By JANIS LEE Hays Beautification Committee Vice-Chair
One of the programs which the Hays Beautification Committee sponsors in conjunction with the Hays Parks Department is the Adopt-A-Spot program. The purpose of the Adopt-A-Spot program is to create and maintain a clean, litter-free community, providing an optimal appearance to the residents and visitors of Hays alike.
The idea of a public/private partnership for highway and street cleanup programs originated in the 1980s when James Evans, an engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation, noticed the amount of trash that was collecting along the roadsides in his district. Litter cleanup by the city was expensive, so Evans and a Texas DOT public information officer, Billy Black, sought the help of local groups to sponsor the cleaning of sections of the highway. In 1985, their efforts led to quarterly cleanup cycles when the Tyler, Texas Civitan Club became the first group to volunteer, adopting 2 miles along U.S. Route 69. The program proved to be very successful and has since spread to 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan.
Doris Wing is the coordinator for the Hays Beautification Committee for our Adopt-A-Spot program. Several community organizations and businesses already volunteer to clean along specific streets and green spaces in Hays. Additional volunteers are always needed so if your club or organization would be interested in joining this effort please contact the Parks Department at (785) 628-7375 to sign up for an area where you would like to pick up the litter. The department will provide trash bags, which can be picked up at the Hays Parks Department office. The group should inform the parks department of the date the litter will be collected so workers can promptly pick up and dispose of the trash bags. Groups are asked to complete a litter pick up a minimum of two times per year.
When you join Hays Adopt-A-Spot efforts, you become a vital part of an important public/private partnership that’s dedicated to keeping our city clean and attractive. No special skills or experiences are required – just a commitment to the community and concern for the environment.
In addition to keeping the community clean and beautiful, the city of Hays is continuing its efforts to enhance water conservation by employing Jason Riegel as the water conservation specialist to help coordinate water conservation opportunities with residential and commercial water users. Opportunities for the community to work with the water conservation specialist will be discussed in future articles.
For questions or comments regarding anything discussed in this article, please contact the Hays Parks Department at (785) 628-7375.
During the last couple months, winter had a tight grip on Kansas countryside. Seemed like whenever I’d look outside my office window I saw gray clouds, large flakes of snow and trees blowing in a bitterly cold wind. This made it easy to dream about the spring thaw or the warm summer sun.
John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Still there was work to be done – Insight columns to write, photos to take, radio programs to record and meetings to attend. Stacks of files waved to me from the corner.
Deadlines and commitments. What to leave in. What to leave out.
When experiences like this occur, I clear my mind and remember what makes this profession I’ve chosen rewarding.
For me, happiness comes in many forms:
• Seeing any story you’ve written adorned with your byline. You probably won’t rush home and show your spouse, mother or a good friend, but you consider it a job well done, a challenge met or another human interest story that comes to life on the printed page, Facebook or the web.
• Knowing you are creative. You think about things that cause others to say, “I wish I had thought of that” and for thinking of good stories, coming up with catchy headlines and “well-writ” and telling sentences. On top of that you’re being paid for that talent, even if you need less than a wheelbarrow to take into the bank.
• Wordsmithing, or working well with words. Whether it’s coaxing, educating, enlightening, urging or uncovering a wonderful story you have the ability. Still, you must look for the reality beyond the deadlines. You help people adjust to change. You show them dreams can become reality. You attempt to guide them away from trouble. And, you hold them up as examples of success in this business of farming and ranching.
• Sharing the excitement when the organization you work with is recognized for excellence. You enjoy the company you keep – the farmers and ranchers across Kansas. You admire the people you work for and write about, the folks who remain a part of this key industry called agriculture. Maybe you were once part of this vocation. Maybe you weren’t. In the end it makes no difference. By association, you are part of it.
• Understanding and valuing the weather and the four seasons. You’ve experienced the promising winds of spring, the blistering heat of summer, the brilliant colors of fall and the bleakness winter can bring. You know what it can do to crops and livestock. You know about the white combine. You’ve seen blizzards destroy a cow herd. Weather is like a wheel moving slowly while being prodded along by Mother Nature. Sure would be fun to spend more time watching her do so.
