit does not establish liability. ^[8] ^[9] ^[10]

Safeguards have to work when a child needs them

Leavenworth schools now owe families a clear account of how they protect children. Kansas law requires certain school employees to report promptly when they have reason to suspect abuse or neglect. ^[30] Leaders need to make that duty part of the daily work, with a process people understand and checks that confirm a concern reached the right authorities.

Training has to work when someone needs it. A staff member must know what to do when a child says something troubling. A parent should be able to raise a concern without knowing the right person. But knowing and liking an adult is no substitute for checking a concern.

My Assistant Inspector General work taught me to ask: What was supposed to happen? Who was responsible? What shows that it happened? The district should be able to answer those questions about its safeguards.

A policy tells us what is supposed to happen. Follow-through tells us whether children are protected. After harm this serious, families deserve to know what changed and how leaders check that those changes work.

Leavenworth schools owe parents timely safety notices

The same leadership duty applies to the gun incident. Acting on the danger and informing parents are both parts of the response. The investigation may continue for days. Parents still need timely facts about their children’s safety.

I would expect a short first message saying what happened, whether the danger has been contained and what families need to do. Follow-up messages can provide more detail. The district should publish the September 28 timeline so parents can judge its response and leaders can improve it.

Schools must protect private student information. Federal guidance also permits limited sharing in certain emergencies and distinguishes personal observations from protected education records. ^[34] ^[35] There is room to give families useful safety information without making a child’s private record public.

The district has taken steps worth keeping. After a reported threat in September 2024, it introduced its See Something, Say Something online reporting tool, according to KSHB. KCUR reported a criminal charge over the alleged social-media threat. The district also describes equipment staff can use to call for help. ^[4] ^[37] ^[3]

Test how Leavenworth schools respond

That is why I want the district to test its response, from the first report to the message parents receive. Who takes over if the usual person is absent? Who confirms the concern reached the right authority? Equipment and reporting forms can help. The adults still have to make the process work. The board should be able to show that someone has checked it.

I don’t expect a school to prevent every possible danger. I expect leaders to prepare for danger, act when it appears and learn from the response. When trust is already strained, explaining what was learned is part of rebuilding it.

Why USD 453 is shrinking

At the January 27, 2026, district work session, the enrollment presentation showed a drop from just under 3,700 students in 2021–22 to just under 3,100 in 2025–26. KSHB described that as roughly 15 percent in five years. The presentation forecast another decline of about 9 percent by 2030. District funding records show a decline as well. ^[16] ^[21]

Those numbers do not explain why every student left. They do show that the district is serving fewer children and has to make harder choices with the money that follows enrollment.

Then-superintendent Kellen Adams pointed to families leaving and limited housing growth. ^[16] Military moves and other changes in the community belong in that explanation. Families who remain here and choose another school belong in it too. The district needs to separate those reasons rather than treat every departure as something beyond its control.

In coaching, I ask people to focus on what they can change. Of course, school leaders cannot change military orders. They can address weak instruction, poor communication and a school environment that makes a local family leave. First, they need to know why families are leaving.

Leavenworth schools can accept students from outside the district when they have space. ^[28] Space is only the beginning. Families also need a reason to choose the school. Recruiting more students will not solve the problem if the experience gives them a reason to leave again.

Fewer students mean harder budget choices

The money pressure has already reached the buildings. In January 2025, the Sentinel reported that Adams described a $5 million gap between revenue and expenses to city leaders. ^[36] January 2026 reporting described about $1 million in lost revenue tied to fewer students and an estimated $2.2 million to $2.3 million rise in health and property insurance costs. Later closure coverage described a $2.5 million gap at that stage of the budget work. ^[16] ^[17]

Those estimates came at different points in the discussion. The result for families was a set of decisions about schools, staffing and where children would learn.

