By ELLE MOXLEY

There are fewer high school age students enrolled in public schools in Kansas City than there are in the elementary grades.

But while charter operators say there aren’t enough high school options, Kansas City Public Schools officials argue there are too many.

Supt. Mark Bedell can’t even keep them all straight. “We have 14 different middle school options – or is it 13?” he asks the district spokeswoman. “Twenty-three. There are 23 different middle school options.” That includes charters. Bedell shakes his head.

Kansas City families don’t make just one school choice. Again and again, year after year, they decide whether to stay or go.

Turns out, a lot of them are going.

Education leaders just aren’t sure where.

Charter perspective

I first met Tymar Friendly back in February, on a school tour for moms with kids about to start kindergarten. His East Side charter school, KIPP Endeavor Academy, was our first stop. We knocked on the door of his language arts classroom.

“Oh my God, that’s a large group,” says a wide-eyed Tymar. He quickly regains composure and introduces himself. He wants to know if we had any questions.

“Do you know where you’re going to high school next year?” Haley Bowman, KIPP’s director of development, asks

“Oh yeah,” he says. “Today, I just got from my teacher, he said I just got accepted to Lincoln.”

“Nice job!” Bowman exclaims. Tymar beams. The moms congratulate him. One of them even went to Lincoln.

“I went to shadow day last Wednesday,” Tymar tells us. “It was amazing.”

I decided it was finally time for me to do a story on how Kansas City families choose high schools. So in May, I went back to KIPP and asked Tymar what he remembered about the day he got into Lincoln.

“When Mr. Swartzlander told me, it actually made me jump two feet into the air,” Tymar recalls.

Tymar’s mom really wanted him to go to Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, an elite district school. After visiting, Tymar really wanted to go there, too. But when I asked Tymar if any of his classmates were headed to Lincoln, he wasn’t sure. That’s because KIPP places eighth graders at so many high schools.

“Sion, at Lincoln, at Cristo Rey,” says Josh Swartzlander, KIPP’s director of high school placement, ticking off each school on his fingers.

Swartzlander is thrilled anytime a kid like Tymar gets an acceptance letter. But the work’s not over. KIPP counselors support students all the way through high school and into college.

“We are literally going into all the buildings across the city to meet with our students,” Swartzlander tells me. “Obviously that’s a logistical challenge that you don’t face when you’re in the same building.”

KIPP opened as a middle school in 2007. Last year it expanded down, to kindergarten. School leaders want to open a high school, but Bowman says the timeline for that is uncertain.

“Our students and families are asking for a high school. We just see a huge need in Kansas City for more free, public schools that are a high academic rigor and quality,” she says.

District pushback

Bedell and other district officials aren’t so sure the answer is more high school seats. When he took the job last year, Bedell promised to work with the charters that compete with KCPS for students. But as more charter school operators have announced their intention to expand, the district has gotten more aggressive about recruitment.

“While there were good intentions with charters, and good intentions with the things we’re doing in our school system, the oversaturation is actually working against all of us because enrollment is down,” Bedell says.

Bedell thinks families are still leaving city schools for big suburban districts like Shawnee Mission and Blue Springs, they’re just putting off the move until their kids are older.

I’ve had families tell me there just aren’t that many options for kids who can’t get into a top school like Lincoln. So I ask the mayor’s education advisor, Julie Holland.

She’s very diplomatic.
“That is a great question, and I think when you’re talking specifically around that topic, you might be talking about families that are on the west side of Troost,” Holland says.

A city divided

Holland says Kansas City is having two conversations about education – one on the economically disadvantaged East Side, and one in more affluent, majority white neighborhoods.

Bottom line, a lot of white families that will send their kids to well-regarded K-8 charters don’t want to enroll them in majority black high schools, which most KCPS neighborhood schools are.

That’s a problem when the research shows socioeconomically diverse schools close the achievement gap fastest, Holland says.

“How do we create schools like that where all kids can benefit, but it’s not something that’s very exclusive, where you’re having to test in, or live in a certain area or affluent neighborhood to have access to it?” she wonders.

Holland says more information is needed about why families leave public schools, whether for private high schools or suburban districts.

“We need to verify with actual interviews, finding these families, asking the question, ‘So why did you leave? Why did you move out at this juncture?’” says Holland.

Her team is trying to do that now.

Meanwhile two charters popular with Brookside families are adding high school seats west of Troost. Academie Lafayette is in talks to buy the old Derrick Thomas Academy, and Crossroads Academy will open its doors to ninth graders this fall.

Elle Moxley covers schools and politics for KCUR a partner in the Kansas News Service.  You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say one of three men convicted in the killing of a Kansas woman initially left to die in a car’s trunk has been resentenced.

The Kansas City Star reports that 29-year-old Joseph Mattox won’t be eligible for parole for 50 years under the life sentence imposed Wednesday after he waived his right to a jury trial. The Kansas Supreme Court tossed his original Hard 50 sentence because a judge, not a jury, imposed it. His attorney argues he should be eligible for parole after 25 years.

