Eleven Garfield Students Expelled
From My Northwest:
The Seattle School District has temporarily banned 11 students from Garfield High School while it investigates a widely publicized hazing incident that involved over 100 students.
The "emergency expulsion" prohibits the 11 sophomores, juniors and seniors from campus and school activities during the investigation, said spokesperson Teresa Whipple.
"We are working on an individual basis, so if a student is cleared, they can get back to school right away."
Once the investigation is complete, officials will determine punishments. They could range from being prevented to taking part in prom or graduation to suspension or expulsion. In the interim, the students are still able to do their school work and communicate with their teachers from home.
I am still trying to get the police report from SPD but it is still unavailable. Clearly, a serious issue.
The Seattle School District has temporarily banned 11 students from Garfield High School while it investigates a widely publicized hazing incident that involved over 100 students.
The "emergency expulsion" prohibits the 11 sophomores, juniors and seniors from campus and school activities during the investigation, said spokesperson Teresa Whipple.
"We are working on an individual basis, so if a student is cleared, they can get back to school right away."
Once the investigation is complete, officials will determine punishments. They could range from being prevented to taking part in prom or graduation to suspension or expulsion. In the interim, the students are still able to do their school work and communicate with their teachers from home.
I am still trying to get the police report from SPD but it is still unavailable. Clearly, a serious issue.
Comments
WhatMeWorry?
I wish it weren't true. I suppose you and I differ on the frequency with which we believe Justice is for sale?
WhatMeAgain!
Dunno
It also doesn't make sense to suspend students that we ultimately want to keep in school till graduation.
Why dont wr have provisions for spending two weeks in study hall, or in supervised ground maintenance?
I was suspended for three days in high school, after a sweep of the " smoking bathroom" & I never went back because after missing class for three days, I would never have been able to catch up.
If expelled, then they would have to go to another district and that district would be obligated to take the students or they could enroll in the Inter-agency program, I believe.
~Garfield Mom
Dunno, the students, according to the article, will be able to access their schoolwork online.
It's not permanent expulsion; read the article. I personally think this is to send a message but until I see the police report, I don't know.
On the other hand it's really troublesome that the hazing issue has been persistent in spite of the pressure and rules and previous incidents.
Ugh.
Zb
Since I have to repost this with a signature, I have an idea. Garfield can talk about froshing all it wants, but maybe they need to bring some parents who've lost a child in a hazing incident in to talk to the school instead, and invite all the parents of Garfield kids (b/c it sure seems like some of them are okay w/hazing too) to attend the assembly. Or maybe Ballard High School's award winning video team can do a piece on hazing deaths, and what they really mean, and why they really happen. Clearly whatever they're doing at Garfield is reaching most of the kids - at least enough to stop them from participating - but not deeply enough to make them get their friends to stop and to make hazing totally uncool.
Signed - Not cool.
My understanding of emergency expulsion means that school officials consider the student’s behavior to be a continuing danger to himself/herself or others. I don't see how a hazing incident represents a continuing danger.
The other thing I don't get is how something that occurred off school property and not as a result of a school-sponsored activity results in school discipline. Someone commented to me personally, well better the school handling this than the police. I don't know that the police aren't filing charges, so that doesn't make sense to me. Can someone else here explain this to me?
~Garfield Mom
Whipple is being disengenous about ten days though. The emergency expulsion cam last imdefindately if not overturned on appeal. Given that there is a concurrent police investigation, I would expect the emergency expulsions to remain in place until all investigations are complete.
Po3 is also wrong. School districts can and do honor expulsions from other districts. Even if these kids moved, if the emergency expulsion was still pending, the district they moved to would not have to take them. They can appeal (within ten school days of getting the notice) or theyc a apply for readmission, either to SPS or to another district. Readmissins in SPS usually mean a trip to interagency Academy for the rest of the semester.
-IMHO
Principals can always articulate concerns about school disruption. That's a lame catch-all. Students are too-often getting suspended and expelled for "disruption."
