Tucked away in the yet-to-be approved Kansas budget are two items that remove Kansas State University’s authority over how its Research & Extension and 4-H programs respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed Sections 103(d) and 104(d) in their entirety for what she termed as “micromanagement” by the legislators, adding that “many involved in 4-H have demonstrated commitment and leadership in protecting the health of their communities and family and we should commend them for their efforts.”
Because the Extension programs and 4-H are under the umbrella of K-State, they follow the university’s COVID-19 protocols, according to Susan Peterson, KSU’s chief government relations officer.
For the past year, 4-H’ers have been meeting via Zoom and when gathered worn face masks in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
Locally, Carla Nemecek, director of Southwind Extension District, said an additional upside to the protocols is that it’s prompted “more communication with 4-H families than we’ve ever had before.”
Even so, those practices have irritated certain legislators, Peterson said Friday morning.
“We’ve had some complaints as to why 4-H’ers should have to wear masks,” she said.
And rather than confer directly with K-State officials, lawmakers “just stuck it in,” Peterson said about the verbiage.
“They wanted their pound of K-State flesh,” she said.
REPUBLICAN legislators are hot under the collar to overturn Kelly’s vetoes when they reconvene Monday for the last stint of the session.
In regards to the budget, Kelly vetoed 18 items, of which legislators must consider and vote on each individually.
Aware of the anti-Kelly climate in Topeka, where Republicans have large majorities in both houses, Peterson said the move to dictate Extension and 4-H policy “didn’t catch me by surprise,” and guessed Republicans would be successful.
You could catch a sense of resignation in her tone.
On Friday morning K-State Extension officials sent local Extension units a waiver freeing them of the university’s COVID-19 policies, if they choose, and in its place use their county health departments as guides.
While Extension agents and office staff would still be required to adhere to KSRE protocols, Extension activities, including 4-H, would not if they go the waiver route.
To date, almost 5,000 Kansans have died from COVID-19. Of the 308,510 Kansans who have contracted COVID, about 12% are youths 17 and younger. Fortunately, the majority of those 37,689 youths don’t suffer significant consequences. Their bigger threat, however, is that they can pass the virus on to those more susceptible.
