Mother speaks out after sex offender chaperoned Kansas elementary trip

A Goddard, Kansas, mother and city council member released a video on social media alerting the community that a registered sex offender had chaperoned a local third-grade field trip.

Amanda White, a mother of three, serves on the Goddard City Council near Wichita. Two of her three children attend Clark Davidson Elementary School, which conducted the field trip.

White said she learned a registered sex offender chaperoned the outing and was left unattended with some of the children. She reached out to the school’s principal, who she said seemed genuinely shocked by the revelation, and other Goddard officials to request that the parents of the child left unattended with the chaperone be notified.

The school district told White the process for screening volunteers should have caught the man’s listing on the Kansas sex offender registry but did not.

Former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer called the incident “totally unacceptable.”

“Parents should never have to worry that a convicted predator is supervising their child on a school trip,” he wrote on X.

White said the school denied her request to notify parents. After doing some research, she discovered the same man was scheduled to attend the elementary school’s annual field day May 14. She asked the school not to allow him on school grounds.

“All that I have asked and I think all that any parent would ask is that they keep our children safe to the best of their abilities,” she said. “I think that not allowing a registered sex offender on school grounds to be unattended with children that aren’t theirs is not asking too much.”

Instead of barring the man from field day, the school prohibited all parents from attending the event, even though many had already taken time off work and were looking forward to spending time with their children.

No state law

Kansas does not currently have a state law prohibiting registered sex offenders from entering school property or attending school activities. Kansas House Bill 2527 would have accomplished that, but the bill died in the House during the last legislative session. White said the Goddard School District also does not have its own policy regarding sex offenders on school grounds.

“Not having a law in place is not an excuse for our district not to have a policy in place,” she said.

A parole officer explained to White that registered sex offenders can regain certain privileges over time, which may explain why the man was allowed to chaperone the field trip.

“I think that everybody has the opportunity to be rehabilitated in life, but not when it comes to our kids,” White said in the video. “When it comes to our kids we should never be taking these chances. That’s something that I stand by.”

The district released a statement regarding the incident:

“Goddard Public Schools has been made aware that an individual listed on the Kansas sex offender registry participated as a parent volunteer during a recent field trip at Clark Davidson Elementary School,” the statement, obtained by 12 News, said.

“We can confirm that this information was not known to the District prior to or during the event, and no incidents were reported during the trip itself. We take the safety and well-being of every student in our care with the utmost seriousness.”

The district said it is reviewing its safety measures and procedures surrounding volunteer participation at its schools.

White posted another video May 13 asking community members to show the specific offender grace because he is also a parent. She said the broader issue – passing policies and laws to protect children – should not be overshadowed by targeting one individual.

“This person has children and their children deserve the same safety and inclusivity that we are screaming about right now,” she said. “I think that we lose sight of that by trying to grab our pitchforks and go after a specific person who this is not even about.”