-IMHO
I'm glad my child's school took this incident seriously. And I do not think the perpetrator will do this again. Period.
Remember the AP from Ballard 10 years ago who reported harassment/unwanted advances by the then principal. She was moved instead of the principal - the perpetrators should be the ones expelled/transferred, not the victims.... be it kids or adults.
-Not amused
As to whether this happened off-campus and where the jurisdiction is, good question. It could be both - school and police. I think Garfield felt it important to intervene when it learned this was happening especially since students had been warned about this issue.
I did learn that it was NOT just Principal Howard and the Garfield security officer at the scene. There were several other SPD officers on the scene as well.
Officer Bennie Radford isn't a Garfield security officer. He is a fully commissioned Seattle Police Department Officer who is the only officer assigned to be a School Resource Officer in the City. Garfield also has Seattle School District Campus Secuirty, but they are not law enforcement officers. It would be great if the City and District could partner to have a SRO program, Officer Radford is a huge benifit to the Garfield community and I know that staff at other high schools would love to have an SRO.
-IMHO
WhatMeWorry?
Why is it always about position, money, big energy, politics, color . . . everything except what happened?
There are very clear rules that each Garfield student knows and, if someone breaks those rules, there are repercussions. It's really that simple. No one's saying these are "bad kids" or losers or that "justice is for sale" or any nonsense like that. If you apply the rules evenly, everyone knows what's expected.
At our bus stop this morning, by the way, there were some discussions about this whole mess and someone brought up that, just this past week, three high school students, from an exclusive private school here in Seattle, were expelled -- not suspended -- for breaking the alcohol/drug rules.
- stu
Good points, Stu.
If the actions are the result of the work/school relationship, and are, or are likely to, impact the work/school relationship, then they are within the reach of the workplace/school.
@Stu: You've been around awhile. You know why. Don't feed the trolls.
WSDWG
-High school parent
Is it wrong? Harmful to all involved? Illegal in some ways? Completely stupid? Yes to all of the aforementioned.
However, since this appears to be the first time Garfield has come down hard on this conduct (someone correct me if I am wrong), I do not believe this batch of students should bear the full brunt of the repercussions. Punish them yes. Restrict access to clubs, after-school activities, sports, put a note in their permanent record, do everything possible short of expulsion. But don't destroy their lives for a youthful indiscretion that has been condoned, and honored by some, by Garfield's culture.
Change the culture. Get all parents on board. Send out reminders every time the opportunity for this type of behavior comes up (Homecoming et al.). But let's stop patting ourselves on the back for severely punishing these kids who were operating under the culture that Garfield has condoned (even if that condoning was done by looking the other way).
Just my two cents, have no kids at Garfield nor have I ever. My daughter went private for HS and did see kids expelled (it happened a couple of times over the years and the kids had seen that as a consequence).
SolvayGirl
That said, many of us, myself included, can think of things that happened to us in high school that we would have claimed, at the time, had destroyed our lives. And with the wisdom of the years, we realize that was quite the exaggeration.
If it sidelines you into Yale, then maybe you'll go to Boise State where you meet the woman who turns out to be the inventor of the next big thing, and who insists that you serve as her COO.
As access to computers & the internet is often brought up as an example of " privilege" and to illustrate the contrast of the haves & have- nots in the district, the assumption that everyone has identical access to technology is confusing.
Is it because most of the students involved were white?
And who said anything about YALE? We've seen no evidence that these kids were on the Yale, or any other ivy league, track.
My point was that Garfield has not come down this hard on "froshers" in the past. If they really want to start doing that, great, but there needed to be a LOT of "this is no longer our culture" talk before this happened. I know a number of Garfield parents who felt the froshing was ok, built community, etc. Obviously they might not have known exactly what went on at these events, but they did little to keep their own kids from participating regardless.
As I said above, make the culture change now, but don't prohibit these seniors from following through with their post-high school plans because they got caught. From the things I have heard, conjecture leads me to believe that plent of other kids participated in froshing this year and in the past.