In early February 2026, the board chose to close and reconfigure Warren Intermediate. Fifth graders would move to elementary schools, and sixth graders would move to the middle school. The plan extended a hiring freeze expected to affect ten full-time-equivalent positions. It also moved administrative and nutrition work into the intermediate-school location. ^[17] ^[18]

By January reporting, Nettie Hartnett had closed and was being offered for sale. ^[16] Adams said the Warren decision addressed the immediate budget problem but did not solve the district’s long-term concerns. ^[17]

Closing a building can be a responsible decision when enrollment falls. Keeping more space than a district can afford does not help children. But leaders also have to show that the smaller arrangement provides a sound education. A building can close on paper while the effects on class size, support services and bus rides continue through the school year.

Leavenworth schools owe taxpayers the whole picture

Taxpayers entrusted the district with those buildings and the money used to run them. Good stewardship requires leaders to examine the whole result of a closure. How much did it save? What happened to class sizes, bus rides and student support? That is why families deserve those answers before they are asked to accept another round of changes.

There is a risk when a district gets smaller. If fewer students lead to cuts, and those cuts weaken the school experience, more families may choose to leave. Then the district has less money and another round of decisions to make. We need evidence to know how much of that is happening here. Leaders still have a reason to protect teaching and student support while they cut costs.

Even so, a smaller district can still become a stronger district. But that takes a clear purpose for the resources left. School leaders should be able to explain how the remaining buildings and staff will help children learn. Repeated cuts without that direction leave families wondering what will be lost next.

Taxpayers need the same clear account. The budget forms and proposed tax notice contain figures for taxes and reserves. ^[22] ^[23] Leaders should explain what was finally approved, what money can be used and what problem remains. People should be able to understand the district’s choices without having to learn school-finance rules.

Leavenworth schools need to keep good teachers

I’m concerned about the district’s ability to recruit and keep the people it needs. Its current teacher pay schedule starts a teacher with a bachelor’s degree at $52,000. A recruiting profile advertises bonuses for hard-to-fill subjects, including special education, math and science. ^[24] ^[25]

I would judge that incentive program by the jobs it filled and the people it kept. The board should report open jobs, accepted offers, bonus payments and retention at six months and a year. Taxpayers are funding an effort to put capable adults in classrooms. We need to know whether that effort is producing the workforce our children need.

A bonus may get a teacher through the door. What makes that teacher stay? In my coaching work, I pay attention to workload, support and the problems that keep wearing people down. If those conditions drive teachers away, another bonus will not fix them.

Good teachers are essential to Leavenworth schools’ recovery. They need time to teach, support when behavior becomes a problem and help when a child needs more than one classroom teacher can provide. Their commitment should be supported by a school that works, rather than used to excuse gaps that remain year after year.

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The adults in Leavenworth schools set the standard

As an official, I see adult conduct from another side. Making a decision under pressure while people loudly disagree is part of the job. I am still responsible for how I conduct myself. Coaches, parents and school leaders carry that responsibility too.

At a scholastic basketball game, my children and I sat right behind the bench. I watched a coach curse and scream loudly at players in a gym full of people. We were close enough to hear it. My children heard it too.

That bothered me as a father and as an official. This was a school activity. The adults were still teaching, and the children were still learning from them. A gym does not give a coach permission to speak to children in a way we would reject in a classroom.

KSHSAA’s sportsmanship guidance says coaches should refrain from profanity and puts duties for conduct and supervision on school administrators and athletic directors. Its officials handbook directs officials to get school administration involved when a spectator becomes a problem. The schools have a responsibility in that response. ^[40] ^[41]

Parents have a duty here too

I hear inappropriate and abusive remarks on the field as an official too. Some come from parents. A fence between us does not make that conduct acceptable. A ticket does not excuse it. I have seen adults behave at games in ways they would not dare behave at work or in church.

I have also experienced situations where action waited until an official stopped play and asked for help. School leaders should address conduct when they recognize the problem. Letting it continue until a game has to stop teaches everyone watching that the standard is flexible.

When a school lets poor conduct continue in public, it raises a fair question about the standards inside the building. Are leaders willing to correct a coach or teacher? Can they have the hard conversation and follow through? Parents deserve to know.

I know teachers and administrators face difficult adults. I deal with some of that behavior myself. Parents have a duty here too. Some children may hear worse at home. That makes the example at school more important. It does not lower the standard for the adults entrusted with them.

