By DAN GLICKMAN Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

I am no expert on recent 
Kansas politics — it’s been 25 years since I represented the state’s 4th
 Congressional District. But I watched the election results from Kansas 
with enormous interest, always considering the state where I was born 
and served in Congress for 18 years to be my home. Having some time and 
geographical distance gives one a certain perspective.

Though Kansas reflected the national trends in many respects, it is also unique in its political history and demography.

From my vantage point, here are the good, the bad and the ugly realities of the 2020 election in Kansas.

Both parties worked diligently to communicate with their voters and <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/kansas-voters-champion-civic-duty-having-their-voice-heard-in-record-breaking-election/">increase turnout</a>.
 We had record voter turnout in Kansas and most other places in the 
country. The election process in the state by and large went smoothly 
and without incident, whether one voted in person or absentee, which is 
remarkable given that COVID-19 has infected nearly 100,000 Kansans and 
has killed more than 1,000.

Election officials and 
voters actively participated in our political process, without incident,
 at a time of a cruel public health pandemic. It appears that large 
numbers of younger voters participated, which is healthy for the future 
of our democracy.

Further, the election of 
Joe Biden will likely be helpful to Gov. Laura Kelly as the state deals 
with public health, economic and budget issues. Both are Democrats, but 
each has a long history of bipartisanship and working across the aisle 
to be true problem solvers.

Notwithstanding <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/05/as-gop-cements-supermajority-in-legislature-democrats-realize-they-can-just-really-walk-over-us/">Republican victories in the state Legislature</a>, a strong relationship with the White House will be helpful to our state and to Kelly personally.

Pre-election polling in 
both state and federal races was incredibly inaccurate. Political 
scientists should drill down on the reasons for the inconsistencies and 
inaccuracies, but I suspect the failure of candidates to campaign person
 to person because of the pandemic, the lack of sufficient independent 
media coverage of local and state elections and the sometimes insidious 
role of social media all had a lot to do with this.

In addition, there was a 
huge amount of inaccurate information being disseminated on both sides, 
but particularly on the political right, whose candidates <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/laturner-renews-suspect-claim-democratic-opponent-strives-to-defund-police/">labeled Democrats as being in favor</a> of defunding the police and portrayed them as socialists.

The <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/u-s-senate-the-marshall-and-bollier-showdown-in-kansas/">incredible amount of campaign money</a>,
 some of it “dark” and not easily transparent, facilitated the spread of
 falsehoods much more easily than in years past. That money often 
exacerbated a vicious toxic political tone that does not encourage 
collaboration.

It is disappointing that 
so many Republican leaders, in Kansas and elsewhere, have yet to 
acknowledge that Biden has won the Presidency — something they likely 
would be heralding if the electoral numbers were reversed.

What disturbs me the most 
is the tribalism that afflicts Kansas and American politics. Republicans
 rarely cross over and support Democrats and vice versa. A review of 
voting in Kansas counties reflects this trend.

That missing streak of historic Kansas political independence is so harmful in making compromises for the common good.

One positive exception is 
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who was re-elected to Congress from the one 
Kansas congressional district that currently trends middle of the road. 
But her victory was also due to her working across the aisle on so many 
issues affecting her district.

During the prehistoric era
 when I served in Congress, Kansas voters elected people of both parties
 to federal and statewide and legislative offices, which I think made 
Kansas a stronger state, and a more relevant one as well.

Let’s hope the election of
 Joe Biden will inspire us to an era of less toxic political rhetoric, 
less partisan infighting and more collaboration to actually get things 
done. Encouraging the media to better cover local and state politics and
 policy and continuing to encourage civic education for the increasing 
number of younger voters participating in the political process would 
help to bring about positive change in Kansas and elsewhere.

As Biden recently said, 
“The purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the 
flames of conflict, but to solve problems. We may be opponents but we 
are not enemies. We are Americans.”

Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605037521150.png" alt="Voters lined up in cars to deliver mail ballots at a Shawnee County drop box in Topeka. As voters become skittish about the status of their mail ballots, some voted in-person via provisional ballot. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Voters lined up in cars to deliver mail ballots at a Shawnee County drop box in Topeka. As voters become skittish about the status of their mail ballots, some voted in-person via provisional ballot. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN GLICKMAN Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture I am no expert on recent 
Kansas politics — it’s been 25 years since I represented the state’s 4th
 Congressional District. But I watched the election results from Kansas 
with enormous interest, always considering the state where I was born 
and served in Congress for 18 years to be my home. Having some time and 
geographical distance gives one a certain perspective.Though Kansas reflected the national trends in many respects, it is also unique in its political history and demography.From my vantage point, here are the good, the bad and the ugly realities of the 2020 election in Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599830697632.png" alt="Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001." />
 <figcaption>Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The good</h2>Both parties worked diligently to communicate with their voters and <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/kansas-voters-champion-civic-duty-having-their-voice-heard-in-record-breaking-election/">increase turnout</a>.
 We had record voter turnout in Kansas and most other places in the 
country. The election process in the state by and large went smoothly 
and without incident, whether one voted in person or absentee, which is 
remarkable given that COVID-19 has infected nearly 100,000 Kansans and 
has killed more than 1,000.Election officials and 
voters actively participated in our political process, without incident,
 at a time of a cruel public health pandemic. It appears that large 
numbers of younger voters participated, which is healthy for the future 
of our democracy.Further, the election of 
Joe Biden will likely be helpful to Gov. Laura Kelly as the state deals 
with public health, economic and budget issues. Both are Democrats, but 
each has a long history of bipartisanship and working across the aisle 
to be true problem solvers.Notwithstanding <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/05/as-gop-cements-supermajority-in-legislature-democrats-realize-they-can-just-really-walk-over-us/">Republican victories in the state Legislature</a>, a strong relationship with the White House will be helpful to our state and to Kelly personally.<h2>The bad</h2>Pre-election polling in 
both state and federal races was incredibly inaccurate. Political 
scientists should drill down on the reasons for the inconsistencies and 
inaccuracies, but I suspect the failure of candidates to campaign person
 to person because of the pandemic, the lack of sufficient independent 
media coverage of local and state elections and the sometimes insidious 
role of social media all had a lot to do with this.In addition, there was a 
huge amount of inaccurate information being disseminated on both sides, 
but particularly on the political right, whose candidates <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/laturner-renews-suspect-claim-democratic-opponent-strives-to-defund-police/">labeled Democrats as being in favor</a> of defunding the police and portrayed them as socialists.The <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/u-s-senate-the-marshall-and-bollier-showdown-in-kansas/">incredible amount of campaign money</a>,
 some of it “dark” and not easily transparent, facilitated the spread of
 falsehoods much more easily than in years past. That money often 
exacerbated a vicious toxic political tone that does not encourage 
collaboration.<h2>The ugly</h2>It is disappointing that 
so many Republican leaders, in Kansas and elsewhere, have yet to 
acknowledge that Biden has won the Presidency — something they likely 
would be heralding if the electoral numbers were reversed.What disturbs me the most 
is the tribalism that afflicts Kansas and American politics. Republicans
 rarely cross over and support Democrats and vice versa. A review of 
voting in Kansas counties reflects this trend.That missing streak of historic Kansas political independence is so harmful in making compromises for the common good.One positive exception is 
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who was re-elected to Congress from the one 
Kansas congressional district that currently trends middle of the road. 
But her victory was also due to her working across the aisle on so many 
issues affecting her district.During the prehistoric era
 when I served in Congress, Kansas voters elected people of both parties
 to federal and statewide and legislative offices, which I think made 
Kansas a stronger state, and a more relevant one as well.Let’s hope the election of
 Joe Biden will inspire us to an era of less toxic political rhetoric, 
less partisan infighting and more collaboration to actually get things 
done. Encouraging the media to better cover local and state politics and
 policy and continuing to encourage civic education for the increasing 
number of younger voters participating in the political process would 
help to bring about positive change in Kansas and elsewhere.As Biden recently said, 
“The purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the 
flames of conflict, but to solve problems. We may be opponents but we 
are not enemies. We are Americans.”Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.

OPINION: The good, the bad and the ugly of 2020 election in Kansas

By MAREN E. TURNER AARP Kansas

The internet is full of 
information, some of it accurate and helpful, and some of it misleading 
or false. So how do you make sure you’re getting accurate information 
before you share it with your friends and family?

<a href="https://www.aarp.org/">AARP</a> is proud to be a trusted source of information and has worked with <a href="https://www.poynter.org/mediawise-for-seniors/">MediaWise for Seniors</a> to share tips on how to help ensure you get accurate information and stop the spread of misinformation.

