Lafayette Investigation; Missing Some Pieces?
A very carefully worded investigation "report" from Paul Apostle to Susan Enfield about the Lafayette incident and investigation report from Safety and Security was released today. Also, a letter was sent to parents, also carefully worded, from Ex Director, Aurora Lora. (I can't seem to create a link but I will get it up as soon as I can.)
A story is also in the Times and it, too, is carefully written and leaves out a lot. No link to the investigation at all. You have to wonder why all this tiptoeing is happening. (And thanks to the Times for leaving out that we here broke the story - something to keep in mind in the future.)
Clearly, this is story many people don't want to tell.
The Times leaves out that while the investigation didn't violate school district policy (i.e. Board policy), it left out the Superintendent's own procedures which are very clear on what is to happen if there is a sexual complaint. Mum's the word on those both in the Times and the HR document.
All that is said is that what the principal did, behind closed doors and alone with each child, wasn't "best practice when interviewing students about sensitive matters. Best practice would also recommend that all of the students' parents be informed of the interviews." Oh.
Also, the porn incident - it happened and the student's internet privileges were suspended for the rest of the year. Not made up, folks.
Also:
After the incident in the line, "According to staff#1, Student #1( the boy in question) admitted that the claims were true and apologized to students after a discussion about appropriate behavior between classmates." Staff #1 is, I believe, the child's teacher.
Also:
"Principal Lute-Ervin stated the culture at Lafayette Elementary has been that teachers tend to deal with Student misconduct at the classroom level and do not properly report misconduct to administrators."
Really? I wonder who they learned that from.
Lute-Ervin is now claiming that the parent who wanted to sit in on the meeting with her child was a person she didn't know and had a different last name from the child, so she said no. (Raise your hand if you have a different last name than your child's? I rest my case.) She also claims that the parent did not identify herself as the student's mother. (I'm going to assume she said this to the investigator with a straight face because what parent wouldn't have said, "I'm his/her mother" when making the request?)
Also with a straight face, she denies telling the children not to tell anyone about the interview. Really? So all these kids went to their separate homes and told their parents the same thing and ALL of them made it up? So it's the principal's word against the kids. Principal trumps kids.
There were "gaps in communication."
Aurora Lora's statement (partial):
To ensure a positive learning environment is maintained between now and the end of the school year, on Monday, Bob Boesche and Paul Apostle and I visited Lafayette and on Tuesday, spoke to the entire staff. To help finish the school year, the school district is providing Principal Jo Lute-Ervin with additional administrative assistance."
You mean someone is babysitting the principal.
And now I am hearing reports that this child acted out physically against another child yesterday.
I hope the district understands that this will all be evidence in any lawsuit if this child hurts someone.
And so with this investigation, we close the books on yet another incident that was pretty much brushed off. The district never learns.
A story is also in the Times and it, too, is carefully written and leaves out a lot. No link to the investigation at all. You have to wonder why all this tiptoeing is happening. (And thanks to the Times for leaving out that we here broke the story - something to keep in mind in the future.)
Clearly, this is story many people don't want to tell.
The Times leaves out that while the investigation didn't violate school district policy (i.e. Board policy), it left out the Superintendent's own procedures which are very clear on what is to happen if there is a sexual complaint. Mum's the word on those both in the Times and the HR document.
All that is said is that what the principal did, behind closed doors and alone with each child, wasn't "best practice when interviewing students about sensitive matters. Best practice would also recommend that all of the students' parents be informed of the interviews." Oh.
Also, the porn incident - it happened and the student's internet privileges were suspended for the rest of the year. Not made up, folks.
Also:
After the incident in the line, "According to staff#1, Student #1( the boy in question) admitted that the claims were true and apologized to students after a discussion about appropriate behavior between classmates." Staff #1 is, I believe, the child's teacher.
Also:
"Principal Lute-Ervin stated the culture at Lafayette Elementary has been that teachers tend to deal with Student misconduct at the classroom level and do not properly report misconduct to administrators."
Really? I wonder who they learned that from.
Lute-Ervin is now claiming that the parent who wanted to sit in on the meeting with her child was a person she didn't know and had a different last name from the child, so she said no. (Raise your hand if you have a different last name than your child's? I rest my case.) She also claims that the parent did not identify herself as the student's mother. (I'm going to assume she said this to the investigator with a straight face because what parent wouldn't have said, "I'm his/her mother" when making the request?)