• Being recognized for your abilities. This usually includes certificates, a plaque, pin or that all too fleeting trip on stage and the applause that follows. The point is someone singled you out as a writer, photographer or editor. You’ve received an ‘atta boy or ‘atta girl. Accept it graciously and with gratitude.
• Finally, you are alive. You’re walking upright and enjoying this big adventure called life.
By the way, just yesterday I saw some green shoots in our yard poking their little heads out of the melting snow. That’s another reason for happiness.
A French writer from the early 1600s once said, “We are never so happy, nor so unhappy, as we suppose ourselves to be.”
This guy’s name was La Rochefoucauld.
Now that’s real happiness – remembering a name like that.
John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.
Xeriscaping — it’s a word that is being thrown around quite often these days with the continuing drought and water shortage issues facing the area. With conversations I have been a part of recently, and in listening to the conversations of others, it is obvious that this word – xeriscaping – or the concept of it can be a source of confusion in some instances.
Holly Dickman is Ellis County Horticulture Extension Agent.
I will try my best to explain what xeriscaping truly means and hopefully eliminate some of the confusion.
Xeriscaping is a word originally coined by the Denver Water Department several decades ago to describe landscaping with water conservation as a major objective. The word is derived from the Greek “xeros” meaning dry, and landscaping – thus, xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is not a specific “look” or a particular group of plants; it is actually a combination of seven gardening principles that maximizes water efficiency while creating an attractive landscape at the same time. Here are the steps required to create a true xeriscape:
Step #1: Planning and Design
Planning is essential in creating a sustainable, attractive xeriscape. Take into consideration site characteristics that affect water use (i.e. slopes, exposures, micro-climates) and then design the area with these things in mind. Put it on paper. A scale drawing or diagram can go a long way in helping you to visualize what your xeriscape might look like. Group plants according to water use and take into account mature plant size.
Step #2: Soil Preparation
“Take care of the roots and the tops will grow themselves”…this is a phrase that has been used to describe soil’s importance in plant growth. A healthy soil will result in healthier root systems which, in turn, create a more drought tolerant landscape. Amending entire garden beds (not just planting holes) with organic matter such as compost can help loosen heavy, clay soils allowing moisture and nutrients to infiltrate more readily to the roots vs. running off. On the other hand, adding organic matter to sandy soils will help increase the soil’s water holding capacity vs. water loss due to leaching below the root zone.
Step #3: Efficient Irrigation
Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deep, more drought tolerant roots. Only water when absolutely necessary! Turfgrass should be watered to a depth of at least 6-8” while flowers and gardens should be watered to a depth of at least 8-12 inches. Trees and shrubs need to be watered to a depth of 12-18 inches as that is where the bulk of their roots are located. Watering much deeper than these depths is a waste of water. Check watering depth by using a probe of some sort (i.e. long screwdriver, piece of rebar, strong wire, etc.). When the probe hits resistance you have likely hit dry soil and this is the depth to which the moisture has reached.
Drip or sub-surface irrigation is the most efficient method as it places the water exactly where you need it. If watering with sprinkler systems or by hand, irrigate early in the morning to take advantage of lower wind speeds (hopefully), less evaporation, and higher humidity levels. Watering at this time of day also allows plant leaves to dry off quickly, lessening the threat of potential disease problems.
Step #4: Mulch
The need for supplemental irrigation is reduced when organic mulches are properly applied around plants. Examples of organic mulches include wood chips, cedar mulch, straw, leaves, cottonseed hulls, etc. These types of mulches decrease soil temperatures in the heat of summer while limiting evaporation from the soil surface. Organic mulch also discourages weed growth and breaks down over time helping to improve the condition of the soil (See Step #2). Generally, a 2-4 inch layer of organic mulch is ideal in most situations.
Inorganic mulches such as gravel are generally not recommended for use around plants as they can create a hotter, harsher environment for plant roots. Organic mulches are preferred for use around plants in our area.
Step #5: Right Plant, Right Place – Plant zones
An extremely important step of xeriscaping is to plant the right plant in the right place. Plants vary in the amount of moisture they require so it is critical to know what those requirements are. Additionally, different areas of the yard may receive different amounts of moisture, sunlight, and wind. Take this into consideration when choosing plants for the xeriscape. Group or zone plants with similar water requirements together.
