社区黑料

KANSAS CITY, Kan. 鈥� Marialexa Sanoja publicly quit her job as a Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools police officer over concerns with the district鈥檚 handling of student safety needs and founded a nonprofit to help kids escape the challenges in Wyandotte County.

In the three-and-a-half months Sanoja was stationed at Wyandotte High School, the district鈥檚 largest school with 1900 students, Sanoja said she filed 140 incident reports and that in most instances the district failed to take action. The district, through its YouTube channel, disputed her figures and asserted it handled concerns responsibly.

鈥淚t didn鈥檛 take long for me to find out that the students were not in the best interest of anybody,鈥� Sanoja said. 鈥淲hen the police officer becomes a safe space for students, there is something wrong with that.鈥�

After her resignation in December 2023, Sanoja founded Missi贸n Despegue, translated to 鈥渕ission takeoff,鈥� a nonprofit that helps parents and students document their grievances with the school district to hold the district accountable for its handling of safety issues.

Sanoja saw the district鈥檚 response to a sexual assault case and its communication as inadequate, and experts echo her concerns. Now, Sanoja works with current and former students to get their GED certificates, drivers licenses, mental health care and prevent substance abuse.

Sanoja鈥檚 concerns

Sanoja said much of the Latino community, which makes up , is afraid to complain or make a scene because many of them are new to the country. She aims to empower them, and help them achieve the 鈥淎merican dream.鈥�

One reason Sanoja resigned 鈥� and a former student dropped out 鈥� was because of the district鈥檚 response to the former student鈥檚 experience of being sexually assaulted at school. Kansas Reflector doesn鈥檛 identify minors who have been sexually assaulted.

According to an incident report filed by Sanoja, the former student was a freshman and alone in the Wyandotte High School stairwell when a group of older boys groped her and made sexual remarks. She began recording the boys with her phone, which prompted them to leave, the report said.

Sanoja was off duty that day. The former student asked the on-duty officer to file a report, which Sanoja says she never saw. The day after, Sanoja and the former student said they filed an incident, criminal, and Title IX report. The former student wanted to press charges.

鈥淎fter that, I just stopped going to school, because I didn鈥檛 feel safe,鈥� the former student said in an interview with Kansas Reflector.

Sanoja said security camera footage and the former student鈥檚 video showed the boys鈥� faces. The former student said the district told her that because the boys never returned to school, it could not suspend them. However, the former student said she continued to see the boys on campus.

鈥淯ltimately, the district didn鈥檛 do anything about it. We were asking, at least, for suspension. That didn鈥檛 happen,鈥� Sanoja said.

A spokesperson from the district told Kansas Reflector it was unable to provide comment on the former student鈥檚 case, or the district鈥檚 responsibility to handle reports of sexual assault.

Sanoja with a letter that accused the district of failing to communicate with parents. She wrote that she was worried about instances where students brought guns to school property and all parents weren鈥檛 notified.

In a to Sanoja鈥檚 resignation, district superintendent Anna Stubblefield said 鈥渢hose incidents are not always relayed to all families. Not because we鈥檙e hiding anything, but because the impact is low and to protect the privacy of our students.鈥�

A district spokesperson told Kansas Reflector the 鈥渁dministration is required to contact parents regarding student issues 鈥� such as absences, drug-related concerns, or fights 鈥� in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.鈥�

Expert opinions

Ken Trump, an expert in school safety communications who is not related to the president, said parental anxiety over school safety is rising nationwide.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very easy to get caught up if you鈥檝e got a couple thousand kids in a school, dealing with incidents and other things. But you need to take a tactical pause in this, and go back to looking at the communications,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go back to the old-school mindset of if someone finds out about it we鈥檒l talk. That doesn鈥檛 work anymore.鈥�

Sanoja said that after a student overdosed at school and she contacted the parents directly, the high school principal told Sanoja to route all communication with parents through administration.

Sanoja said that she continues to receive videos of physical fights in the schools, totaling in the hundreds, since her resignation.

Michael Dorn, a school safety expert who assists schools after major acts of violence, said聽 Sanoja鈥檚 allegations were concerning. He said he would have responded to her concerns differently than the school district did.

鈥淚 was a school district police chief for 10 years,鈥� Dorn said. 鈥淚f an officer in my department wrote that kind of resignation letter, I would request a state police investigation. I would ask for a polygraph test, and I would ask that she be polygraphed. I wouldn鈥檛 do anything like that, but if someone alleged that I did and I didn鈥檛 do it, I would request that to clear my name.鈥�

Sanoja worked as a police officer in Lenexa before transitioning to the school district and said Wyandotte High School presented the most significant challenges she鈥檚 seen. She believes the problems are 鈥渨ithin the culture鈥� of the school.

鈥淓verybody鈥檚 tired of the way the district is handling things,鈥� Sanoja said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been failing these kids for years.鈥�

Fixing root causes

Through her nonprofit, Sanoja helps students who leave the district, like the former student who was sexually assaulted, earn their GED certificate.

When they鈥檙e out of the school environment, Sanoja said, they thrive.

Sanoja said most of the families she works with are immigrants, and the parents do not speak English.

鈥淲e face the daunting task of ending the stigma, shame and judgement that come with our culture,鈥� Sanoja said.

Missi贸n Despegue seeks to fix the root causes of the problems seen in school 鈥� like substance abuse, violence, bullying, and mental health issues. Sanoja said she sees these problems reflected in things like the graduation rate of the district. For the , which is 11.4 percentage points .

Through donations, Sanoja covers the cost of mental health appointments, DMV license and GED class registrations, and laptop purchases for students pursuing their GED certificate without one. In February, she began converting first-time offenders鈥� court fees, in hopes of reducing recidivism.

With the help of more than 100 volunteers, Sanoja has hosted events where she provides Narcan and educates parents about the dangers of substance abuse. She also guides volunteers to further training, like drug prevention and compassion fatigue workshops.

Sanoja said she doesn鈥檛 get paid for her work with Missi贸n Despegue. She said she needs an assistant, because she has 鈥渁 long list of people that need help.鈥�

鈥淚 see something in them. I know they鈥檙e going to be successful,鈥� Sanoja said. 鈥淚 want that opportunity for every kid I have.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: [email protected].

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