Kansas school board member faces backlash over progressive social media posts 

A Kansas school board member is facing calls for her removal over social media posts about sexuality and left-wing political issues.

Courtney Jane Hochman, a member of the Manhattan-Ogden Unified School District (USD 383) Board of Education, is facing pushback after Libs of TikTok, a conservative watchdog account on X, posted screenshots from her Facebook account.

The images included an upside-down American flag and an “abolish ICE” banner, as well as photos of Hochman wearing shirts referencing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and “banned” books.

School board ethics policy

Manhattan-Ogden’s ethics policy requires school board members to “act in a professional and constructive manner when communicating in person or electronically recognizing that Board member action may be observed and have an impact on others.”

Hochman’s Facebook says she is married to Dan Hochman, has multiple children and identifies as bisexual. Other social media posts defend True Colors Flint Hills Inc., an LGBTQ+ youth advocacy nonprofit, and include messages such as “sounds gay, I’m in!”

“Protect trans kids. Protect trans humans. Protect non-binary humans. Protect gender-fluid humans,” Hochman wrote in a social media post. “If you’re lucky enough to have been born in a body that feels good to you, that’s a privilege.”

Moms for Liberty Political Director and Johnson County, Kansas, Chair Erika Sheets argued that Hochman is “in clear violation of this policy in more than one way,” referring to the school board’s ethics policy.

“People can choose their opinions and choose their behavior, but they can’t necessarily choose their consequences,” Sheets told Heartlander News in an email. “For example, you can believe the stove burner is safe when turned on & choose to put your bare hand on it, but you can’t choose not to get burned.

“Ms. Hochman is an elected official who not only has demonstrated highly concerning opinions, but then chose to share those publicly online. … There is no First Amendment right for school board members to display any and all conduct consequence-free.”

‘Banned’ books in schools

One photo shows Hochman wearing a shirt that reads, “live life like a book Florida would ban,” likely referencing books restricted by Florida schools. More than 600 books flagged by parents for inappropriate content were removed from 10 Florida school districts during the 2025-26 school year.

“A teacher acting likes she does not know the difference between a book ‘BAN’ and removal of age inappropriate material from a school library tells you everything you need to know about this groomer,” one person commented on the Libs of TikTok post.

“Sexually graphic & violent books are not academic materials- they’re grooming tools and a safe adult knows that unequivocally,” Sheets said.

The debate over parental authority regarding what children encounter in public schools has intensified in recent years, particularly over sexually explicit material in library books.

Beyond the book disputes in Florida, one North Carolina school district faced scrutiny earlier this year for having more than 100 books, some available to children as young as 4, containing material about gender identity and sexuality.

“Under what situation does your school district or your employees know what’s better for a student?” North Carolina state Rep. and Oversight Committee member Brian Echevarria asked regarding the books.

“Remember, they’re your students but they’re someone else’s children. You often refer to them as your children except, they’re not your children – they’re the children of their parents.”

A community member in another North Carolina school district was removed from a school board meeting last month after reading aloud a pornographic book available for students to check out from the library.

Another person in Houston was removed from a school board meeting earlier this year for reading a sexually explicit book aloud to demonstrate why she considered it inappropriate for children. She has since filed a lawsuit alleging the school district violated her First Amendment rights.

What now?

Hochman is an elected board member, not a district employee, Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Board of Education President Jayme Morris-Hardeman emphasized in an email to Heartlander News.

The Libs of TikTok post directs its audience to contact Morris-Hardeman about Hochman’s social media posts. However, Morris-Hardeman’s own Facebook page features a “trans rights are human rights” banner as her profile picture, which she changed Sunday, the same day as the X post.

“Upside-down flag, abolish ICE, and she’s helping decide what kids read in Manhattan, Kansas,” one person commented on the X post. “School board races are the lowest-turnout elections on the ballot. Parents, show up next time or keep getting this.”

Other commenters encouraged Kansans to remember Hochman when school board elections come around. Her term ends in January 2030. Others called for parents to homeschool their children.

“Ms. Hochman should be removed from this board for supporting a dangerous, sexualized environment for minor children and for open defiance of federal laws,” Sheets said. “Kansas school board members are also fiduciaries, which is in direct conflict with breaking the law,” she added, referencing their responsibility to direct district finances.

Katie Allen, a former Kansas State Department of Education employee who also served as vice president of the Manhattan-Ogden district, was fired last year after commenting on one of Hochman’s posts. The post included a photo of Charlie Kirk after his assassination and one of his quotes about gun ownership rights.

“Well deserved,” Allen wrote, referencing Kirk’s murder. Allen publicly apologized and deleted her comment but was fired by the KSDE and asked to resign from the school board.

“We applaud the efforts of the board in 2025,” Sheets said. “I hope the rest of the board takes every step legally available to them to discipline and remove Ms. Hochman. Also, USD 383 parents and community members may want to consider a recall of Ms. Hochman.”

Heartlander News contacted Hochman for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

(Photo credits: Screenshots/Facebook/Courtney Jane Hochman, cropped)