For example, group a crabapple tree with shrub roses in a planting bed vs. planting the trees and shrubs sporadically throughout a turfgrass area. Since trees and shrubs need to be watered differently than turf, planting them in separate zones will allow for more efficient watering and healthier plants.
Select low-water-use or drought-tolerant plants if possible. Remember all plants require additional moisture to get established. Drought tolerant does not mean “plant it and forget it.”
Step #6: Practical Turf Areas
Cool-season turfgrass such as Fescue or Kentucky Bluegrass typically require the most water and maintenance in the landscape. Limit cool-season turf areas. Consider using mulches, groundcovers, ornamental or native grasses, shrub beds, decks or patios instead. Avoid odd shaped or narrow strips of turfgrass as these can be difficult to irrigate and may result in wasted water.
If you have full sun, consider planting warm-season turfgrasses such as Buffalo and Bermudagrass. These warm-season grasses are well suited to our area and, once established, will require very little supplemental irrigation (if any) in comparison to the cool-season grasses.
Keep areas designated to turfgrass practical for your use. Do you really need that vast expanse of green grass in the front yard?
Step #7: Proper Maintenance
While xeric landscapes can be low maintenance, they will still require some degree of care throughout the year. At appropriate times, proper pruning, mowing, weeding, fertilizing, watering, and insect/disease control are important to maintain the health of your xeriscape.
Overall, these seven steps create a true xeriscape. As you can see, it is not just about rocks! Reducing outdoor water use does not have to mean replacing lawns and trees with plastic and gravel, or turning flower gardens into cactus gardens. Xeriscaping is not Zero-scaping! Water conserving landscapes, as I prefer to call them, can look just as beautiful – if not more so – than water wasting ones.
For more information on water conserving landscapes or if you have questions regarding water conservation in general please contact the Ellis County Extension Office at (785) 628-9430 or check out our website, www.ellis.ksu.edu, for more information. You can also find us on Facebook under K-State Research and Extension – Ellis County.
Holly Dickman is Ellis County Horticulture Extension Agent.
I was asked the question, “How I could vote against HB 2453, otherwise known as the Protecting Religious Freedom Regarding Marriage bill?” The answer I gave on the House floor was that my deeply held religious belief is that God is love, and that I could not vote for the bill if I were to heed the words of Christ when He said, “Even as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it to me.”
Rep. Don Hineman, R-Dighton
Jesus called his followers to be servants to all, and He died for a world with which He didn’t see eye to eye. How can we, as followers of Christ, not follow His example to serve? As Adam Hamilton, pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has said, “Jesus routinely healed, fed and ministered to people whose personal lifestyle He likely disagreed with.” And evangelical pastor Andy Stanley of North Point Ministries finds it “offensive that Christians would leverage faith to support the Kansas law.” Bishop Scott Jones of the Great Plains District of the United Methodist Church issued a statement in which he said, “We Kansans helped end slavery and segregation – we do not need to legalize discrimination.”
Christians serve unrepentant murderers through prison ministry. Why, then, can’t they provide a service for two individuals who love each other?
Here are some musings from someone who once served as my pastor at Dighton United Methodist Church:
Been thinking about some of the bills facing state legislatures in various parts of the country recently and wondering. If my deeply held faith asserts that women should wear head-coverings, as a store clerk do I have the right to refuse service to women with uncovered heads? If my deeply held faith asserts that divorce is unacceptable, as a police officer do I have the right not to respond to a threatening situation between two divorced persons? If my deeply held faith asserts that women should not be ordained clergy, do I as a florist have the right to refuse to order palm branches for a church served by a woman? If my deeply held faith asserts that people need to forgive seventy times seven times and I as a doctor know someone who is holding a grudge, do I have the right to turn them away? If my deeply held faith asserts that all families should have one mother and one father, do I as a restaurant owner have the right to refuse service to single parent families? It seems to me that the other side of the “freedom of religion” coin is “freedom from religion.”
Later this year, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals could strike down Kansas’ 2005 constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage.
Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady, R-Palco
If the 10th Circuit finds that the United States Constitution prohibits amendments protecting traditional marriage, then Kansas will immediately be forced to recognize same sex unions.