SolvayGirl
"Wippel said Garfield has a long-standing hazing tradition, something the district wants to end. "We are working with University of Washington and Seattle University to work with the culture of the school, with students, parents and teachers, to figure out how to reduce or eliminate hazing just because the nature of this latest incident was pretty — was pretty big."
Garfield Principal Ted Howard discovered the party after he got an anonymous text message believed to be from a student.
He showed up at the hazing event with police and said students threw eggs at him and called him the N-word.
All but one of the students who have been barred from school are white, Wippel said."
From Jodei McVittie of Sound Discipline on a discipline listserv, "What happens NEXT is really the critical piece. The newspaper says that “punishments” will be determined. That is an unfortunate choice of words and may not be directly from the district or school. In our culture unfortunately we use hurting others (punishment) as our main “teaching” tool when people make mistakes.
There is huge opportunity here. All solutions are “consequences” but not all consequences are solutions. Solutions are something that happen after the fact (like a consequence) but instead of being aimed at teaching by hurting they are reasonable, related, respectful and HELPFUL. They work toward the good of those involved and toward the common good. For example, the students could be asked to participate in a semester long workshop that builds skills and results in an assembly that they produce on why hazing is hurtful and/or develop a system within the school that prevents hazing in the future. Putting them in charge of the solution would be an incredible way of solving the problem while maintaining dignity and offering them a way to contribute to the greater good. Another solution could be one or more restorative justice circles. There are many possibilities."
When I was in school, being suspended meant that you were not a student temporarily, so getting work to cover that time was out of the question.
As access to computers & the internet is often brought up as an example of " privilege" and to illustrate the contrast of the haves & have- nots in the district, the assumption that everyone has identical access to technology is confusing.
Is it because most of the students involved were white? 10/8/13, 1:54 PM"
?? Garfield is a high school. ALL teenagers DO have access to a public library, to a free computer and internet service. Myself, I don't think of going to a public library as a "privilege". I can't even tell if you are being rhetorical or not, but, I take the comments are face value, that you are serious about raising concerns about 'equity' even if you did not use that particular word. Only, it is not even clear which 'equity' point you are aiming at.
Oh Well
SolvayGirl,
We've been a Garfield family for a few years now. As a parent new to the school and new to SPS when my student was a freshman, I certainly knew from the get-go that froshing WAS NOT allowed, that it was taken very seriously, and that there would be consequences. That very first year there were Garfield students who were seen in West Seattle (Lincoln Park, maybe?) drinking and froshing -- I think it was even discussed here; if not, it was for sure talked about on the WS blog. I do not remember hearing about suspensions or expulsions these last couple of years, but my student knows of at least one student who underwent the same type of emergency expulsion (and who ended up back in school, FWIW). I just think no other instances have led to the media and community attention that this incident has, which may be why it seems like a new problem.
~Garfield Mom
Paddle a consenting student in a diaper, and get a scarlet letter on your transcript that lasts forever and will very likely change the course of your life.
In one case we're sealing records of horrible, violent crimes so a kid gets a second chance after multiple juvenile crimes. In another, we're placing a scarlet letter on a college bound kid for just the opposite reason, so they're labeled for life and youthful, juvenile indiscretions will dog them for life.
Is froshing worse than burglary or assault?
I believe in appropriate punishment, but not labeling kids for life based on juvenile acts. If second chances are good enough for murderers, killers, burglars and thugs, why isn't it good enough for college bound kids?
From a criminal justice view, the state of minds are vastly different. But there seems to be a blood lust for those college-bound kids which is isn't shared for the average street thugs who beat people to death.
WSDWG
Short term suspension - a disciplinary action for up to ten days. Appeal rights start with an informal conference with the principal and continue to a written appeal to the board. Student are not allowed on campus during the suspension or to make up missed work. There are specific limits on number of days of short term suspension per semester that can be assigned, depending on age of student.
