Segment 1: Schools in the Shawnee Mission district have been accused of stifling expression during student demonstration.
During last Friday's national school walkout, parents and students at several Shawnee Mission schools reported that administrators attempted to curate and censor student speech. These complaints have spurred an investigation by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas. Today, we asked what happened during the demonstrations, and how the school district is responding.
- Denny Rice, Shawnee Mission East senior and student body president
- Brad Stratton, Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education president
- Jay Senter, Shawnee Mission Post publisher
- Daniel Weddle, University of Missouri-Kansas City professor of law
Segment 2, beginning at 27:57: Native American settlements in the West Bottoms.
The West Bottoms is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kansas City, but who was there before French traders settled the land in the mid-1800s? We sat down with one expert to learn about the indigenous groups that once lived in the area, and how their legacy has shaped the city's history.
- Bill Worley, Metropolitan Community College professor of history
Bill Worley will deliver the talk "Kawsmouth: The West Bottoms as Indian Territory" at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 29, at Kansas City Public Library's Central Library, 14 W. 10th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105. For more information, visit KCLibrary.org.