Also with a straight face, she denies telling the children not to tell anyone about the interview. Really? So all these kids went to their separate homes and told their parents the same thing and ALL of them made it up? So it's the principal's word against the kids. Principal trumps kids.
There were "gaps in communication."
Aurora Lora's statement (partial):
To ensure a positive learning environment is maintained between now and the end of the school year, on Monday, Bob Boesche and Paul Apostle and I visited Lafayette and on Tuesday, spoke to the entire staff. To help finish the school year, the school district is providing Principal Jo Lute-Ervin with additional administrative assistance."
You mean someone is babysitting the principal.
And now I am hearing reports that this child acted out physically against another child yesterday.
I hope the district understands that this will all be evidence in any lawsuit if this child hurts someone.
And so with this investigation, we close the books on yet another incident that was pretty much brushed off. The district never learns.
Comments
DistrictWatcher
I'm not sure what the "gaps in communication" were, but clearly one of them had to do with the proper procedures for such complaints.
I am troubled. I had thought that virtually all of the comments earlier involved the principal's "methods" of interrogating other children [alone, asking them to act it out, acting it out herself in front of them, refusing to allow parents, telling them not to tell, etc., etc., etc.,]. But your comment above (about litigation) and the earlier comment in the last post which I understood as worrying about whether he would next escalate to some sort of physical action against someone) makes it sound like what you really want is for the child to be gone -- or disciplined more harshly or otherwise differently. Do we have any idea what the follow up with the child has been? I feel badly for the kids who were questioned. I am starting to feel even more alarmed for the sake of the child at the center of all this.
No child should be verbally or physically aggressive with other students. I don't want him to be gone or disciplined more harshly - I want him to get help.
Disgusted
*No one was emailing a public blog about these kids.* THAT is what troubles me. Whatever this boy did or didn't do, it appears that the parents have chosen to use Melissa as a conduit to publicize their problems with this one, troubled *8* year old. That's horrifying to me. What chance is he going to have at that school, ever? How will he ever, even with help, be able to fit in there? I'm not surprised at all that he is physically acting out. Being treated like a monster will do that to you.
I continue to stress my main point - this is about the district.
I am disgusted by this comment... Especially that the staff do not properly report misconduct to the administrators... This women has been an absolute disaster for our community from day one.... Shame on her for trying to blame ANY of this on the staff... This entire situation is reflective of HER crippled decision making skills, HER lazy approach to documentation, and HER dismal ability to communicate with children or adults...
You are correct that there must be missing pieces.... The staff is left wondering why she is still sitting in her office while all of this is supposedly being investigated..... If it were a teacher, they would be removed immediately, placed on administrative leave, and not returned to the classroom until completely cleared...... Yet the district does not hold principals to the same accountability....
Is it possible that the district cares more about their principals than they do teachers..... And perhaps, the kids they are supposed to serve?
Just fixit
I am completely disgusted. There is not disciplinary action taken against the principal? What other job can you break the rules (read "gaps in communication") and have no consequence? Truly. This is not a mistake made by a principal, but the demonstration of incompetence by a principal, and further, incompetence by administration.
My follow-up question is this? What do I do to make sure this doesn't happen at my kindergartner's school? Do I call a meeting with the principal and ask what the procedures are if something like this happens? Does she have gaps in communication too? Apparently you can't assume they have training, and if they do have training, apparently you can't assume they understood the training. I'm being completely serious. What can I do?
Signed, a VERY concerned NE parent of young children
Escalating the behavior seems like the healthier thing to do in the long run, because now he has been noticed, although it appears to take a little bit more to get some help.
Huh?
When did that happen?
West Sider
By not admitting any fault, and by claiming that no policies or procedures were violated, they are attempting to bolster their case.
You have every reason to be concerned, IMHO.
Disgusted
1) I am irritated by the line in this post which reads
"(And thanks to the Times for leaving out that we here broke the story - something to keep in mind in the future.)" What does this mean? Who is being asked to hold onto this tidbit for the future--Melissa? Readers? The Seattle Times? To me, this reads as somewhat grandiose, or a threat, or I'm not sure what.
