WRITER: Josie Heimsoth

Newcomer Matt Lancaster wins spot on Lawrence school board; incumbents Shannon Kimball and Kelly Jones keep their seats

Incumbents Kelly Jones and Shannon Kimball are keeping their seats on the Lawrence school board, meanwhile newcomer Matt Lancaster narrowly won the third seat. Kimball and Jones each secured about 20% of the vote in the Lawrence school board race, according to the unofficial count, while the competition for the third and final seat remained extremely close throughout Tuesday night. Kimball received 8,139 ...

Behavioral health leaders reflect on Kansas’ statewide rollout of new mental health care model

As of this year, all of Kansas' community mental health centers are operating under a model that gives them more reimbursement for their services and helps ensure people can receive care regardless of their ability to pay, and leaders spoke more about it at a town hall meeting in Lawrence on Monday. The model is called a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or CCBHC, and it focuses on providing ...

Ballard Center to open new pantry building next week; food pantry partners launch fund to fight food insecurity

The opening of the Ballard Center’s new pantry comes at a critical moment — just as many Kansans may see a delay to food benefits amid a prolonged government shutdown. Even though no kids were at the Ballard Center on Friday, several cars were in its parking lot as volunteers were seen working to move products from one building to another. The new building houses the organization’s pantry – offering an ...

Douglas County school districts share their early student enrollment numbers; Eudora sees gains, others losses

Douglas County school districts saw mixed enrollment trends this year, as some gained students while others continued to face declines amid a statewide trend of declining enrollment. Kansas has an enrollment count day where school districts take a student head count to determine state funding for schools. The count day is traditionally on Sept. 20, but in 2025, it was on Monday, Sept. 22 since the 20th was on ...

School district replaces Gaggle with new monitoring software without board vote or mention in court filings

Updated at 7:36 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 Although the Lawrence school district has stopped using Gaggle, it is now using a different student monitoring software — and its use was not voted on by board members or mentioned in court documents filed Monday. The school district implemented Gaggle in 2023 on its devices to hone in on on keywords within students’ emails and online accounts that could ...

Lawrence school district ceases its use of student-monitoring software Gaggle

The Lawrence school district has stopped using Gaggle software on its devices, and attorneys for the district filed a motion to dismiss many claims in a lawsuit filed by former and current students who have claimed the monitoring technology is unconstitutional. The school district signed a contract with Gaggle in 2023 for $162,000, and according to a declaration submitted by Superintendent Jeanice Swift on ...