How did Kansas Rep. Mark Samsel become a substitute teacher? Pretty easily
The requirements to substitute teach in Kansas are relatively straightforward: you must have some college and pass a background check.
Kansas Rep. Mark Samsel, whose bizzare classroom behavior was caught on video last week, met both qualifications.
The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) which licenses substitute teachers, wouldn’t say Monday whether it plans to take disciplinary action against Samsel’s license or non-renew it. As it happens, his state license will be up for renewal next month.
Samsel was subbing at the Wellsville school district’s secondary school on Wednesday when students began recording him talking about sex, suicide, the Bible and even giving students permission to kick another student “in the balls.”
He was arrested the next day on allegations of battery and released on a $1,000 bond.
KSDE issued an emergency substitute teaching license to Samsel in May 2020. All first-time emergency licenses expire at the end of the following school year, but can be renewed for an additional two years.
“The only other comment I can make about Mr. Samsel is that we’re aware of the incident,” KSDE spokeswoman Denise Kahler said in an email.
Districts often lean on substitutes as Kansas schools face challenges finding teachers. In September 2020, 771 positions were vacant -- about 2% of the 36,000 full-time equivalent teachers working in Kansas, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported in November.
Mark Tallman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said finding substitutes can also be challenging.
“In general, it’s always an issue for districts because you can’t basically just call off school if you don’t have people … teachers get sick and have lives and need time off, so having people to fill in it’s a significant issue, it really is,” Tallman said.
While individuals who have previously held a teaching license can apply for a standard substitute license, anyone else who’s interested applies for an emergency license.
Anyone with at least 60 hours of college credit (the equivalent of two years of college) in fields unrelated to education may apply for an emergency license. The licenses are valid through the end of the current school year. Each renewal afterward is valid for two years.
All substitute licenses involve a fingerprint and background check.
Emergency subs are able to teach up to 50 percent time, with pay ranging around $90 to $120 a day, according to KSDE.
Wellsville Superintendent Ryan Bradbury has previously said Samsel will no longer be allowed to work for the district. Several school board members declined to comment on Monday.
The Star’s Sarah Ritter contributed reporting
Earlier versions of this story incorrectly reported that a bachelor’s degree was one of the requirements for an emergency license. The requirement is at least 60 hours of college credit, the equivalent of two years of college.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 5:27 PM with the headline "How did Kansas Rep. Mark Samsel become a substitute teacher? Pretty easily."