2) I feel very troubled by the haste with which the story was publicized. I cannot, of course, know the reasons for the eagerness to "scoop" the Times, but is that this blog's role? Who benefits from this blog being seen as "in the know"? Did it help any of the families at the center of the story to have a version of the tale published on this blog before it was in the Times? Did it help the District to resolve the case more effectively?
3) I share Jan's, Eileen's, and Casey's concern that Melissa continues to add details from unnamed sources about a child's behavior in school. Whatever her intent, she should recognize that she is more likely to stigmatize the boy than help him by doing so.
--That is all
It seems like the only reason why this wasn't handled in private without humiliating the boy or his family is that there's a parent (who is a complete tool) who has a axe to grind with an unpopular principal and the boy's parents.
Signed,
H.
If by "axe to grind" you mean "royally pissed that their child was asked to demonstrate masturbation for the principal", then I might agree.
Signed,
Methinks You Have An Agenda Yourself
No, the only reason this was NOT handled in private is because school and district adminstrators did not handle it properly. No parent would have been as upset if it had.
No, the only reason this was NOT handled in private is because school and district adminstrators did not handle it properly. No parent would have been as upset if it had.
On the bright side this incident has inspired several chats with my children about their rights and how and when to demand that their parent is present for any closed door meeting.
When my daughter was a 1st grader, there was a special needs boy in her school who was quite large and acted out violently, such that female teachers could hardly keep from being injured by him. I was very relieved when he was transferred to another school. I would hope children like this get help and do not put other children at risk.
North Seattle Mom
Statistically is this the tip of the iceberg? How many other incidents in schools are mishandled in the same way that you don't hear about? It has to be bad for an investigation to take place. Do you really want all of this swept under the rug and hear "it's been handled" as the prevailing excuse?
Does anyone still believe that teachers are the core problem in SPS?
Mr White
For administrators who had maybe thought (if indeed that IS what they thought) that they were making things better by "handling it at the classroom/school level" rather than escalating to downtown (a reasonable assumption, given how bad and anti-child much of downtown's thinking seems to be) it bears noting that THAT plan plainly backfired!
I am curious, Melissa. You were at the board meeting where this situation sort of got "outed." Is it your impression that this "investigation' (whatever one thinks of it) would have concluded about now, and with about these results if the parent had not "gone public," or is it your opinion that this is one of those situations where someone had to basically pitch a fit publically to get the District to take any action to investigate and follow through?
What did you expect?? Rosenthal is a hard-charging, opportunistic ladder-climber. Why would he even entertain the idea of giving you credit?
Why did they leave out all the necessary details like the contents of emails? Because their main purpose is to churn out stories, not get every detail right.
Not a thing.
-skeptical-
Lafaytte's culture is a tough, inbred one. There is a faction of power elite parents who run that school. It doesn't matter if you are black or white or blue, if you are not "Lafayette material," you are silently pushed out. Those parents LOVED principal Turner. They were like Ying and Yang, They made her job a whole lot easier and she let them practically run the sxhool. I have my own opinion about her, but I found that she did not put the good of the students as a whole above the needs of power for that certain group of parents. With the integration of more students of color, and lower performing students thanks to the NSAP, it was probably best that the District assigned a different principal to Lafayette.
But even if the District had assigned the absolute best principal of color on planet Earth to that school, with an impeccable record, it would not have mattered. I am.convinced that if President Barak Obama haved been assigned to that school,. those parents would have run him out. This District fails in its ability to hire and retain competent employees of color. They can manage cafeteria workers and crossing guards, but other than that, it is hell to be an employee of color on this District. I have only met one bad teacher in the years with the District, and at least 5 terrible principals. The few African American principals I know just keep their heads down and hope not to catch any shrapnel.
Speaking of which, I also watched Principal Turner ("allegedly") run off the African American gym teacher the year I was there.
This post isn't about race. but then again, it knd of is.
I don't know how qualified the principal.of Lafayette is. She probably followed the culture of the District, which is to not react to anything.unless it gets out. A friend of mine witnessed abuse of a special ed student being dragged across the floor by her arm by her IA. He reported it and was heavily retaliated against by the District and subsequently fired. For following the law as a mandatory reporter.
I am not saying that this principal handled this situation in the best way possible, but I will bet if Principal Turner had handled It identically, there wouldn't' be this backlash. I will bet that the new principal.was set up to fail from the start.