Prosecutors say 18-year-old Keighley Alyea of Overland Park, was attacked and thrown into a car’s trunk in 2009 before being beaten and stabbed to death when she regained consciousness and began screaming. Her body was found in Missouri’s Cass County.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors have upgraded charges against a suspect in a Topeka home invasion after the victim died from his injuries.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 31-year-old Howard Burchfiel, of Topeka, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated burglary in the death of 66-year-old Allen Wichman. His attorney, Matthew Works, didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press.

Topeka police apprehended Burchfiel last month after a standoff. He initially was charged with aggravated battery. The home invasion left Wichman with life-threatening injuries, and he died July 14.

Kansas Department of Corrections records show Burchfiel was released under supervision in March from Lansing Correctional Facility after being convicted in 2009 of aggravated assault, attempted first-degree murder and a third or subsequent conviction of driving under the influence.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A union representing Kansas state employees says some officers at the state’s maximum-security prison outside El Dorado are being required to work 16-hour shifts.

The Kansas Organization of State Employees disclosed Friday that it filed a grievance earlier this month with Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood.

KOSE Executive Director Robert Choromanski said the practice is dangerous.

He also said it violates a bargaining agreement between the department and prison employees that keeps officers from being required to work more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period.

Choromanski said eight officers have complained to the union and the practice began in early July. An hours-long disturbance occurred at the El Dorado prison June 29.

Department of Corrections spokesman Todd Fertig declined to comment and called the grievance a personnel matter.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has affirmed a man’s conviction in the 2014 beating death of a Wichita radio station employee.

The court on Friday rejected arguments from Antwon Banks that prosecutors presented circumstantial evidence that did not prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt during his trial for first-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Daniel Flores. The justices ruled the state presented sufficient evidence to convict Banks.

Flores was found beaten to death in the basement of a Steckline Communication office in February 2014. Prosecutors said Banks bludgeoned Flores with a fire extinguisher after Flores found Banks scrawling hateful messages about Banks’ former girlfriend on a wall. The girlfriend was a Steckline office manager.

Prosecutors said Banks was upset over a recent breakup with the woman.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Animal experts say a coyote’s snatching of a small dog near Lincoln is a reminder to keep a close eye on pets in areas where coyotes may be wandering.

Steve Anderson saw his Yorkie, Jasper, snatched by a coyote last week on his acreage west of Lincoln. Anderson says he tried to chase after the coyote, but the animal disappeared into a cornfield with Jasper.

Earlier this month a family in the south-central Nebraska city of Hastings reported a coyote bit and tried to drag away a 1-year-old child.

Hastings Police Sgt. Brian Hessler says the attack happened around 10:30 p.m. while the family was watching July Fourth fireworks. The incident follows weeks of reported sightings of coyotes in the city.

A police report says the coyote left marks on the boy’s back but quickly ran off. Officers searched but did not find a coyote in the area.

Animal Control manager Steve Beal says there have been about 35 reports of coyote sightings in Lincoln since May. He says the group hadn’t received any reports of attacks on pets before this recent incident.

Beal recommends people keep a close watch on their pets and to not let them outside unattended. He also says pet owners can carry a whistle to scare off coyotes.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN

Hackers who breached a Kansas Department of Commerce data system used by multiple states gained access to more than 5.5 million Social Security Numbers and put the agency on the hook to pay for credit monitoring services for all victims.

The number of SSNs exposed across the 10 states whose data was accessed has not been previously reported. The Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio, obtained the information through an open records request.

More than half a million of the SSNs were from Kansas, according to the Department of Commerce.

The data is from websites that help connect people to jobs, such as Kansasworks.com, where members of the public seeking employment can post their resumes and search job openings. Kansas was managing data for 16 states at the time of the hack, but not all were affected.

In addition to the 5.5 million personal user accounts that included SSNs, about 805,000 more accounts that did not contain SSNs were also exposed.

America’s Job Link Alliance-TS, the Kansas Department of Commerce division that operates the system, discovered suspicious activity on March 12, isolated it on March 14 and contacted the FBI the next day, according to testimony provided by agency officials to Kansas lawmakers this spring.

AJLA-TS officials also sought help from a third-party IT company specializing in forensic analysis. That analysis helped them verify that the coding error the hackers exploited had been fixed and to identify precisely which user accounts had been breached.

The Kansas News Service filed its open records request on May 24 seeking details about the extent of the breach and contracts related to the state’s response. The Department of Commerce fulfilled the request on July 19.

The documents show that the agency and AJLA-TS contracted with three private companies in the aftermath of the breach:

Epiq, of Kansas City, Kan., to provide a call center for victims seeking information about the incident and Equifax credit monitoring services.
Shook, Hardy and Bacon, a Kansas City, Mo. law firm, for “professional investigative, legal and compliance services.”

