Seattle Schools Community Forum

 Update: A statement from Seattle Schools spokeperson, Bev Redmond: We have received several reports of Seattle Public Schools students planning to take part in a statewide, student-led walkout tomorrow. The protest is expected to be across college campuses and schools in response to the violence in Israel and Gaza.  SPS respects the rights of students to express their views in a peaceful manner, including assembly and nonviolent protest.    It is important to clarify that a student-led walkout is not a school or district-sponsored event.  Steps for Families: Families should talk with their student(s) about the potential walkout. Once students leave our campus for unsponsored events, SPS can no longer be responsible for their safety. Families seeking an excused absence may choose to submit a Civic Engagement Activity Form at least two days before their student’s planned absence. This is a districtwide policy. Details about the district policies about attendance can be fou

 I am going to sit in on the brief Board "special meeting" today on the process of curriculum adoption in Washington State. I did ask about any attached documentation but I received no answer and there is still nothing there. But I did want to note something that came up rather quickly - one day's notice - of an "Open House" on the renovation of Memorial Stadium. I first saw this in a tweet and was surprised I had not seen it at the district's calendar. But the Board office sends out THEIR calendar and an update was sent out on the 16th for this open house and a possible quorum of directors attending. The link the Board office provided is just a general website about the renovation with no scheduled events. As well, this event was not on Seattle Center's calendar. However, it does say under Community Engagement: Initial outreach began in 2022 with student and cultural groups, Seattle Center staff and resident organizations, tribal representatives, Vet

I see the Board has a curious "special meeting" for tomorrow. It's a half-hour meeting about: Board Development 4:30 p.m.* • Overview of Curriculum Adoption Process in Washington State Adjourn 5:00 p.m. There is no documentation attached.  I'm thinking, due to the brevity of this meeting, this is just some kind of legally required overview for the benefit of all the newbies on the Board. Curriculum adoption is a lot more complex than a half-hour meeting. It's a little sad that the Board is giving this topic so little when, if they did it right, it would be a good time for parents, students and the public to understand this process. And remember the real discourse over the last science adoption? It was pretty rough and tumble but it was meaty and everything was laid out on the table. Under the Student Outcome Focused Governance, you will never see that again.    Holy Smokes! Real facilities issues at Franklin High School. From KOMO News: Broken down bathrooms,

Interesting story from The Seattle Times on Seattle Schools' declining enrollment. The article does include a questionnaire from the Times so do let them know your thoughts. The Seattle school system lost nearly 4,000 students in about five school years, and the district’s most optimistic projections do not forecast a significant rebound in the next decade. Now, SPS is hoping that a $100,000 state grant to conduct a survey and do other market research will help it understand why families are opting out — or not enrolling their children in its schools in the first place — and find ways to attract and keep families and students. Oh so now, the district is actually trying to figure it out in a real way?  And, they finally admit it's not just housing costs or lower birthrate: Fred Podesta, the district’s chief operations officer, said SPS will likely use the grant, secured in this year’s legislative session , to understand why it was getting fewer kindergarten- and elementa

Linda Jacobson writes for   The 74 , an education news site, and is interested in talking to families about   Check Yourself   — a mental health survey that several King County school districts give to middle school students.  Some people, including parents, have complained for years that there are privacy risks. Others say they're not too concerned.  Linda is just looking for more input, especially from parents whose children recently took the survey. Or from a parent who opted out.    You can reach her at   linda@the74million.org

A parent has let me know about this transgression that should trouble all SPS parents. Here's what happened. In January of 2020, a Garfield parent received a call from then Vice Principal Gregory Barnes. She was told her child had been accosted by Barnes and asked to come to his office. Also in the office was the former Resource Officer, Rosel Ellis, a Seattle Police officer. Ted Howard II was the principal in school year 2019-2020. I can't discuss the issue at hand for that day. However, the parents of the student were not happy about the events of that day and, later in the year,  began asking for more information about that situation. In the course of doing that, the public disclosure officer of the SPS legal department received requests from the parents in August 2021 that included Vice Principal Barnes' emails. In fulfilling that request, the public disclosure officer had found that in February 2021, Vice Principal Barnes at downloaded 1903 student transcripts. Onto hi