Self-control matters when the pressure is on. Adults can be firm, competitive and demanding without losing control. We cannot teach children that standard while excusing adults who ignore it. Being resilient includes hearing a correction, owning a mistake and changing.

Coaches in Leavenworth schools influence lives

I grew up without a father and have worked in ministry advocating for fatherless boys. That makes me pay attention to the adults a child looks up to. A coach can become one of those adults. The way a coach corrects a player can teach discipline and respect, or it can teach that power gives someone permission to lose control.

The words matter because they show how we treat people. So do the conduct, character and example behind them. I cannot tell from the stands what happens during the school day. Leaders should be able to explain how they supervise adults, hear children’s concerns and act on problems.

Classroom conduct matters because it affects learning. I want clear answers about how Leavenworth schools handle serious disruption, fighting, drugs, vaping, theft and reports of sexual activity in school bathrooms. These are concerns I want examined. Teachers need support. Students need clear expectations. Families need a conduct report that shows what schools are facing and how they respond.

Are children learning in Leavenworth schools?

The main test is still what children learn. Every child needs to read well, write clearly and work with numbers. When children fall behind, help needs to come early enough to make a difference. Those ready for more need a challenge. Families should be able to count on those basics.

Kansas publishes school results, and USD 453 links accountability reports. ^[26] ^[27] Parents need to see how students are doing in each grade and subject, how that has changed over time and what the schools are doing about children who fall behind.

School leaders should know which children are behind, what help they receive and whether they are catching up. Parents should understand that too.

Grades matter, and I’m glad to see my child doing well. I also want to know whether the skills behind those grades are strong. Across the district, we need results that show learning over time, with attendance and graduation alongside them. A comforting average can hide a group of children who are still struggling.

My son’s seventh-grade football team could not field a team because of injuries and grades. As a father, I found that embarrassing. Injured children need time to recover. The grades raise a different concern. Were problems caught early? Did students get help? Were parents told? Students have responsibilities, and the adults need to know whether the help and expectations are working.

Keep the standards and help children meet them

I want academic standards upheld. I also want children helped before falling behind costs them another part of their school experience. School sports give young people a place to practice teamwork, discipline and responsibility. Losing that opportunity because of grades should prompt a serious look at learning and the help students need.

All of this comes back to the child. Did the budget decision protect learning? Has the hiring effort put a capable teacher in the classroom and kept that teacher there? Can children learn without behavior problems taking over the room? That is how I judge the work.

Parents carry a responsibility the school must respect

One of our own conflicts began with a donated book given out at back-to-school night for a child entering kindergarten. I screened it before giving it to my child. The words were not what troubled me. The pictures conflicted with our faith and beliefs.

A kindergartner looks at pictures. That is part of how the message reaches a child who is still learning to read. I wrote to the principal, requested a meeting and sat down with the principal and my wife to discuss the book.

I knew where the donated books came from. The school still had responsibility for what it handed out. I saw that as indoctrination, and I expected another choice before the material reached my child.

We explained our beliefs and standards. I respected that the school serves families who believe different things. I asked for notice before similar material was provided so we could choose another book, another activity or another arrangement.

The principal gave us a different book. We had no further issue of that kind during the rest of the year. I believe it was handled well once we raised the concern.

That experience shows both the problem and a workable response. The school listened, provided a choice and allowed us to move forward. We did not have to agree about everything to reach an arrangement that respected our family.

I wanted that choice before the book reached my child. The principal’s response showed that we could work it out. Advance notice would have spared us the conflict in the first place.

Parents still have a duty in Leavenworth schools

These children are a gift from my Creator. I am responsible for them, and I believe I will answer to Him for how I raise them. Sending a child to school does not remove that duty. The school has an important role in education, but it does not replace me as their father.

That is why I watch what adults place before my children and the example they set. Other families may make different choices. We should all have clear information and a workable way to raise concerns. A parent who asks a hard question is still a partner in that child’s education.