The internet and social 
media can be very helpful. You can stay connected with loved ones, take 
care of important business, watch your favorite movies or learn a new 
hobby. The possibilities are seemingly endless. How do you separate 
what’s accurate and what’s not comes down to some important steps.

It’s critical that before 
you click that “share” button, you pause and consider the source and 
intent of the information and do some fact checking. Take an active role
 to ensure that what you share is accurate and report any 
misinformation. That way you can help slow the spread of misinformation 
and prevent it from misleading others.

Some misinformation is harmless, but some is malicious and created solely to take your money and/or steal your identity.

What should you watch out 
for when looking for accurate information and what actions should you 
take to find out if something isn’t true?

First, pause. Approach 
what you read with healthy skepticism and think critically about what 
you encounter online. This simple act can slow the spread of 
misinformation.

Second, consider. Read the
 whole story to look for details and original reporting. Does the 
content tell you who, what, where, when and why? Does what you’re 
reading make you feel a sense of urgency, excitement, anger, worry, 
vindication, or defensiveness? A strong emotional reaction signals that 
you should do some research.

Third, track down the facts using a set of three questions developed by the <a href="https://sheg.stanford.edu/">Stanford History Education Group</a>: 1) Who’s behind the information; 2) What’s the evidence; and 3) What are other sources saying?

Making sure you have accurate information is important before you share it. According to <a href="https://www.journalism.org/2019/06/05/many-americans-say-made-up-news-is-a-critical-problem-that-needs-to-be-fixed/">a Pew Research survey</a>,
 52% of Americans have shared misinformation, and “a vast majority of 
them said they didn’t know it was made up when they did so.”

Before you share, remember
 to pause, consider and then track down the facts. We can all be 
susceptible to falling for misinformation, but these steps are key to 
sorting fact from fiction. Look for additional resources and information
 provided by AARP and other trusted sources to make sure what you have 
is accurate.

Maren E. Turner, PhD, MS, is director of AARP Kansas. She is a gerontologist, visiting/adjunct professor, published author and a regular contributor to television, radio and print media. She is a past and current gubernatorial appointee to health related groups and has served in a variety of volunteer leadership positions. She is a graduate of Leadership Kansas and is a past University of Kansas Woman of Distinction. Turner has a BS in mental health and counseling, an MS in developmental psychology, an MA in human development, a graduate certificate in gerontology, and a PhD in applied behavioral science.

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/13/how-kansans-can-help-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation/">Courtesy the Kansas Reflector</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602603972651.png" alt="AARP volunteer Ann Garvin speaks about AARP Kansas volunteer activities at the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library in March 2019. (Submitted to Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>AARP volunteer Ann Garvin speaks about AARP Kansas volunteer activities at the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library in March 2019. (Submitted to Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MAREN E. TURNER AARP KansasThe internet is full of 
information, some of it accurate and helpful, and some of it misleading 
or false. So how do you make sure you’re getting accurate information 
before you share it with your friends and family?<a href="https://www.aarp.org/">AARP</a> is proud to be a trusted source of information and has worked with <a href="https://www.poynter.org/mediawise-for-seniors/">MediaWise for Seniors</a> to share tips on how to help ensure you get accurate information and stop the spread of misinformation.The internet and social 
media can be very helpful. You can stay connected with loved ones, take 
care of important business, watch your favorite movies or learn a new 
hobby. The possibilities are seemingly endless. How do you separate 
what’s accurate and what’s not comes down to some important steps.It’s critical that before 
you click that “share” button, you pause and consider the source and 
intent of the information and do some fact checking. Take an active role
 to ensure that what you share is accurate and report any 
misinformation. That way you can help slow the spread of misinformation 
and prevent it from misleading others.Some misinformation is harmless, but some is malicious and created solely to take your money and/or steal your identity.What should you watch out 
for when looking for accurate information and what actions should you 
take to find out if something isn’t true?First, pause. Approach 
what you read with healthy skepticism and think critically about what 
you encounter online. This simple act can slow the spread of 
misinformation.Second, consider. Read the
 whole story to look for details and original reporting. Does the 
content tell you who, what, where, when and why? Does what you’re 
reading make you feel a sense of urgency, excitement, anger, worry, 
vindication, or defensiveness? A strong emotional reaction signals that 
you should do some research.Third, track down the facts using a set of three questions developed by the <a href="https://sheg.stanford.edu/">Stanford History Education Group</a>: 1) Who’s behind the information; 2) What’s the evidence; and 3) What are other sources saying?Making sure you have accurate information is important before you share it. According to <a href="https://www.journalism.org/2019/06/05/many-americans-say-made-up-news-is-a-critical-problem-that-needs-to-be-fixed/">a Pew Research survey</a>,
 52% of Americans have shared misinformation, and “a vast majority of 
them said they didn’t know it was made up when they did so.”Before you share, remember
 to pause, consider and then track down the facts. We can all be 
susceptible to falling for misinformation, but these steps are key to 
sorting fact from fiction. Look for additional resources and information
 provided by AARP and other trusted sources to make sure what you have 
is accurate.Maren E. Turner, PhD, MS, is director of AARP Kansas. She is a gerontologist, visiting/adjunct professor, published author and a regular contributor to television, radio and print media. She is a past and current gubernatorial appointee to health related groups and has served in a variety of volunteer leadership positions. She is a graduate of Leadership Kansas and is a past University of Kansas Woman of Distinction. Turner has a BS in mental health and counseling, an MS in developmental psychology, an MA in human development, a graduate certificate in gerontology, and a PhD in applied behavioral science.<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/13/how-kansans-can-help-stop-the-spread-of-misinformation/">Courtesy the Kansas Reflector</a>