Long term suspension - a disciplinary action that is for ten or more days. Cannot impact grades beyond one semester. Hence the very common long term suspension until the end of the semester. Appeal rights start with a hearing before a hearing officer, then to a board appointed disciplinary council (SPS uses this) or the board. Kids in fourth grade or lower can't be long term suspended. Students cannot be on campus or make up work. If space is available , in SPS they can attend Reentry through interagency and get credits for work done there while suspended from the home school.
Expulsion - disciplinary action that is a complete removal from school for a year or forever. Appeal rights start with a hearing before a hearing officer, then to a board appointed disciplinary council (SPS uses this) or the board. Student can also apply for readmission at a later date. There is an automatic one calendar year explusionn for having a gun on campus. If space is available , in SPS they can attend Reentry through interagency and get credits for work done there while suspended from the home school. There is also an online program they may be sent to if there are safety concerns that the student cannot be at Reentry. Otherwise can't be on campus or make up work.
Emergency expulsion - NOT a disciplinary action, considered a safety measure. There is a quicker right to an appeal, which is again before a hearing officer than the disciplinary appeal council. Student can't be on campus, but can submit work while out. A student who is out on an EE pending completion of an investigation may end up suspended or expelled as a disciplinary measure after the investigation is over. If they are disciplined, they get the discipline appeal rights set out above.
-IMHO
My reaction to SolvayGirl's point that this group shouldn't be punished strongly because her contacts there have told her that the school hasn't come down hard on froshing in the past is to first wonder whether that's true. Because I, too, remember the incident from a few years back in West Seattle. And second, to suggest that we all read this recent New Yorker article. http://nymag.com/news/features/ethical-parenting-2013-10/ , the basic point of which is that many, many, many of us regularly justify cutting ethical corners for the benefit of our kids. So it wouldn't surprise me that parents would react with "okay, maybe froshing is bad but don't punish these kids, punish the next batch, because my kids weren't adequately warned."
Please! Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, this is preposterous, and I hope you've reconsidered this stance as an adult. Kids get sick for more than 3 days all the time. Kids take field trips where they miss more than 3 days of school as well. It's a pain in the ass to catch up, but they manage. 10 days is certainly a much bigger deal, if that's what actually happens at GHS, but it sounds like the kids will at least have some opportunity to do classwork outside the building. However...
Melissa said: according to the article, will be able to access their schoolwork online
What does this even mean? It sounds like it will be better than nothing, but so much of what happens is in the classroom, I'm not sure how much this makes sense. LA/SS classes have meaty discussions, material is presented by the teachers, often classwork that's expected to happen in the classroom, during class is part of the kids' grades. Science classes have labs and/or materials that are not going to be available to the kids outside of school. I'm truly confused by what this means, unless it's just access to the Source so they can check on written assignments, but that should be assumed. However, remember, use of the Source is optional, not all teachers use it, and even if they do, there's no guarantee it's timely or up to date. Not getting this.
And as we all know by now, this was more than paddling a few kids in diapers. We know that at least some students now and in the past have felt coerced into being hit/painted/forced to drink. We know that there's been underage drinking to such excess that kids have become ill. We know that car accidents were caused. We know from the police that in the past those who where froshed would not come forward to press charges in fear of retaliation, which is probably why the kids were emergency expelled.
You've come very close, more than once, IMO, to defending these kids because it's not "bad" enough activity. What kind of punishment is ok with you?
Sad Mom
I think the best way to look at this is what sorts of actions will help these kids to learn that this behavior is harmful and dangerous, and what steps can be taken to prevent other kids from engaging in this type of behavior.
I can't claim to know the truth in this matter as I wasn't there, but it seems perfectly reasonable. It's common in football games to see the guy that throws the retaliatory punch get caught and kicked out of the game while the instigator walks away laughing.
Then the kids who know who "the bad kids" are should report that to admin. Simple solution to concerns about equity among the perpetrators.
-IMHO
@Sad Mom: I compared and contrasted. I did not conflate.
I don't share the "hit them harder than ever" philosophy of juvenile punishment, because it interferes with teachable moments and real opportunities to change attitudes about hazing and its consequences. It's that simple.