Heather Hassell raised related complaints about notice and choice in a February 20, 2023, Heartlander report drawn from the Sentinel. She said concerns about Twisted in ninth-grade English had gone unanswered, opting out had become difficult and library information was hard to obtain. Those are her reported allegations. ^[11]

The March 2023 rainbow-artwork dispute at David Brewer Elementary brought another conflict into public view. The Kansas City Star reported objections from Vanessa Reid and Rep. Pat Proctor, as well as parent Courtney Ricard’s concern about the public use of student artwork. ^[12]

These disputes did not cause the handgun incident. They matter because trust develops across the whole relationship between a family and a school. A parent who has struggled to get an answer about classroom material brings that experience to the next safety notice or school-move proposal.

Responding early is usually easier than repairing a conflict after people feel ignored. Give parents access to materials. State the process for a concern. Set a time to respond. Explain the available alternatives before the family has to choose. That allows disagreement to be handled without turning every concern into a public fight.

USD 453 needs a plan that outlasts its superintendent

The board carries responsibility for the district’s direction. Elections determine who serves, but the work still has to produce a school system families can trust.

In 2023, the board chose Kellen Adams by a five-to-two vote. Reid and Alisa Murphy opposed the appointment. The same coverage described conflicting accounts of Mike Roth’s departure: Proctor described pressure, while board president Judi Price described a planned retirement and an offered extension. ^[12]

The recall effort involving Reid failed to submit signatures by its July 24 deadline and never reached an election, the Sentinel reported. ^[13] Competing slates then contested the November 7, 2023, election. Price, Dannielle Wells, Karen G. Overbey and Jessica Wilson won, with winners from both slates. ^[14] ^[15]

Carry the work forward in Leavenworth schools

Those events show how divided the public discussion became. My experience leading people tells me agreement on every issue is unlikely. Leaders still need a shared purpose strong enough to guide their decisions. Here, that purpose should be the children’s safety, education and preparation for adult life. Working toward it requires difficult conversations and the courage to correct poor performance. Families should judge board members by the work they do toward it.

During the February 2026 closure debate, parents told KSHB they had learned of the recommendations shortly before the meeting. ^[17] A major school change deserves time for families to understand it. Late communication makes it harder to build support even when the financial problem is real and a difficult decision is necessary.

Adams left after roughly three years to lead Piper USD 203 effective July 1, 2026. Cathy Redelberger became interim superintendent that day while keeping her student-services duties. The district said the arrangement would provide continuity during the search for a long-term leader. ^[19] ^[20]

I have worked through changes in leadership. The work still needs an owner when the person at the top changes. The board has to carry its commitments through this transition, with clear duties for the people doing the work. A new superintendent should inherit a record of what was promised, what was done and what still needs attention.

A new superintendent should not have to restart every unfinished job. The board needs to carry the promises, deadlines and progress forward. Our children’s education cannot wait for the next person to settle into the office.

Outside intervention in Leavenworth schools

Some people want outside intervention. Kansas has a process for school systems that fail to meet state standards. It includes required improvements and possible further action. A gun incident or enrollment decline does not automatically trigger a takeover. ^[29] ^[31] The district should make its current state review and improvement duties easy for parents to find.

The district should correct what it can now and make its standing clear. Leaders should not wait for a legal threshold or another wave of departures before doing the work families already need. Outside action is a separate question governed by the actual Kansas rules. The immediate responsibility belongs to the board and district leadership.

What Leavenworth schools need to do next

I see a pattern of failures that have piled up without enough lasting correction. These events differ in cause and seriousness. Their costs still reach the same families, teachers and children. That is what I mean by compounding institutional failure.

The district is also under money pressure. That makes correction harder, but it makes a clear direction more important. It cannot afford to spend what it has on efforts that do not improve Leavenworth schools or strengthen the reasons families have to stay.

I want clear duties and follow-through. People need to know the standard, get the support to meet it and answer for their work. Here is what I would expect next.

Within 30 days: explain the safety response

Within thirty days, publish the plan for serious safety notices and the review of the September 28 response. Identify who sends the first message and who follows up. Explain how suspected abuse is reported, how staff are trained and how leaders check that a concern reaches the proper authorities. Families should be able to understand the process before they need it.

Within 60 days: show where learning stands

Within sixty days, publish starting figures for learning, attendance and serious behavior problems. Set goals for the next year and report progress every three months. Show results by grade and subject so a district average does not hide children who need help. The purpose is to give teachers and parents a clear account of where improvement is needed and whether the work is helping.