With that in mind, the Kansas House last week passed a bill that protects business owners from being penalized if they choose not to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony. The purpose of the bill, HB 2453 is to protect individuals and private business owners from being forced by the government to provide services, goods, or accommodations that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs.
If the 10th Circuit Court does nothing, the constitutional amendment stands. However, if the court strikes it down, these provisions would provide legal protection for conscientious objectors of same sex marriage based on religious beliefs.
Many states that currently have legalized same sex marriage have these protections in law. States like Maryland, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, and Delaware legalized gay marriage and also offered religious freedom protections for those with sincerely held religious beliefs.
Small business owners have been targeted in states without this safeguard. There was a wedding cake maker in Colorado, a photographer in New Mexico, and a florist in Washington that did not wish to participate in a wedding ceremony because of their religious beliefs. Without the protections included in HB 2453, they were subjected to legal action because of their beliefs.
The Kansas Catholic Conference is one of the main proponents of the legislation. The Catholic Church is concerned about legal action if their priests are asked to perform a same sex wedding ceremony or to rent out its sanctuary. Catholic Charities agencies in several states are faced with either shutting down or acting contrary to their core values in providing adoption services to same-sex couples. Under this bill, private business owners and religious organizations cannot be punished by government or civil action if they decline to participate in a marriage ceremony that conflicts with their religious convictions. Government and non-religious entities must accommodate customers, regardless of their position on the marriage issue.
The Senate has committed to look into the bill further to clarify the intent of the Legislature and make sure the language is narrowly focused to protect against unintended consequences. That is the legislative process at work. The perception and misinformation about the intention of this bill are unfortunate; however, the religious freedom protections are necessary.
Let’s figure that you probably don’t want to see a lobbyist, or maybe a corporate chief, handing a legislator a check for his/her campaign fund before the legislator goes into the House or Senate to vote on a bill.
Now, that would be a little … unseemly, wouldn’t it?
Well, it if was that simple, we’d be done. That’s illegal.
Lobbyists and corporations and unions—really anyone except individuals—can’t contribute to anyone’s legislative campaign funds after Jan. 1 of each year and before the formal adjournment of the Legislature for the year, called sine die, usually in late May or early June.
Now, that sounds fair.
But…Democratic leadership in the House and Senate have special campaign committees that can accept money during the legislative session that will later be used for financing their members’ campaigns.
Republicans in the Senate used to have one of those during-the-session fundraising vehicles but it is now out of play (long story), and House Republicans more than a decade ago never started that special fund when they had the chance.
So…Republicans want to even the score. If Democrats can raise campaign money during the session from lobbyists and corporations and unions and such, Republicans want to, too.
There are two ways to do this. Republicans have the votes to just shut down the Democrats’ ability to raise money through their special leadership funds so nobody could raise campaign money from anyone but pedestrians during the session. It’s not the fault of Democrats that Republicans don’t have special leadership funds, but that’s not much of a consideration for Republicans.
The way Republicans want to level the fund-raising ground is to allow political parties to designate one leadership committee for each party in each house that is allowed to accept campaign contributions during the legislative session.
That evens things up. That way House and Senate Republicans have the ability to raise money that Democrats can now.
It might be a little unseemly, but the ground will be level if Senate Republicans who are pushing—and have the votes to pass—the bill that House Republicans, that again, they have the votes to pass, would like, too.
Now, you’ve probably guessed that neither Republicans nor Democrats are bashful about pushing big-money contributors to cough up campaign funds before that Jan. 1-through-adjournment drought. They may even remind those donors that they supported issues important to those business checkbook owners.
But during-the-session solicitation of contributions would be done by a leadership committee and not by individual lawmakers.
Good bill? Bad bill?
Talk among yourselves…
Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.
February is a great time to think about money — holiday expenses are not far past, and tax season is on the horizon. It’s no wonder that the last week of February has been designated as America Saves Week, a national campaign which encourages individuals and families to save money in order to build wealth or reduce debt.
Linda Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences with Kansas State Research and Extension.
In the next few weeks, K-State Research and Extension will offer several educational opportunities which focus on smart money management to help participants build financial stability and security. You may find just the right topic of interest to you and your family. Please save the date for these programs and call the Ellis County Extension office at (785) 628-9430 to register or for more information.