OPINION: How Kansans can help stop misinformation spread

BY C.J. JANOVY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/08/10/what-kansas-legislators-could-learn-from-winfields-national-teacher-of-the-year/">Kansas Reflector</a>

<a href="https://kasb.org/kansas-tabatha-rosproy-named-2020-national-teacher-of-the-year/">Tabatha Rosproy</a> was making Kansas proud.

It was May 21. On “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2020-national-teacher-of-the-year-tabatha-rosproy/">CBS This Morning</a>,” an adorable segment announced that Rosproy, 33, had been named the National Teacher of the Year.

Rosproy teaches preschool 
in a Winfied retirement community and nursing home. On a split screen, 
she watched for nearly seven minutes as 4-year-olds and elderly nursing 
home residents made it obvious how well she does her job.

One kid, asked to name her favorite activity in Rosproy’s classroom, thought before concluding, “That’s a good question.”

An old man with a gravelly voice lauded “all of the aspects of learning that she has shown: equality, love, respect.”

What’s so beautiful about Rosproy’s program at <a href="https://cumbernauldvillage.com/">Cumbernauld Village</a>
 is how it affirms the broadest definition of family. The preschoolers 
call the residents who are their volunteer teachers “grandmas and 
grandpas.”

For those elders, Rosproy 
told me, “It really provides purpose and meaning in their lives in 
retirement, in their time where they thought what they were contributing
 was over — those are their words, that’s what they say to me. Now, 
every day when they wake up, they get to spend time with children. They 
read together, discover, go fishing, play bingo, stomp in puddles — 
anything we can get them involved in.”

It works both ways. 
Grandmas and grandpas invite the kids to their evening activities around
 the nursing home and to special performances by outside groups, like 
when people from the zoo come to visit.

This interaction, Rosproy said, helps her young students grow socially, emotionally and academically.

Thanks to individual 
attention like one-on-one reading time with the grandmas and grandpas, 
she notes, the kids “have grown to be so much more empathetic” than what
 she’s observed in other preschool students.

“They can relate to people who are different from them,” she said. “It’s really incredible.”

It’s tempting to make a 
joke, here, about members of the Kansas Legislature needing the kind of 
education Rosproy’s preschoolers get. But there’s nothing funny about 
what some senators and representatives were doing at the Capitol on the 
same day as Rosproy was on national television making Kansas proud.

On May 21, the last day of this year’s session, legislators <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/year2/measures/reports/laws_fr/">accomplished little</a>.
 Most notably, considering the ongoing public health disaster that 
followed, they failed to expand Medicaid even after Gov. Laura Kelly <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-senate-majority-leader-announce-compromise-proposal-to-lower-healthcare-costs-for-kansas-families/">worked out a compromise</a> with Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning. The loudest politicians spent 24 hours in a<a href="https://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/news/20200521/protesters-fire-up-political-rhetoric-as-kansas-legislators-struggle-on-sessionrsquos-final-day"> display of partisan poop-flinging</a>. To call them whiny babies would be an insult to whiny babies.

