In her autobiography, Connie Morris tells of a chance meeting with the man whom she alleges repeatedly molested her as a child.

As soon as the man recognized Morris, he apologized for his actions.

Morris replied, “It’s OK. I wanted to catch you to tell you I forgive you.”

Morris continues in her book: “It was that incident on the street that sunny day, with the perpetrator of my incest, that revealed to me the precious love and forgiveness of God. It was a divine appointment for both of us. I needed to express forgiveness. That’s just simply God’s way. He, my stepfather, needed to say he was sorry. It seemed the words were on the tip of his tongue, and had been for years. They just fell out. Without forethought, or effort, the words that had worn him out, reduced him to a street bum, and destroyed his health … tumbled into existence and set him free. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in heaven.”

Morris’ story of how her belief in Jesus Christ helped her survive a life of abuse and depression is the major theme in her 208-page book: “From the Darkness, One Woman’s Rise to Nobility.”

It’s a story many can probably relate to. So why is Morris the most controversial member of the Kansas State Board of Education?

Remarks about Hispanics

In August 2002, Morris, then a 40-year-old political newcomer, stunned the establishment by defeating incumbent I.B. “Sonny” Rundell in the Republican Party primary for the education board’s 5th District, a huge area that includes most of western Kansas.

Facing no Democratic opponent in the November general election, she then fended off a final attempt by Rundell, who became a write-in candidate.

Connie Morris

Morris said she campaigned against higher taxes and fewer government mandates on local school districts, but it was her opinions about the teaching of the children of illegal immigrants that brought her national exposure.

She said the state of Kansas shouldn’t pay for educating children of people working here illegally.

The response was deafening.

Many accused Morris of being heartless, not understanding a U.S. Supreme Court decision that requires schools teach children regardless of their residential status, and of having a superficial knowledge of the problem.

But many anti-immigration groups supported her, saying she was defending the borders of the United States.

¢ Documentary scrutinizes state education official (7-18-03)¢ State board of ed once again split down the middle (1-27-03)¢ Connie Morris

“Shocked is too strong a word, but surprised isn’t strong enough that the issue has become what it has become,” Morris said.

Garden City controversy

The controversy died down somewhat after the election — until it was reported in December that Morris sent an e-mail to an anti-immigration group called the Emigration Party of Nevada in which she said Garden City Mayor Tim Cruz was an “admitted past illegal immigrant.”

But Cruz was not an illegal immigrant and Morris apologized, saying she had misunderstood a conversation she had with Cruz.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “It caused him grief and I am terribly sorry about it. The very least I did was spread gossip and the very worst I did was hurt his career and his family.”

Cruz said he has accepted Morris’ apology but that she has never spoken with him in person. And, he said, he disagrees with Morris’ opinions about not wanting to educate children of illegal immigrants.

“You can’t hold that against them,” Cruz said. “These children are trying to get an education. They don’t even know they are here illegally,” he said, noting that the children often are citizens for having been born in the United States, even if their parents aren’t. And, he said, their parents are simply trying to make a better life for their children.

“I’ll definitely support her opponent” when Morris is up for re-election in 2006, he said.

No retreat

Morris says she has nothing to do with the Emigration Party of Nevada, whose Web site at www.sendemback.org calls for deportation of illegal aliens and a “bounty” of $1,000 for any employer who hires an illegal alien.

But she has not retreated from her views. That means taxpayers should not foot the bill to educate students of parents who are here illegally.

“My heart is full of compassion for people who feel they are economic refugees but there are better ways that America could help them beside exploiting them,” she said.

She said she doesn’t have a solution to the problem, but knows any answer would be complicated. “The root of the problem is they are poor. How can we help them build their country?” she asked.

She recently led the charge before the State Board of Education to reject a proposed increase in bilingual education funding.

Her position against the teaching of children of noncitizens has inflamed many supporters of public schools.

“How these children came to be here is beside the point,” said Kathy Cook of Shawnee, president of Kansas Families United for Public Education. “They are here, and as children residing in the state of Kansas, they deserve the best education we can offer, as does every child in the state of Kansas.”

‘Healing’ experience

Morris grew up in Kentucky, the youngest of three children. Her father, a Baptist minister, and mother often fought before finally divorcing, according to Morris’ autobiography.

Morris lived a hard life of poverty, drug use, and physical and sexual abuse.

She married and had two daughters, but divorced after years of an abusive relationship.

She went back to school, met a Kansas man and in 1990 they married just months before she graduated from college. Morris moved to Kansas.

For years Morris had been a devout church-goer, but depression stayed with her. She wrote that in 1996 she felt suicidal.

But at a revival meeting at her new church — the Calvary Full Gospel Church in Goodland, Morris had a “healing” experience in which she laid on the floor for several hours. “The Lord pulled away heartache after heartache, until I finally screamed in agony,” she wrote.

It was also that year she decided to write her book, working night and day on its first draft for three weeks.

Shortly afterward, she started teaching first-grade in the town of Idalia, Colo., which is about 35 miles west of her hometown of St. Francis.

Teaching background

Donna Mosier, a secretary at Idalia School, said Morris was a solid teacher.

“She was very good with the students and they did very well,” Mosier said.

Idalia School has about 130 students, from preschool to 12th grade, with few who are members of minority groups. The school plays six-man football.

“We’re just a real small community,” Mosier said.

She said Morris’ first-grade classes had about 10 students. Morris resigned after the 2002 school year as she embarked on her political campaign and started a book tour.

And while school officials were sad to see her leave, Mosier said her departure saved the school from having to lay off anyone because the school had to downsize a position due to low enrollment.

Steve Rains, pastor of Calvary Full Gospel Church, described Morris as an active supporter of the congregation of about 100 people.

“She’s a person of principle and character and has a heart for people,” he said.

Rains said he was glad Morris is on the State Board of Education. “That was her passion. She has a definite concern and heart for kids and education and she followed that dream,” he said.

Rains said Morris’ stance on immigration is between Morris and God. “Whenever there are people and issues there is going to be controversy. We just pray for her that God would give her wisdom in dealing with those hard issues, to wrestle with those issues, whatever they may be,” he said.

The future

Morris is firmly planted on the conservative side of an evenly split Board of Education. Her political opposite, Bill Wagnon, a Democrat from Topeka whose district includes Lawrence, said he appreciated Morris’ enthusiasm — but not her politics.

“Connie is a vivacious, eager, enthusiastic individual who brings a dimension of energy to the board that I haven’t seen in a while,” Wagnon said.

But he said Morris sees things only through her own personal experience.

“Connie is a poster child for what I have always been opposed to: People who do not understand our schools and do not have the capacity nor commitment to know how to make them better,” Wagnon said.

Morris said she wants more decisions about education to be made at the local level. “The local people are very competent and very able to do what they are doing,” she said.

Although a Republican, she is opposed to President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” education initiative. “It is too intrusive of the federal government upon states’ rights,” she said.

Morris said she ran for the board of ed seat because God wanted her to. And, she said, God has shown a sense of humor by telling her to run after she published a book that exposed her past.

But she says of politics, “I’m not in it for the long haul. I have some things to say and do, and when the voters are done with me, I will do a lot more other things that are far more pleasurable.”