• Know Your Credit: The Ellis County Extension Office will host a noon-hour program on “Know Your Credit” on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at noon at the Ellis County Extension Office Meeting Room, 601 Main, Hays. Enter the rear door from the north parking lot.
This free program will explain the difference between a credit report and credit score, provide tips to manage credit behavior and understand the costs involved with using credit. Jamie Rathbun, Midway District Extension Agent, will be the guest speaker.Bring a lunch to enjoy during the program if desired. Beverages will be provided.
• Preserving the Family with Estate Planning: A team of Extension agents in northwest Kansas has planned the workshop “Preserving the Family with Estate Planning,” to aid families in beginning the process of transitioning assets from one generation to another. Attorneys and Extension experts will speak on estate planning basics, family communication, transfer of non-titled assets, charitable estate planning and farm transition planning. The goal of the workshop is to help families use estate planning to preserve the most valuable asset of all: the family itself.
The workshop will be held in two locations: Thursday, March 13, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hoxie, and Friday, March 14, at Thirsty’s Banquet Room in Hays. The cost for the all-day workshop is $15, due by March 7, and includes program handouts, refreshments and lunch. Late registration (after March 7) or walk-in cost is $20, however, the meal cannot be guaranteed for those who register late. Space is limited, so early registration is advised.
The workshop registration brochure is available on the Ellis County Extension Office website at www.ellis.ksu.edu, or your can contact us for more information at (785) 628-9430.
• America Saves Financial Challenge: To coincide with America Saves Week, the Cooperative Extension system is launching a free five-week online challenge. The program begins Sunday, February 23 and continues through Saturday, March 29.
The “America Saves Financial Challenge” is based on ten daily recommended financial practices. Points are given for performing personal actions such as tracking money spent, saving change and reading articles about financial issues. Paper tracking forms can be downloaded to keep track of daily activities until they are entered online, at least once a week. Participants can compare their progress to others across the country. Weekly and grand prizes will be awarded.
Doing even a few of the 10 recommended daily financial practices is a great way to get started on the path to financial security. To participate, visit https://goo.gl/Lsqb7A, create an account and enroll in the “2014 America Saves Challenge.”
If you need more information about any of these financial learning opportunities, contact us at the Ellis County Extension Office, (785) 628-9430. Remember, February is a great time to think about managing your money.
Linda Beech is Ellis County agent for Family and Consumer Sciences with K-State Research and Extension.
Dear Dave,
I went to medical school, and now I have $70,000 in debt. I just started a three-year residency making about $50,000 a year, while my wife makes $40,000. The student loans represent our only debt. Do you think we should be paying this off or investing in a Roth IRA? — David
Dave Ramsey
Dear David,
If I were in your shoes, I’d work on paying down the student loans. That means you may never be in a Roth, but there are other things you can invest in and grow wealth.
I realize this may not seem right mathematically, but I don’t always make financial decisions based exclusively on math. Many times I do things based on changing money behaviors—stuff like paying off debts from smallest to largest because it actually works. Personal finance is 80 percent behavior, and only 20 percent head knowledge. So sometimes you have to go with what actually works best overall, in spite of what the technical math shows.
In your case, I think it’s going to be very valuable to have no student loans by the time you complete your residency. With three years to go, and living on a $90,000 a year income, you can do it. Then, when you come through the other side as a full-fledge doctor, you’ll have the great income and be sitting there debt-free. Not a bad place to be, right?
I understand the Roth seems like a pretty good idea right now, but my advice is to stick with becoming debt-free as quickly as possible. Once that’s done, you and your wife will be able to invest, save, and build wealth like crazy! —Dave
Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s authored four New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership. His newest book, written with his daughter Rachel Cruze, is titled Smart Money Smart Kids. It will be released April 22nd. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 6 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.
One thing about the tea party Republicans in Congress is that they do know who butters their biscuits. Several have recently rushed forward with an anguished plea in defense of Wall Street barons, CEOs, and billionaires: Stop the vilification of wealthy people!
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer and public speaker.
I’m concerned about those poor rich people too. Especially the very richest.
Did you know that the wealthiest one-hundredth-of-1-percenters rake in an average of $30 million every year?
Wow, how do they manage to spend those 30 big ones?
