Seattle Schools Community Forum

From the New York Times:  The 2025-26 academic year is coming to a close, and we have a post  describing 10 ways to reflect on these last months and learn from them. But the 10 ways aren’t just for students — we also hope teachers can benefit from them. In fact, we would be delighted if teachers and students did some of the exercises together and told us what happened!   We invite you to post a comment reflecting on any aspect of this school year that you would like to make public, and we have provided some questions below to get you started.   We hope, too, that you will not only post your own reflections but also comment on the thoughts of others. As always, our staff will moderate comments , and we can’t wait to learn from you.   Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will...

I was very sad to see this Seattle Times' story . Those of you with teens in SPS, did you receive any messaging on this for students who use public transportation? I see nothing at the SPS website but I thought perhaps it came individually. I'm not sure I have ever seen data on how many SPS students take public transportation to school. Anyone?  King County prosecutors charged a man Wednesday with rape and kidnapping, two days after they say he lured a teenage girl from a bus stop into a wooded area of Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood to sexually assault her.   The girl, 15, was waiting near Northgate Station for a bus to take her to school around 8:30 a.m. Monday when a man approached her on a bicycle on Fifth Avenue Northeast, just north of Northeast 103rd Street. The man asked her how old she was, and the girl answered him because she didn’t want to be rude, according to police. He then told the girl she was attractive and asked her to join him in the woods nearby, the girl...

 I do have a couple of upcoming posts but I wanted to message to readers two items. One, I've said over and over. Two is a new one for me.  Again, I will not print your comment without some kind of name or moniker. You are wasting your time sending them.  But also, I will not link to AI-generated videos. Someone sent me one on the issues at Intergency and their principal. But there is nothing there as to who generated that video.  It's ok to have AI-generated voices but I need to know who made the video. You can write to me and tell me privately - sss.westbrook@gmail.com - but I cannot just put up random videos. It forces me to take the time to listen to make sure it is coherent as well as making sure I won't get sued. 

Update: A couple of things. One, on the last Board meeting and the lengthy statement by Superintendent Shuldiner. You may recall that I mentioned that twice during his statement, the camera showed shots of the audience listening.  Normally, the only complete audience shot you get is from behind the audience looking to the dais. I have watched decades now of Board meetings and I can't remember one where they showed the audience head on.  (I will note that you do see some of the audience during public testimony but that is quite limited.) Who told the camera operators to show the audience? I suspect that would be Bev Redmond, head of Communications. Why? I couldn't say except that I am told that a group of women were there to support Jones and were likely from her sorority (she is an alum of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority).  Also, it is also something to note that Shuldiner gave the Adams audience his phone number and told them to "document" anything. He didn't ment...

 From The Seattle Times: Five Tacoma high school students and an adult security guard were injured in a stabbing Thursday afternoon during an “altercation” at Foss High School, police said. Four of the students were seriously injured and taken to nearby hospitals, according to Tacoma police spokesperson Officer Shelbie Boyd. The fifth student, who is suspected of attacking the others, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is in police custody. No further news available. 

I have frequently written about that one issue that scares ALL parents with kids at schools with a good principal. And that issue is the district deciding to poach a good principal to prop up a troubled school. Even a principal retirement is reason to sound the alarm. Why? Because the broad issue is the refusal - by ALL superintendents - to explain to parents how principal selection and placement works. This issue has come up again and again.  It is especially galling to parents who see some school communities participate in the selection of their next principal and then just have a principal plopped into their own school. (I used to say that the district always allows high school communities to be part of principal selection because, for a long time, it was true. Today, not so much.) One problem is simply that there is no Board policy on principal placement. Most would say, nor should there be because that is purely a superintendent decision. It is a personnel decision and, except...