Rosproy’s experience of 
Kansas is a striking contrast to what we often see in the Statehouse. 
People in Cowley County invested in the greater good, funding early 
childhood education for<a href="https://www.publicprek.com/co/ks-cowley"> every kid</a>.

“Any 4-year-old goes to school for free,” Rosproy said.

Rosproy graduated from 
Winfield’s Southwestern College in 2009 and taught in a Head Start 
program in Salina before coming back to the Winfield Early Learning 
Center in 2014. Now she’s working on her master’s in education from Fort
 Hays State University.

She’s watched over the past decade as Kansas failed to fully fund its public schools. The state is now in the early phases of a <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20190404/kansas-lawmakers-adopt-school-funding-plan-hope-for-court-approval">court-approved school funding plan</a>.

“Even with an education-friendly governor in office,” Rosproy said, “it’s still a battle getting the support we need.”

Lawmakers could fund 
universal preschool across the state, she suggested, but “there’s always
 this tit-for-tat sort of thing: ‘This is our money — what are we 
getting if we put it into this.’ I don’t think there’s anything you can 
invest in and get a better return than the education of a child.”

These days she’s fielding 
lots of questions about re-opening schools. She wouldn’t have been back 
at Cumbernauld Village for the next year anyway because of her National 
Teacher of the Year duties, but her pre-school kids will be learning 
separately from the old folks until it’s safe for everyone to be back 
together.

“When the state Board of Education says to make those decisions based on <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/22/kansas-board-of-education-blocks-gov-laura-kellys-plan-to-delay-k-12-classes/">what’s happening in local communities</a>,”
 she noted, “they forget in that the numbers in rural Kansas are so low 
because we’re spread out.” But school is a mass gathering. If people 
aren’t spread out, the numbers won’t stay low.

Rosproy has a national 
platform now. She doesn’t use it to tell people who to vote for. 
Instead, she says, “I think we need to look at what is good for 
everybody — not just what is best for me and mine, but how we can help 
everyone in our communities.”

Some Kansas politicians would call that socialism. I’d call it being the adult in the room.