Their penthouse, Lamborghini, dinner every night at Masa, etc. still leaves some $20 million to play with. Luckily, The New York Times has answered this question for us commoners in an article headlined: Wealthiest Americans Go House-Hunting Abroad.
It seems that there are bargains to be had on old castles in the Irish countryside. So now, lots of super-rich Americans are buying a piece of the old sod for themselves.
Parisian townhouses and wine country chateaus are always in vogue, so why not have one? Or how about two?
But the big action for American swells is in the Caribbean, where a five-bedroom villa on St. Barts, for example, can sop up $14 million of your spare cash.
The article tells us, however, that the latest trend is not simply to buy a fabulous house overlooking the pink sand beaches of some resort island — but to buy your very own Caribbean island. What cachet.
One popular option is the Exuma Cays, a cluster of 360 islands in the Bahamas. For instance, there’s one 47-acre island with a 3,000-foot airstrip and seven white sand beaches that can be had for just over $15.5 million.
As an online dealer in private islands notes, buying one is not about the beauty of the place, but about the majestic image it bestows on the buyer.
“They want to be steward of their own little piece of the world,” he marveled.
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator, writer and public speaker. OtherWords.org
Farmers and ranchers have always adhered to sound principles of animal care for their livestock.
Society’s views on animal welfare, on the other hand, continue to evolve.
John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Today, people are becoming more concerned for the animal’s quality of life.
While there are fringe groups, “activists” if you will, many people have honest questions and concerns about the quality of life for food animals.
Who are these people?
Some are like you. Others may be like me.
They are not opposed to eating meat. They just want to know that while that sow is going through the production cycle she has a reasonable quality of life.
Consumers want to know animals are not abused, or subjected to inhumane conditions. They believe animals should be well cared for and the people who care for them honestly care for them.
Farmers and ranchers cannot single out anyone and place blame for these changing societal views. Instead, the agricultural sector must view this as our culture and society coming to terms with new types of social issues. It just so happens that animals have become integrated into this process.
One reason for this new interest in animal welfare may be that Western European, Japanese and U.S. consumers do not have to worry about where their next meal comes from.
U.S. citizens have time to contemplate the quality of life for animals in this country, but few of us want to change our own lifestyles.
Farmers and ranchers – those people who provide our food – will have to continue to accept and use sound animal husbandry practices. If agricultural producers honestly show they are putting effort into meeting a standard of care that’s beneficial and conducive to a healthy living standard, the public will accept and embrace those who raise and care for livestock.
Agricultural producers must stay tuned in to societal and consumer concerns and be responsive industry wide while enhancing the well-being of their livestock.
That said, today’s consumers will continue to regard agriculture highly and embrace a food which they enjoy and feel good about.
John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.
That must be the motto of politicians, religious leaders and school leaders who keep pushing for state-sponsored prayers in public schools more than 50 years after the Supreme Court struck down the practice as a violation of the Establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute.
The latest prayer restoration scheme comes from an Alabama state representative who proposed a law last week that would require teachers to read a prayer from the Congressional Record every day to students in Alabama classrooms.
Nice try, but still unconstitutional: Whatever the source of the prayers, the high court has made it clear time and again that school officials may not impose devotional practices on a captive audience of impressionable young people in public schools.
A more common end run around the First Amendment is when school officials select students to deliver a prayer. Last year, a South Carolina school district included two Christian prayers in the elementary school graduation program, both delivered by students. To make matters even more constitutionally complex, the ceremony was held in a church.
Meanwhile in Kansas, a school board voted recently to allow students to recite prayers over the loudspeaker before football games — a practice still found in many school districts despite a 1990 Supreme Court decision that explicitly bans school-organized prayers at ballgames (Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe).
School-sponsored prayers remain school-sponsored prayers — even if offered by students. Under current law, only if students are selected by neutral criteria and given primary control over the content of their speech can their religious (or non-religious) expression be allowed at school-sponsored events.
Notice that school officials in South Carolina and Kansas aren’t giving students a “free speech” platform to say whatever they want to say. Instead, students are picked to pray prayers organized and reviewed by school officials.