One last thing. our first and only year there was the first year of the overcapacity. Most of the kids would wait at the front doors until the bell rang , the doors would open, and they would stampede in. Everyday looked like the running of the bills. It was noisy and dangerous. Well, apparently, this new principal made the kids line upon the playground and file in by class, as they do in most schools. Immediately, I heard the backlash from the parents, "It takes too long, she is taking away from learning time!" Seriously? I thought about trying to give the new principal a heads-up, but honestly, I won't set foot in that building anymore.
I occasionally post on this blog and I always use my real name. I am always willing to talk about race and culture. I feel that, as liberal as Seattlites want to be, they cannot fully stare the race debate in the eye. It's there people. Just because of is not YOUR experience, doesnt mean it doesn't exist. It is a huge problem in this District. Maybe if they ignore it long enough, all of the people of color and their cultural problems will go away. I have been fully engaged with the District for the past 4 years and that is exactly what if feels like to me.
joy Anderson
Joy A.
Joy a
I was very relieved when he was transferred to another school. I would hope children like this get help and do not put other children at risk.
This is the worst sort of nimbyism. There seems to be some sort of entitlement people feel NOT to go to school with some kids. Where do you think these kids wind up? In school with some other kids, just not YOUR kid. If the kid happens to have a disability, then you seem to think it's OK that other kids with a disability get to experience the "bad behavior". Anything, or anybody else, just not YOUR kid. And guess what? The "bad behavior" will be classified by somebody as a disability so that the kid can and will be isolated with students with disabilities.
It's public school. Everyone gets to go.
-parent
-Move on
Oh please. She hardly advocated for sticking the kid somewhere else. She said that she hoped that the kid got help and expressed her relief that a kid who made the class feel unsafe was no longer in her child's class. Regardless of whether it's fair; we all feel relieved when something that interferes with our kids' education is no longer doing so. Just as a disruptive child has a right to an education, so do the other children whose education is being disrupted. Is the burden on families to just deal with it or on the system to handle the disruptive child appropriately?
Children need to feel safe to learn.
Whether the principal is just ignorant or actually was abusive ( which I lean toward), is not a big an issue as, the district has not behaved in a way that indicates these kids will be safe. In fact, by saying that the principal will not even be disciplined, is like telling all potential child abusers who want a job w easy access to kids, that Seattle is the place to be.
Is it possible that the district cares more about their principals than they do teachers..... And perhaps, the kids they are supposed to serve?
Yup...that's probably the number ONE reason our family fled the District 6 years ago. I knew that any school would only be as good as its principal—creating an absolute crapshoot as far as school quality. In our 8 years with the District, we saw NINE principals in one school. There were a couple of really good ones (inc. one fantastic asst. principal who has since gone on to be an incredible leader), a few mediocre ones and two very problematic ones (one newbie and one with a long history of issues).
I realized that the school my family loved today could be the one we hated tomorrow in the blink of an eye (I saw a principal yanked with no warning). These principals came in a variety of colors and genders—there was no correlation to either for quality.
We wanted stability and quality and are paying through the nose to get it—and we are. Since SPS, my child's education experience (and our family's experience as volunteers, etc.) has been exceptional. Her talents and skills have been nurtured and strengthened. But we have paid a high price, and most people can't do that (we were lucky to have able and generous extended family to help financially).
I read this blog because I care very much about the quality of public education, but my heart sinks most days when I see how little has changed in the culture downtown and the direction the country is headed (ed reform). I still contribute to and even occasionally volunteer at my daughter's neighborhood public elementary—that finally got a good principal.
I wish I had the answers and the ability to "make it so."
Solvay Girl (blogger never lets me sign in anymore—sigh)
The District isn't holding her accountable for following the sexual harassment procedure because she didn't recognize it. Outside of that procedure, there isn't much direction for her. Outside of that procedure she is free to follow her best judgement.
So they are criticizing her judgement, but they are not saying that she violated procedure because they are excusing her from following the procedure.
I think that this could have been handled professionally and in-house had several people listened to parents' concerns and acted on them.
I think the principal and Executive Director full well knew how upset at least 2 parents were. That they tried to shake them off rather than address their concerns head-on is troubling.
Yes, I think these parents had to "pitch a fit" to get attention. Clearly, the principal wasn't going to listen. And, that she chose to somewhat throw the teachers in her building under the bus should tell you something.
