Kansas Politician Roughed Up Student After Bizarre Religious Rant: Report
State Rep. Mark Samsel was charged with battery after students recorded his remarks about suicide, masturbation and same-sex relationships—and his physical altercation with a teen.
Kansas State Legislature
A Kansas politician working as a substitute teacher at a public school shocked students with religious rants about suicide, masturbation, and same-sex relationships—and then assaulted one of them, according to reports.
“Did it hurt?” State Rep. Mark Samsel asked the student after allegedly kneeing him in the crotch.
The 36-year-old Republican is now charged with misdemeanor battery and barred from teaching again in the Wellsville school district, The Kansas City Star reported.
But Samsel doesn’t seem to have any regrets. The newspaper says that after he posted $1,000 bail, he took to Snapchat to say “it was all planned.”
“Every little bit of it. That’s right. The kids and I planned ALL this to SEND A MESSAGE about art, mental health, teenage suicide, how we treat our educators and one another. To who? Parents. And grandparents. And all of Wellsville,” he said in the bizarre post.
Sign Up for Our Beast Digest Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Samsel did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.
But it appears many students and parents were horrified by Samsel’s Wednesday tirade. The newspaper says that students sent in recordings of his insanely inappropriate and offensive comments, including his claim that a sophomore had tried to kill himself because his foster parents are lesbians:
- “He’s a foster kid. His alternatives in life were having no parents or foster care parents who are gay,” he said. “How do you think I’m going to feel if he commits suicide? Awful.”
- “Who likes making babies?” he asked in one video. “That feels good, doesn’t it? Procreate. ... You haven’t masturbated? Don’t answer that question ... God already knows.”
- “Are you doing the Lord’s work as you’re listening to the devil’s music?” he asked one student.
The Star reports that the videos show Samsel got into an argument with one particular student.
“You were not following—not my rules—God’s rules right now,” he reportedly told the student. “You better take a Bible.”
He allegedly got physical with the child, pushing him and grabbing him from behind.
“Class, you have permission to kick him in the balls,” the second-term lawmaker, an attorney, is heard saying.
The school district said it is investigating, while House Speaker Ron Ryckman said in a statement that “we’re not yet aware of the details and in the process of gathering as much information as we can.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.