If you view brief prayers in the morning, at the football game, or during graduation as harmless, then you probably agree with the federal district judge in South Carolina who described the complaint about graduation prayer as making a “mountain out of a molehill.”
But look beyond the 60-second prayers and consider the serious threat to religious freedom that can occur when school officials take sides in religion.
Consider, for example, the lawsuit filed in Louisiana last month alleging pervasive promotion of religion by teachers and administrators in Sabine Parish public schools. According to the complaint, teachers denigrate non-Christian beliefs, lead students in Christian prayers, promote Christian teachings in the classroom and, in other ways, turn the local school into the local church.
What’s happening in Sabine Parish is what would likely happen in many school districts in Alabama, Kansas, South Carolina and other places if people of the majority faith in those communities thought they could get away with it.
That’s because the push for “school prayer” isn’t really about restoring the power to pray; it’s about restoring the power of the majority to impose their prayers on the children of the minority in public schools.
If these fights and lawsuits were only about the right of kids to pray in school, advocates of “school prayer” would have declared victory and gone home years ago.
After all, students in public schools are already free to pray — alone or in groups — as long as their prayers don’t interfere with the rights of others or disrupt the school.
Contrary to culture-war propaganda, the Supreme Court has never banned prayer from public schools. What the Court has done is uphold religious freedom by banning the government from imposing prayer on schoolchildren and simultaneously guarding the right of students to express their faith, when appropriate, during the school day.
Visit almost any public school in America, and you will find plenty of students praying — around the flagpole, in the lunchroom, at student religious club meetings and elsewhere. And, in many schools, every student is given a daily opportunity to pray (or not to pray) during a moment of silence.
As much as “school prayer” advocates don’t want to hear it, there is actually more authentic student prayer in public schools today than in the days of teacher-led prayer.
That’s yet another reminder that keeping school officials out of the religion business is good for religion — and good for the country.
Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Washington-based Newseum Institute. [email protected]
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. An American woman is competing in the Olympic event called the skeleton. This woman isn’t just representing America, she is especially representing rural Kansas.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
Katie Uhlaender is the young Olympian with the Kansas connection. She must have gotten her interest in sports from her father, the former major league baseball player Ted Uhlaender. Ted Uhlaender played outfield for the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, and Cincinnati Reds. In 1972, his last year playing baseball, the Reds won the pennant and played in the World Series. He went on to be a scout for the San Francisco Giants.
Ted married Karen, a ski instructor. Their daughter Katie grew up in Breckenridge, Colorado.
In 2003, as a high-schooler, Katie discovered the sport of skeleton. This is a timed event consisting of a stripped-down sled on which a single rider hurtles head first down a sheet of ice at speeds approaching 80 miles an hour. It sounds scary, but it appealed to Katie’s athleticism and sense of adventure. Katie even won the junior nationals in this event.
Meanwhile, Katie’s family had purchased an 800-acre farm in northwest Kansas, in Rawlins County west of the county seat of Atwood, near the town of McDonald. Her dad, Ted Uhlaender, enjoyed fixing fence and working on the farm.
Uhlaender
Katie continued to train and compete in the skeleton. She finished sixth in the 2006 Olympics and in 2007 and 2008, she won the World Cup championship. In 2009 she placed second, but as she left the winner’s stand she learned the tragic news: Out on the farm, her father had perished from a massive heart attack.
This was very hard for Katie, a self-professed “daddy’s girl.” Ted had encouraged her throughout her athletic career.
“He would remind me of things he had done in his career and how proud he was,” Katie said. “Just the way he spoke to me gave me reassurance that I was on the right path and that I was doing the right thing.”
Katie said she suffered without her father’s encouragement. Then a month after his death, Katie was seriously injured in a snowmobiling accident. After all that, in the 2010 Olympics she finished a disappointing 11th place.
After the Olympics, Katie and her brother went to the farm to check on things. She said she felt her father’s spirit when she got to the farm and she started working on the farm herself.
In a Team USA video, Katie said, “My father left behind a farm in western Kansas, three hours east of Denver. I’m not scared to get dirty, I’m not scared to get work done, and I love seeing the product of my hard work. It’s American,” she said.
When not on the farm, Katie was training or competing. Then came the 2012 World Cup competition. Katie wore a chain with her father’s 1972 National League pennant ring around her neck, and she won the World Cup.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Katie faced very tough competition. In the end, she placed fourth in the event, just four one-hundredths of a second from the bronze medal.