Thank you Skeptical for the heads up on the rewriting of the story.
"Westbrook wrote Tuesday night that she thinks the district should change its policy to prohibit principals from asking students to demonstrate inappropriate behaviors they have witnessed."
Yesterday Rosenthal tweeted:
"What do you think: Should principals be allowed to ask students to demonstrate inappropriate behaviors they witnessed?"
I wrote in a tweet to
"No, I don't think principals should ask kids to touch themselves alone in an office with the principal."
He then wrote:
"Westbrook wrote Tuesday night that she thinks the district should change its policy to prohibit principals from asking students to demonstrate inappropriate behaviors they have witnessed."
Not the same thing. I didn't say change the policy.
Very nice. Again, he shows his youth and inexperience as a journalist.
Again, if you follow the existing protocol (and the Board policies AND superintendent procedures), then parents have faith in the system. When an administrator substitutes their own judgment, then you'll have problems.
Her responsibilities, if I have understood things correctly, are to report alleged sexual harassment rather than carry out an investigation herself. Doesn't matter if she "recognizes" the incident as sexual harassment or not, it's not her job nor responsibility to make that determination, is it?
As far as her being "free to follow her best judgement"...What a sad, sad exhibit of her best judgement, regardless of whether she violated any policy or procedure. I cannot believe that she is not being fired, not for her ignorance of policy and procedure and the ensuing neglect to act within those bounds, but for her horrible, horrible judgement in this episode.
The same goes for ED Lora.
Oompah
Ms Lute-Ervin should have known that it should also be regarded as sexual harassment when it happens in a school. She didn't.
-very concerned
Refer back to the post "The Face of Holiday on Ice".
Oompan
FHP
If Lafayette had a counselor, would any of this have happened? The Board and superintendent might want to ask themselves that question.
Thank you for your comments. An excellent reminder.
This does not discount your observations. I am just pointing out that in this case, I believe the principal's actions were well outside the range of normal behavior for any adult, and should have been acted upon. I am glad a parent spoke up, even if they are "troublemakers" in real life. Too many times this sort of thing gets ignored, or the district retaliates (such as in the case you mentioned yourself about your friend).
I think it is a mistake to focus on the parents in this specific case, given the facts of this specific case. This does not mean that the parents have been angels in the past. It only means that perhaps, in this specific case, we are all the better for it having come to light, regardless of who sounded the warning bell.
SPS parent, too
Tim
There is hope yet for unbiased reporting in this town.
I advocate just going over the do-nothing District's proverbial head. If I were these parents, I would file a complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil rights. If a child even calls another child a racist name, they will take and investigate your claim. You have 180 days from the incident. The form can be found online.
Nothing gets the District's attention like the DOE.
joy Anderson
"In April, the school district settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of Elise and one other victim. Of the $3 million, Elise will get $2.5million.
In an interview this week, Elise's mother said: "I hold the teachers blameless. At Broadview-Thomson, if you saw something, you went to the administration."
Evidence in the lawsuit showed that Skjei's predecessor had twice warned Hill verbally, but didn't document either instance. He's now a principal in San Francisco.
Stewart Estes, an attorney who defended the district, said incidents reported to Skjei did not rise to the level that required reports to CPS. "Hand holding or rubbing the bald spot on your head is not sexual abuse and need not be reported," Estes said.
A principal can document troubling incidents that don't equate to child abuse. But under the current teachers' contract, schools must destroy personnel files at the end of each year and start anew. Only records forwarded to the central office remain.
Anne Bremner, Elise's attorney, said: "You could basically have a pedophile in your midst and not know it. How are you going to get rid of somebody if you don't know what they did in the past?"
Last spring — in part, because of Hill — the school district expanded its training to help teachers spot grooming behavior and to clarify their duty to call CPS or police. Shannon McMinimee, the district's assistant general counsel, said teachers alarmed about a colleague should both report their concerns to their principal and call CPS or police.
Mollie Boswell, one of the Broadview teachers, said in a deposition that training received since Hill's arrest left her as confused as ever.
"I don't know what my obligation is," Boswell said, "and neither does Seattle Public Schools."
Urban Legend
Call the Department of Education's Civil Rights Office in downtown Seattle office directly and ask to speak to an investigator.
Do not stop.until.an investigator takes.your complaint.
joy Anderson