The Heartlander Report
A weekly national news podcast for American families, covering school choice, parental rights, and religious liberty. Every Friday, a Heartlander News writer breaks down the court rulings, statehouse fights, and culture stories shaping the country. From the newsroom at heartlandernews.com.
The Heartlander Report
Kansas Schools Caught Hiding Gender Policies From Parents
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Dr. Josh Mann and Michaela Estruth lead with exclusive audio from a Kansas City, Kansas public-school meeting that later appeared in a first-of-its-kind Department of Justice lawsuit. The Civil Rights Division sued the district for facilitating gender transitions for minors without parental consent. Heartlander News first reported the meeting 18 months earlier. In the recording, officials discuss changing DEI titles after a federal crackdown, holding “underground railroad conversations,” looking for loopholes, and keeping a student’s preferred name from parents. One teacher describes a young student coming out at school and routing the matter through a social worker rather than the child’s father.
The episode then turns to growing concern over Flock license-plate cameras, including investigations, polling, and new data limits. Stuart McMillian reports on Turning Point USA’s PREP Year, a nine-month Christian classical alternative to four-year college now expanding to a second campus. He also interviews Show-Me Institute analyst Avery Frank on Missouri’s public-school staffing boom: fewer students since 2000, far more teachers and administrators, and salary dollars spread thinner across a larger workforce.
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:33 – DOJ Sues Kansas Schools
00:02:46 – Recorded Roundtable Meeting
00:03:56 – DEI Title Change Explained
00:07:04 – Searching for Loopholes
00:08:32 – Parental Rights at Stake
00:09:53 – Hiding Names From Parents
00:12:39 – License Plate Cameras
00:15:26 – TPUSA PREP Year
00:17:37 – Carrying Kirk’s Legacy
00:18:58 – Missouri Staffing Boom
00:20:09 – Fewer Students More Staff
00:22:26 – Teacher Pay Tradeoff
00:24:40 – Where the Money Goes
00:26:04 – Check Local Districts
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