People in Rawlins County, Kansas were watching the Olympics with great interest. Ken Higley said he had not met Katie but owns ground which adjoins the Uhlaender’s place. “Her dad was really nice,” Ken said. People here seem especially pleased that Katie is celebrating her Kansas connection. It’s been a great thing for us out here. People in Rawlins County and Atwood and McDonald are very proud of her.”
It’s exciting to find an Olympian with ties to rural Kansas. After all, McDonald is a community of 155 people. Now, that’s rural.
Winter Olympics, Sochi, Russia. We commend Katie Uhlaender for making a difference by representing the U.S. with her athleticism and competitive fire as she competes in the Olympics. As she hurtles down the ice, she carries two special things with her: Her father’s major league pennant ring and the well-wishes of her neighbors in rural Kansas.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University Research and Extension.
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
In May of 1987, Kansas was the third state to adopt an AIDS and Human Sexuality mandate. The Kansas State Board of Education (KBOR) adopted SBR 91-31-3 requiring substantial sex education be provided at both elementary and secondary levels. Notification was required and parents who objected were allowed to opt-out. Otherwise, Kansas school children were to receive sex education and the course outline was to be on file in the school office and delivered in the classroom. Eventually over 30 states mandated sex education in an era when AIDS = DEATH.
On July 1, 2005, the Kansas sex ed mandate died a quiet death when the KBOR developed new graduation requirements and modified the Quality Performance Accreditation regulations. But many local schools had codified the sex ed mandate and its opt-out procedures at the local level. And a new sexuality curriculum just for health classes was approved that allowed local school districts to use either opt-out or opt-in as a local school board decision.
There is a big difference between “opt-out” and “opt-in.” A substantial portion of parents fail to return either form. Under opt-out, those students attend the class. Under opt-in, they do not. “Opt-in” is the procedure used for field trips: no signed permission and the student cannot leave school grounds—it is a liability issue. If more than a few students must be provided with alternative coursework, this burden pretty much ends the lesson or trip. The use of the more restrictive “opt-in” for sex-education in effect relies on the lack of returned permission slips from I-don’t-care-parents to kill the coursework.
But those who have an objection to their child taking any coursework that contradicts their religious beliefs in any subject have always had a ready “opt-out.” K.S.A. 72-1111(f) states that no child attending public school shall be required to participate in any activity that is contrary to the religious teaching of the child, if a written statement signed by one of the parents or guardian of the child is filed with the school authorities. That defuses the “forced learning” argument.
And school teachers only ask students to “understand” concepts. Just as we teach about a wide range of concepts in political and economic systems, teachers do not mandate “belief.”
While this attempt to curb sex education was obviously triggered by a recent instance of posting of a controversial poster in a school, the underlying philosophy is that parents can do the “sex education” of their children themselves.
But unless the child’s parent is a medical doctor specializing in neuro-hormonal pathology, that is no longer the case. Our 21st Century understanding of basic human reproductive biology has gone way beyond the lessons in “simple plumbing.” Research in the last decades has advanced our understanding, and this knowledge is critical in a new modern era of infertility treatments and obstetric procedures.
Sometimes there is ambiguity in anatomy and the doctor cannot say “It’s a boy” or “It’s a girl.” Usually XY chromosomes result in a male and XX chromosomes cause a female; but there are variations from XO to XXY, XXYY etc. Sometimes an XY person has female anatomy and an XX person appears male. And the physical anatomy a person is born with may not match with whether they “feel” feminine” or “masculine”—their gender identity. Recent research links this with different development in the brain and is related to early hormone levels that can vary widely. And gender identity may not match with sexual identity—who they are sexually attracted to. This is science that parents do not know.
Current Senate Bill No. 376 is a bad bill. It is not necessary. There is already a religious opt-out, a local board-determined health sex ed opt-out/opt-in, and many local schools continue their own opt-out policy.
Attempts were made in the Kansas Legislature in 2003 and again in 2008 to close down sex education in Kansas. The first attempt was vetoed. The second one failed to pass.
Kansas did not need fig-leaf education then. We do not need it now.
