Seattle Schools Community Forum

A quick aside - reader Amanda , who commented on the You CAN Say No to Tech in Seattle Schools post, another reader, a pediatrician would like to ask you about your comment. If you are willing to send me your email so that I can make that connection, please do so at   sss.westbrook@gmail.com. It seems that the City's Families, Education, Preschool and Promise program is doing well and planning an expansion via their levy .  Perusing this  editorial in The Seattle Times, I was a bit taken aback by a couple of statements. I'm hoping some readers might have some additional information or insights. (I would ask Communications but they still will not acknowledge me as media. I guess I'll have to go up the food chain.)  Beginning next month, many of Seattle’s 105 city-funded preschools will serve more children for more hours. Thirty-three sites will extend their calendars beyond the school year, offering early learning to 3- and 4-year-olds for 10 hours a day, year-round...

  I meant to post this sooner - this event is tomorrow night, the 25th. I am hearing that Governor Bob Ferguson and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal are thinking about "tax credit scholarships" - that's code for vouchers. I'm sure the Governor and Superintendent are getting pressure from many groups for this nonsense.  Folks, you do not want this to come to pass. Please contact one or both leaders with this message: "Any type of voucher scheme has never been proven to truly support students in lower-income brackets. Our schools are already suffering from not having certain areas like Special Education and transportation fully funded. Please don't weaken these already struggling districts by introducing any type of voucher, "scholarship" or "education opportunity."  Governor Bob Ferguson Superintendent Chris Reykdal Seattle Education Association Contract Talks To state, a strike by SEA is NOT in ANYONE's best interest. Not SPS nor SEA...

Story One for this post is this: TikTok and Instagram danger for girls by other  students using Meta RayBans.  Not to mention filming teachers in class. Will this be part of the SEA contract? Two items to state: - This is a clear invasion of privacy of minors. To put up videos you take of unsuspecting students (or students who say "leave me alone" or students just in the background) is wrong, wrong, wrong. These glasses cost anywhere from $250 to $600. Most teens don't have that kind of cash so you might assume their parents bought them for their child. If you are that parent, YOU, yes you, have a responsibility to train your child what NOT to do. Because seriously, if your kid invades someone's privacy, there's always a parent who will sue you. Or, your kid gets arrested.  Washington State IS a two-person consent state. - I urge you to do what I did after I read about this - I contacted Superintendent Ben Schuldiner and the Board. Here's what the current pol...

Honestly, I know the answer and it is something that plagues all of the United States. And that is the sports culture that infects high school sports.  Gotta win at all costs. Most high schools in Texas spend more on their football stadium than curriculum. I saw more than one video during the World Cup of visitors from other countries who would see a high school stadium and shake their heads.  We're Number One...in (fill-in-the-blank sport)! That makes us proud (and prideful) to the point where those championships are our identity.  I've said this before - school is about academics. That it has evolved to spread itself over multiple areas to the point where academics somehow fade out a bit is truly sad.  And that's not just sports. It's food safety, clothing, mental health, computers - you name it and schools are now supposed to do it. And yes, yes, I know that for many students, athletics keeps them in school and they get out of it things like minimum grade to play...

Update via the SPS Facebook page: We're hiring! Assistant Superintendent of Special Populations Seattle Public Schools is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as our next Assistant Superintendent of Special Populations, a cabinet-level role that helps shape opportunities for thousands of students across Special Education, Multilingual Learner Services, Highly Capable Services, Native American Education, Career and Technical Education, and Early Learning programs.  This is more than a job. It's an opportunity to help build systems where every student is seen, supported, challenged, and empowered to thrive. Working directly with the Superintendent and district leadership team, you'll help drive inclusive practices, strengthen family and community partnerships, and ensure equitable access to rigorous learning and future-ready pathways. Salary $209,393 - 268,881, closing date 8/25 We're hiring! Assistant Superintendent Student & Family Support Seattle Public Schools i...

The biggest story to me is that Meta, the parent company of Facebooks and Instagram, is being sued by four states - California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey - over claims that those two platforms have caused harm to children. The California trial starts this week in Oakland. These four states are part of a group of 29 (!) states that filed a lawsuit in 2023 over child privacy laws.  Via Tech Policy Press: This trial would also cover allegations by all 29 states that Meta violated a federal law called Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA by illegally collecting children’s data. Here's an interesting twist: Eight people were selected last week as part of the jury. They will play an advisory role, while the US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will make the final ruling. During jury selection last week, prospective jurors were asked whether and how much they believe Meta has contributed to the youth mental health crisis. While many agreed that it did, they ...