C.J. Janovy is a veteran journalist with deep roots in the Midwest. Before joining the Kansas Reflector, she was an editor and reporter at Kansas City’s NPR affiliate, KCUR. Before that, she edited the city’s alt-weekly newspaper, The Pitch.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597083960721.jpeg" alt="Tabatha Rosproy, of Winfield, was named 2020 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers. (Kaydee Riggs Johnson)" />
 <figcaption>Tabatha Rosproy, of Winfield, was named 2020 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers. (Kaydee Riggs Johnson)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY C.J. JANOVY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/08/10/what-kansas-legislators-could-learn-from-winfields-national-teacher-of-the-year/">Kansas Reflector</a><a href="https://kasb.org/kansas-tabatha-rosproy-named-2020-national-teacher-of-the-year/">Tabatha Rosproy</a> was making Kansas proud.It was May 21. On “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2020-national-teacher-of-the-year-tabatha-rosproy/">CBS This Morning</a>,” an adorable segment announced that Rosproy, 33, had been named the National Teacher of the Year.Rosproy teaches preschool 
in a Winfied retirement community and nursing home. On a split screen, 
she watched for nearly seven minutes as 4-year-olds and elderly nursing 
home residents made it obvious how well she does her job.One kid, asked to name her favorite activity in Rosproy’s classroom, thought before concluding, “That’s a good question.”An old man with a gravelly voice lauded “all of the aspects of learning that she has shown: equality, love, respect.”<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l9aReAcNHrg"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>What’s so beautiful about Rosproy’s program at <a href="https://cumbernauldvillage.com/">Cumbernauld Village</a>
 is how it affirms the broadest definition of family. The preschoolers 
call the residents who are their volunteer teachers “grandmas and 
grandpas.”For those elders, Rosproy 
told me, “It really provides purpose and meaning in their lives in 
retirement, in their time where they thought what they were contributing
 was over — those are their words, that’s what they say to me. Now, 
every day when they wake up, they get to spend time with children. They 
read together, discover, go fishing, play bingo, stomp in puddles — 
anything we can get them involved in.”It works both ways. 
Grandmas and grandpas invite the kids to their evening activities around
 the nursing home and to special performances by outside groups, like 
when people from the zoo come to visit.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597084042843.jpeg" alt="2020 Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy with her students and their “grandmas” at the Cumbernauld Village retirement communith. (Suzanne Lawrence)" />
 <figcaption>2020 Teacher of the Year Tabatha Rosproy with her students and their “grandmas” at the Cumbernauld Village retirement communith. (Suzanne Lawrence)</figcaption>
 </figure>This interaction, Rosproy said, helps her young students grow socially, emotionally and academically.Thanks to individual 
attention like one-on-one reading time with the grandmas and grandpas, 
she notes, the kids “have grown to be so much more empathetic” than what
 she’s observed in other preschool students.“They can relate to people who are different from them,” she said. “It’s really incredible.”It’s tempting to make a 
joke, here, about members of the Kansas Legislature needing the kind of 
education Rosproy’s preschoolers get. But there’s nothing funny about 
what some senators and representatives were doing at the Capitol on the 
same day as Rosproy was on national television making Kansas proud.On May 21, the last day of this year’s session, legislators <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/year2/measures/reports/laws_fr/">accomplished little</a>.
 Most notably, considering the ongoing public health disaster that 
followed, they failed to expand Medicaid even after Gov. Laura Kelly <a href="https://governor.kansas.gov/governor-senate-majority-leader-announce-compromise-proposal-to-lower-healthcare-costs-for-kansas-families/">worked out a compromise</a> with Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning. The loudest politicians spent 24 hours in a<a href="https://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/news/20200521/protesters-fire-up-political-rhetoric-as-kansas-legislators-struggle-on-sessionrsquos-final-day"> display of partisan poop-flinging</a>. To call them whiny babies would be an insult to whiny babies.Rosproy’s experience of 
Kansas is a striking contrast to what we often see in the Statehouse. 
People in Cowley County invested in the greater good, funding early 
childhood education for<a href="https://www.publicprek.com/co/ks-cowley"> every kid</a>.“Any 4-year-old goes to school for free,” Rosproy said.Rosproy graduated from 
Winfield’s Southwestern College in 2009 and taught in a Head Start 
program in Salina before coming back to the Winfield Early Learning 
Center in 2014. Now she’s working on her master’s in education from Fort
 Hays State University.She’s watched over the past decade as Kansas failed to fully fund its public schools. The state is now in the early phases of a <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20190404/kansas-lawmakers-adopt-school-funding-plan-hope-for-court-approval">court-approved school funding plan</a>.“Even with an education-friendly governor in office,” Rosproy said, “it’s still a battle getting the support we need.”Lawmakers could fund 
universal preschool across the state, she suggested, but “there’s always
 this tit-for-tat sort of thing: ‘This is our money — what are we 
getting if we put it into this.’ I don’t think there’s anything you can 
invest in and get a better return than the education of a child.”These days she’s fielding 
lots of questions about re-opening schools. She wouldn’t have been back 
at Cumbernauld Village for the next year anyway because of her National 
Teacher of the Year duties, but her pre-school kids will be learning 
separately from the old folks until it’s safe for everyone to be back 
together.“When the state Board of Education says to make those decisions based on <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/22/kansas-board-of-education-blocks-gov-laura-kellys-plan-to-delay-k-12-classes/">what’s happening in local communities</a>,”
 she noted, “they forget in that the numbers in rural Kansas are so low 
because we’re spread out.” But school is a mass gathering. If people 
aren’t spread out, the numbers won’t stay low.Rosproy has a national 
platform now. She doesn’t use it to tell people who to vote for. 
Instead, she says, “I think we need to look at what is good for 
everybody — not just what is best for me and mine, but how we can help 
everyone in our communities.”Some Kansas politicians would call that socialism. I’d call it being the adult in the room.C.J. Janovy is a veteran journalist with deep roots in the Midwest. Before joining the Kansas Reflector, she was an editor and reporter at Kansas City’s NPR affiliate, KCUR. Before that, she edited the city’s alt-weekly newspaper, The Pitch.