SHI, a New Jersey-based IT company, for “rapid deployment” incident response.
The state is paying the law firm $175,000 for services that run through Dec. 31, 2017. The IT contract cost approximately $60,000.

The cost of the Epiq contract isn’t known because the agency redacted pricing information from the documents it released. David Soffer, a spokesperson for the department, said Epiq considers the cost information proprietary.

Testimony to lawmakers indicates AJLA-TS contracted with a fourth company in April, Texas-based Denim Group, to review code and provide feedback for improvements, which has since been implemented. The agency didn’t provide documents related to this contract in fulfilling the open records request.

Kansas will pay for up to a year of credit monitoring services for victims in nine of the 10 affected states. Victims residing in Delaware are eligible for three years of services because of contractual obligations to that state, Soffer said.

Agency officials have not yet responded to questions about whether insurance will cover some of the state’s costs.

The call center for victims, which can be reached at (844) 469-3939, will remain open through the end of this month, Soffer said.

The Department of Commerce said in May that this is the first known breach of AJLA-TS’ databases. AJLA-TS’ response to the hack – providing credit-monitoring services – exceeds what is required by Kansas state law, a department spokeswoman said at the time.

The head of a California-based advocacy group, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, told The Topeka Capital-Journal in May that one year of credit monitoring is not sufficient protection for victims of the hack, which also exposed names and birth dates, among other personal information.

The Capital-Journal also reported that hundreds of thousands of the Kansas victims may not be aware their accounts were breached.

The Department of Commerce said in May it had sent about 260,000 emails to victims, but added that it did not have email addresses for all users. Kansas law does not require notification to the victims via post or telephone, the department said.

When a recent theft from a Washington State University unit that handles data for state agencies on a contract basis exposed the personal information of 1 million people, the university notified victims by post.

That breach also included SSNs. Like Kansas, Washington State offered victims one year of free credit monitoring.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas City, Kansas, woman with the first name of Darlene may have been the person whose remains were found 32 years ago in a western Missouri field.

Clay County Sheriff’s Department Det. Jesse Stoker says the name is being released in the hope of generating more clues to identify the woman who was shot in the head three times.

The Kansas City Star reports that a tipster reported the name to a hotline after investigators released a new composite in October. The tipster also said the woman might have had two children. The caller said the two occasionally rode back and forth to work.

Authorities initially thought the woman was white but not believe she was black and between the ages of 17 and 23.

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects involved in a shooting.

Just before 9 p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the 1700 Block of NW Lower Silver Lake Road in Topeka after report of a shooting, according to a media release.

Upon arrival officers found 36-year-old Travis Cook with a gunshot to the leg. They also found 32-year-old Stacey Michael in the residence. She had a broken jaw.

Police reported the two had an altercation and she shot Cook in the leg. Both were transported to a local hospital.

Following treatment, police booked Cook on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery. Police booked Michael on unrelated charges.

HARPER COUNTY – A third earthquake this week shook portions of Kansas Thursday. The quake measured a magnitude 2.5 and was centered seven miles southeast of Anthony according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It follows a 2.5 magnitude quake in the same area and at about the same time Wednesday and another on Tuesday morning in Harper County.

The agency has recorded five quakes in Kansas this month, 18 Kansas earthquakes in June, 9 in May, a dozen in April, 7 in March and 6 in February.

There are no reports of damage or injury from Thursday’s quake, according to the Harper County Sheriff’s Department.

ELLSWORTH – Law enforcement authorities used social media in an attempt to get the attention of a drug suspect.

Ellsworth Police Chief Emil Halfhill wrote, “This eye glass case was found in the men’s bathroom at Gene’s Foodmart. Found inside the case was a glass meth pipe and a baggie of meth. It appears to be $50 dollar amount worth of meth inside the baggie.

“If you didn’t notice gas also went up 5 cents today, so I’m sure losing your meth and paying more for gas sure seems horrible.

“Well, do I have a deal for you. If you are the owner of the eye glass case and meth let us know and we will be more than happy to give you a free ride. Just consider us your Über for the day.”

FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug and stolen vehicle charges

Just after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Police took a report of a stolen Silver 2004 Nissan Titan truck from Signature Autoplex, 512 East Fulton in Garden City, according to a media release.

Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, officers observed the stolen Nissan traveling eastbound in the 1500 block of East Spruce Street in Garden City.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, and the vehicle fled from police. Officers pursued the vehicle to the area of Highway 50 and Towns Road where the driver identified as Larry Briscoe Jr., 37, Garden City, lost control of the vehicle and collided with a telephone pole.

Police arrested Briscoe Jr. without incident or injury. He is being held in the Finney County Jail on possible charges of: Possession of Methamphetamine,  Fleeing and Eluding, Theft (Possession of Stolen Property), Driving while License Suspended and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The vehicle is valued at $10,500.