WSDWG
Make these students convince OTHER students why what they did was wrong. How it could have had terrible consequences. Etc. The video is a GREAT idea.
(That said, I would also not allow them to be in a club or team until the video is finished.)
"Paddle a consenting student in a diaper, and get a scarlet letter on your transcript that lasts forever and will very likely change the course of your life."
C'mon. A high school transcript does not follow you around. And, any college or university that saw that notation and saw that the student had done community service and had great grades and letters of recommendation -that college or university would say,"They did something dumb that did NOT turn out badly and paid the price. And learned from it. We want a kid like that."
Good luck getting that to happen, the kids aren't going to rat each other out, let alone in a public manner, and you could never allow it to be secret.
Even someone did want to do that, it would be nothing more than hearsay without uninvolved eyewitnesses. No one is going to get expelled from high school based on unsubstantiated reports or rumors.
This shows the ignorance the majority of administrators in this district display when it comes to definitions and responses to discipline. Is it any wonder the Feds are investigating SPS' record?
BTW, I take the posts noting how could students/parents know that, this time, the district/school was going to "mean it" about no hazing? In my simplistic comparison, I think about the tragedy of date-rape and how students/athletes/whomever perfectly are justified in not expecting that police and school officials might actually enforce rape laws...
If you read all my post, you will see that being suspended means " not a student" , and unable to access work.
Missing three days of assignments may be accommodated for incase of illness, but not in the case of suspension.
In the early '70's which was when. I was in high school, students did not take field trips for 3days or more.
If I had been able to easily make up the work, why would i have felt pressured to drop out of school?
If you read all my post, you will see that being suspended means " not a student" , and unable to access work.
Missing three days of assignments may be accommodated for incase of illness, but not in the case of suspension.
In the early '70's which was when. I was in high school, students did not take field trips for 3days or more.
If I had been able to easily make up the work, why would i have felt pressured to drop out of school?
To Solvay Girl,
"My point was that Garfield has not come down this hard on "froshers" in the past. If they really want to start doing that, great, but there needed to be a LOT of "this is no longer our culture" talk before this happened. I know a number of Garfield parents who felt the froshing was ok..."
FYI - two years ago a freshman was taken to the 520 off-ramp-to-nowhere at the north end of the arboretum, forced to drink hard alchohol and jump off the bridge. Sometime later, a car dumped the kid at the er entrance to Harborview. Officer Benny heard about it at school, went to Harborview and tried to get the kid's name but was refused. He later saw me in the hall and asked if he could ask my child to help him identify the kid. Officer Benny wanted to try to get the freshman to identify the upperclassmen.
People die of alchohol poisoning. RUMOR has it, there was hard alchohol at the arboretum this year as well. There is no excuse NOT to come down hard on these kids for that. It was only two years ago that a kid nearly died. Just because it doesn't make the paper does not mean it isn't happening.
WSDWG
Garfield Mom of 12th grader
Actually, if those "good kids" that got caught personally saw the "bad kids," they are eyewitnesses. It isn't hearsay, it is witness testimony. Hearsay would be repeating statements made by another, which sometimes is admissible in criminal court and can always be considered in disciplinary hearings. But SPS isn't event here yet, they are investigating, So, all they need is someone to come forward to identify ALL perpetrators. Until then, your arbitrary definitions as to who is "good" and who is "bad" is the worst kind of stereotyping and allows kids to avoid the consequences of their actions by blaming mysterious unisentified "bad" kids. Kind of reminds me of I may be a Nazi, but you didn't catch the SS and they are really the bad ones.
-IMHO
-IMHO
My bet is older siblings/friends continuing this "beloved" Garfield tradition by supplying "their" freshman now junior or senior with the alcohol. Same way the fraternity system has funded keggers for years,
-IMHO
http://westseattleblog.com/2011/10/teachers-disturbing-discovery-in-west-seattle-park-hazing/
--OldSchoolMusic