OPINION: What Kan. legislators could learn from national teacher of the year

By MITZI E. MCFATRICH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/30/kansans-in-care-facilities-have-a-right-to-visitors-its-time-to-give-them-a-voice/">Kansas Advocates for Better Care</a>

We see the images — older 
adults in beds and wheelchairs, separated by windows from family members
 holding signs with messages of encouragement and love. We share the 
sadness of countless elders dying alone without the comfort of family, 
denied essential human contact and human rights at a time when these 
matter the most.

In March, the federal 
Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services blocked visitation to 
residents of nursing facilities except “for certain compassionate care 
situations” at the “end of life.” Kansas followed suit for other adult 
care facilities. Sadly, many facilities misinterpreted this to mean only at the very end after a person had slipped into non-responsiveness; other facilities simply didn’t allow family in at all.

Unlike the rest of us, 
adults in nursing homes have no say in how or when they will see family 
and friends or gather for a meal. Their legal rights, while not formally
 suspended, are suspended in practice by the policies and 
decision-making protocols issued by government agencies managing the 
pandemic.

For 45 years, <a href="https://www.kabc.org/">Kansas Advocates for Better Care</a>
 has been helping elders and families advocate for their rights, find 
better care, and stop abuse in long-term care. Each year we respond to 
thousands of people who need help, training and resources.

There is understandable 
fear about opening up. Older adults with chronic conditions living in 
close quarters are at higher risk and feel the impacts more harshly. But
 there is injury too from continuous isolation. Falls and confusion, 
weight loss, depression and anxiety all have risen with isolation.

In hindsight, we see what 
older residents and families have long known: Visits literally save 
lives. Not only do friends and family offer elders the social connection
 and emotional support we all need, they serve as essential monitors of 
care.

There is not always agreement about the way forward.

Emma, who has lived in a 
Kansas care facility for five years, was not even able to visit with 
friends who lived in the same facility. Depressed after months-long 
isolation with no end to restrictions in sight and no say in facility 
policies, she left to stay with family in a nearby state.

Kathy, meanwhile, is 
grateful for the maximum restrictions in her husband’s nursing home. 
Alarmed by COVID-19’s upward surge, she supports the restrictions, 
believing it is more important than ever to protect vulnerable&nbsp;elders.

So we must 
wrestle with competing imperatives of well-being. Older adults bearing 
the brunt of COVID-19 in nursing homes have legal and civil rights, yet 
current government guidance leaves decision-making to local health 
departments and facilities, with no requirement to seek input from the 
adults who reside within.

Safe visitation during 
COVID-19 is a complex but not unsolvable puzzle. Some of the basics are:
 adequate staff to provide care and assist elders in visiting with loved
 ones by phone, video, in a designated indoor room or outdoors; clear 
protocols for infection control; education, screening and logging of 
visitors just as is done with staff and elders; use of masks and 
appropriate protective equipment; disinfecting surfaces between visits.

Prior to the pandemic, few
 facilities operated at safe staffing levels of just over four hours of 
daily care for each resident, and inspectors found that 77% of Kansas 
facilities were not complying with standard infection control practices.
 The COVID-19 crisis underscores how understaffing dangerously increases
 the workload for nurse aides.

We are all living in ways 
unthinkable prior to this pandemic. But we are not living without choice
 or voice, nor should adults in long-term care facilities be asked to do
 so.

By law, every facility has
 a resident council. These resident councils could be surveyed for their
 input. Kansas Advocates for Better Care has asked the Kansas Department
 of Aging and Disability Services to direct local health departments and
 individual facilities to seek the input of residents (or, for those 
without capacity, their legal representative).

We have also requested 
that when state agencies are meeting with hospital and facility 
providers to define policies, resident voices be present through 
consumer legal or resident advocates such as the <a href="https://ombudsman.ks.gov/about-us/about-our-program">Kansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman</a>.

It is time to recognize 
and restore residents’ right to essential visitors. As Kansas defines 
its path to reopening, government must engage with elders and learn what
 they believe are reasonable steps to address their well-being and 
safety.

