Friday Open Thread

Well, here's a truly disgusting Halloween story - several teachers/staff at an elementary school in Idago thought it hilarious fun to dress up like the "MAGA" border wall and caricatures of Mexicans.  And put it up on the district's Facebook page. Their superintendent had it taken down and is wagging his finger and yet, doesn't think they are racist.  It's hard to look at these photos and not think that they aren't.  From the Idaho Statesman:

“Do I think there was a malicious intent with this decision? No, I don’t,” the superintendent said in the video. “Was there a poor judgment involved? Absolutely. And we now have to own those decisions.”

Read more here: https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/educati/article221015995.html#storylink=cpy

Oh look, yet another payout from SPS to a staffer.  This time the payout is $500,000 to an SPS staffer who says athletic head Eric McCurdy sexually harassed her.  From the Times:

Seattle Public Schools will pay a former employee and her attorneys $500,000 after she complained that she faced a work environment so hostile she was forced to quit the district’s athletic department in 2016.

Krystyana Brame served the school district with a legal complaint in June, alleging that her former boss, Executive Director of Athletics Eric McCurdy, discriminated and retaliated against her and made sexually explicit comments on the job.

The investigation found that McCurdy had not violated a board policy against harassment, intimidation and bullying, but had “made inappropriate comments and used inappropriate language in the workplace,” Clover Codd, an assistant superintendent in human resources, wrote in a June 2016 letter to Brame.

About a month later, Deputy Superintendent Stephen Nielsen wrote to Brame that McCurdy had in fact violated the district’s policy against harassment, intimidation and bullying. Nielsen wrote that McCurdy’s supervisor was working with him to change his behavior.

I'd have to look at the management roster to see who supervises McCurdy. I suspect it's Pegi McEvoy.

Good story from The Stranger on Washington's Paramount Duty and others getting legislators on the record to support a capital gains tax to raise more money for public education.

After some prodding, many Democrats who were conspicuously absent from Paramount Duty's list of respondents finally told me whether they were prepared to get in there and tax the rich for the kids. 

The district is looking for members for their Title IX Task Force. 

The task force will review if the district meets Title IX legal requirements and demonstrates Seattle Public Schools’ commitment to safe and civil education and work environments. 

Applications are due by November 30, 2018 at 5 p.m. Applicants will be notified by December 10, 2018.

The district is also looking for input on the K-8 Science curriculum adoption.  Unfortunately this round, it's down JSCEE but you have until November 30th.

The most recent district adoption for elementary science was 1995 and 2002 for middle school. Over the last two decades, scientific knowledge has advanced and instructional practices have changed. It is important for our students to receive current, relevant, and authentic science experiences. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive core science curriculum in all Seattle schools. 

The finalist from this process will be brought into some classrooms for a field test in January and February. Teachers and students will provide input to the committees based on their experience with the materials. 

During the field test period, we will extend an invitation for families, staff, and community to provide feedback on the final instructional materials candidates. The materials will be on display at locations around the district, and all are encouraged to review.

What's on your mind?