Show whether recruitment is working

Report open jobs, the results of recruiting bonuses and retention after six months and a year. Use staff feedback to identify what is making good people leave or making the job harder than it needs to be. Filling a job and keeping a capable teacher both belong in the result.

Hold adults to the standard

Set clear conduct expectations for adults as well as students, in classrooms, on benches and in the stands. Train coaches and event supervisors to apply them. Make sure families know where to raise a concern, who handles it and when they can expect a response. Check how adults are supervised during the school day too. When a problem returns, school leaders need to have the difficult conversation and follow through on the correction.

Explain the savings and the costs

Report the actual savings from school moves and the effects on class size, transportation and support services. Explain the financial gap that remains and the next choices under consideration. Before proposing further cuts, show how the plan protects teaching and what children need to learn.

Make parent partnership work

Give parent concerns a response deadline and make materials and alternatives easier to find. Separate enrollment losses caused by moves from departures by families who remain here. Learn why those families chose another option and address the reasons the district can change.

Carry the plan through leadership changes

Put major board commitments in a public list with an owner and a due date. Carry that list through the superintendent search. If a deadline is missed, explain the reason and the next date. Leaders should be able to show families what was completed, what improved and what still needs work.

These deadlines are for getting the work underway and showing families where it stands. Rebuilding the schools will take longer. Trust returns when people see promises kept, problems corrected and children doing better.

These are our children and our schools

For my family, the decision will remain child by child. We will keep watching how each one is learning and how the environment affects them. We will keep weighing public school, homeschooling and other options against what is best for the child and what our family can carry.

I want good educators and administrators to succeed. I want them working in a district that supports their effort and deals with what is failing. Their work matters too much to be used as a reason to avoid hard questions about the rest of the system.

The handgun got people’s attention. Now Leavenworth schools need to use that attention to face the record and change how they lead. The abuse must stay in the foreground. Leaders also need to face the financial and enrollment problems honestly. Learning and parent trust must remain central to every decision.

I am responsible for the children God entrusted to me. Taxpayers have entrusted school leaders with public resources and the work of educating our children. They must be good stewards of both. A school that has my child for eight or nine hours in a day must take ownership of what happens during that time and answer for the education it provides.

My children are not products. But the school still has to answer for the result of its work. We are raising the next generation of people who will carry this community and this nation forward. They need to leave school able to read, think, work with numbers and accept responsibility. They also need to see adults live by the standards they expect children to follow.

The example matters when a gym is full of people and when a classroom door is closed.

Why aren’t we first in education?

Leavenworth is a challenging community with people from many backgrounds. The military, prisons and government service all shape life here. Some families have been here for generations. Others retire from one government career and begin another. Some households stay for a time and move on as military orders or family circumstances change.

That makes the work harder. It also makes strong schools more important. Children whose families move often need to keep learning through those moves. Those who grow up here need preparation for life beyond the classroom. Hardship does not remove a child’s need for clear standards and adults who follow through.

One of the first nicknames I learned for Leavenworth was Prison City. The city promotes itself as the First City of Kansas. Fort Leavenworth calls itself the Best Hometown in the Army. Why aren’t we setting that same ambition for education? ^[38] ^[39]

Let’s make strong schools part of what Leavenworth stands for. Children should leave with strong skills, and families should have good reasons to trust the schools. I will keep doing my part as a father. I expect the district to do its part with the children and resources entrusted to it.

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Sources and public records

My family stories are my own experience. The reporting and public records behind the other facts are linked below. Credit belongs to the reporters and agencies that documented them. News reports, parent allegations and court findings carry different weight. The civil filing is evidence that a case was filed, not proof that its allegations are true.

Safety and parent communication

Abuse case and court records

Parents and board governance

Enrollment budgets staffing and closures

Learning state oversight and privacy

Community and sportsmanship

The enrollment forecast is a forecast. Funding enrollment counts differ from simple student headcounts. The linked tax notice is a proposal, not proof of the final levy. The civil docket copy has a July 31, 2026, cutoff. Those limits matter when reading the records.