Mitzi E. McFatrich is the executive director of <a href="https://www.kabc.org/">Kansas Advocates for Better Care</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596208023148.jpeg" alt="Linda Mason, left, has frequently advocated on her mother’s behalf after encountering issues in nursing facilities. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Linda Mason, left, has frequently advocated on her mother’s behalf after encountering issues in nursing facilities. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>By MITZI E. MCFATRICH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/30/kansans-in-care-facilities-have-a-right-to-visitors-its-time-to-give-them-a-voice/">Kansas Advocates for Better Care</a>We see the images — older 
adults in beds and wheelchairs, separated by windows from family members
 holding signs with messages of encouragement and love. We share the 
sadness of countless elders dying alone without the comfort of family, 
denied essential human contact and human rights at a time when these 
matter the most.In March, the federal 
Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services blocked visitation to 
residents of nursing facilities except “for certain compassionate care 
situations” at the “end of life.” Kansas followed suit for other adult 
care facilities. Sadly, many facilities misinterpreted this to mean only at the very end after a person had slipped into non-responsiveness; other facilities simply didn’t allow family in at all.Unlike the rest of us, 
adults in nursing homes have no say in how or when they will see family 
and friends or gather for a meal. Their legal rights, while not formally
 suspended, are suspended in practice by the policies and 
decision-making protocols issued by government agencies managing the 
pandemic.For 45 years, <a href="https://www.kabc.org/">Kansas Advocates for Better Care</a>
 has been helping elders and families advocate for their rights, find 
better care, and stop abuse in long-term care. Each year we respond to 
thousands of people who need help, training and resources.There is understandable 
fear about opening up. Older adults with chronic conditions living in 
close quarters are at higher risk and feel the impacts more harshly. But
 there is injury too from continuous isolation. Falls and confusion, 
weight loss, depression and anxiety all have risen with isolation.In hindsight, we see what 
older residents and families have long known: Visits literally save 
lives. Not only do friends and family offer elders the social connection
 and emotional support we all need, they serve as essential monitors of 
care.There is not always agreement about the way forward.Emma, who has lived in a 
Kansas care facility for five years, was not even able to visit with 
friends who lived in the same facility. Depressed after months-long 
isolation with no end to restrictions in sight and no say in facility 
policies, she left to stay with family in a nearby state.Kathy, meanwhile, is 
grateful for the maximum restrictions in her husband’s nursing home. 
Alarmed by COVID-19’s upward surge, she supports the restrictions, 
believing it is more important than ever to protect vulnerable&nbsp;elders.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596208090048.jpeg" alt="A woman named Brenda, who has engaged with Kansas Advocates for Better Care, submitted this photo of her mother." />
 <figcaption>A woman named Brenda, who has engaged with Kansas Advocates for Better Care, submitted this photo of her mother.</figcaption>
 </figure>So we must 
wrestle with competing imperatives of well-being. Older adults bearing 
the brunt of COVID-19 in nursing homes have legal and civil rights, yet 
current government guidance leaves decision-making to local health 
departments and facilities, with no requirement to seek input from the 
adults who reside within.Safe visitation during 
COVID-19 is a complex but not unsolvable puzzle. Some of the basics are:
 adequate staff to provide care and assist elders in visiting with loved
 ones by phone, video, in a designated indoor room or outdoors; clear 
protocols for infection control; education, screening and logging of 
visitors just as is done with staff and elders; use of masks and 
appropriate protective equipment; disinfecting surfaces between visits.Prior to the pandemic, few
 facilities operated at safe staffing levels of just over four hours of 
daily care for each resident, and inspectors found that 77% of Kansas 
facilities were not complying with standard infection control practices.
 The COVID-19 crisis underscores how understaffing dangerously increases
 the workload for nurse aides.We are all living in ways 
unthinkable prior to this pandemic. But we are not living without choice
 or voice, nor should adults in long-term care facilities be asked to do
 so.By law, every facility has
 a resident council. These resident councils could be surveyed for their
 input. Kansas Advocates for Better Care has asked the Kansas Department
 of Aging and Disability Services to direct local health departments and
 individual facilities to seek the input of residents (or, for those 
without capacity, their legal representative).We have also requested 
that when state agencies are meeting with hospital and facility 
providers to define policies, resident voices be present through 
consumer legal or resident advocates such as the <a href="https://ombudsman.ks.gov/about-us/about-our-program">Kansas Long-Term Care Ombudsman</a>.It is time to recognize 
and restore residents’ right to essential visitors. As Kansas defines 
its path to reopening, government must engage with elders and learn what
 they believe are reasonable steps to address their well-being and 
safety.Mitzi E. McFatrich is the executive director of <a href="https://www.kabc.org/">Kansas Advocates for Better Care</a>.

Opinion