Wednesday Open Thread
An absolutely stunning story from KOMO news about SPS students possibly being infected with the HIV virus in school clinics:
Yet another shocking example of teen tone-deafness/racist behavior this one local from Issaquah. For those of you that don't know the term, "Tolo" is a Sadie Hawkins dance - one where girls invite boys. (I note that a copy of the photo without the blurring of faces is still out there - I chose not to print it.)
A message from the superintendent at Issaquah SD. The girl in question said this was a poor choice and "not what is in her heart."
I note the words of former Washington State Teacher of the Year and great thinker, Nate Bowling:
Upcoming threads
- today's Work Session on the Budget (including enrollment). Still a mystery how staff can complain about enrollment and offer absolutely no reason why that might be happening.
- yesterday's Work Session on the Science adoption. I thought you couldn't surprise me after all these years but it was quite a show. Again, I sure wish that they would record the Work Sessions because minutes don't capture all of it. (That said, I can't wait to read the official minutes when they become available.)
- Seattle Council PTSA issues a lengthy white paper on PTA fundraising.
What's on your mind?
More than 1,200 students at schools in Seattle and Vashon Island were potentially exposed to hepatitis and the HIV virus through dental equipment that was not completely sterilized, says a local health provider.
The affected schools in Seattle are Denny International Middle School, Chief Sealth International High School, Van Asselt Elementary, Mercer Middle School, Roxhill Elementary, West Seattle Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Madison Middle School, Beacon Hill International and Bailey Gazert Elementary.The district says parents should direct issue to Neighborcare Health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no reports in the literature of infectious disease transmission from a dental handpiece, so the risk to students is considered to be very low, Erikson said.
Nevertheless, notification letters were sent to patients who may have been affected by the incident to notify them of possible exposure, and to provide details on how they can get testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. The screening will be provided at no cost to patients at Immediate Clinic urgent care centers.
Yet another shocking example of teen tone-deafness/racist behavior this one local from Issaquah. For those of you that don't know the term, "Tolo" is a Sadie Hawkins dance - one where girls invite boys. (I note that a copy of the photo without the blurring of faces is still out there - I chose not to print it.)
A message from the superintendent at Issaquah SD. The girl in question said this was a poor choice and "not what is in her heart."
I note the words of former Washington State Teacher of the Year and great thinker, Nate Bowling:
It's worth pointing out that no one with a comprehensive understanding of chattel slavery would EVER have thought this was even remotely funny. Racism is often a manifestation of ignorance. That means it can be transcended by teaching and/or untaught.On the heels of that issue is a lengthy update from Buzzfeed about the Wisconsin high school students who appeared to be making a Nazi salute in a pre-prom photo. The article hits many important points.
Upcoming threads
- today's Work Session on the Budget (including enrollment). Still a mystery how staff can complain about enrollment and offer absolutely no reason why that might be happening.
- yesterday's Work Session on the Science adoption. I thought you couldn't surprise me after all these years but it was quite a show. Again, I sure wish that they would record the Work Sessions because minutes don't capture all of it. (That said, I can't wait to read the official minutes when they become available.)
- Seattle Council PTSA issues a lengthy white paper on PTA fundraising.
What's on your mind?
Comments
Great review of concerns with HCC SoSC - coming to a MS near you.
Advocacy alert: Contact the board about Washington Middle School – your middle school could be next
HiCapSeattle HiCapSeattle2019-03-31
Washington Middle School (WMS) has experienced a lot of upheaval this school year. Some of this is because of the style and choices made by a new principal, but many relate to how the District handles capacity management, HCC, and school oversight, including curriculum and funding policies.
We urge everybody, especially North End parents, to e-mail spsdirectors@seattleschools.org asking for the following (please rewrite these talking points using your own words):
Standardize the breadth of course offerings at all comprehensive middle schools so that students south and north of the Ship Canal have similar academic opportunities. For instance, world languages have been all but scrapped at Washington, while students at other middle schools (with and without HCC) can choose among two or three languages starting in 6th grade.
Standardize HCC course sequences so that students have similar opportunities at each HCC pathway middle school.
Require principals at HCC sites and teachers who teach HCC students to have professional development in highly capable identification and education.
Create a “program placement impact analysis tool” that must be used as part of the process when changes are proposed to the enrollment pattern for any school currently housing a specialized academic program. Such specialized programs include Advanced Learning/HCC, ELL, Dual Language Immersion, Special Education, Alternative Concept Schools, Option Schools, and any other school with a program fitting this description.
Ensure that the District does not short-change the increasing number of students of color who are served by Advanced Learning programs. For most of these students, the designated HCC middle school will be Washington, and they must have the same opportunities as any other.
Ensure equity in funding across all schools. Washington, by being an HCC site and an attendance area school in a lower-income area of the city, requires extra resources to meet needs, especially those of the District’s new highest priority, students of color furthest from educational justice. These students are NOT receiving the extra funding required.
Background
By serving a 360-student HC population and about 300 attendance area students, Washington Middle School attempts to meet needs unlike any other SPS comprehensive middle school.
Of the attendance area students who don’t have HC or Advanced Learner status, 79% are eligible for free lunch, and about 70% are in groups identified in the new SPS Strategic Plan as “furthest from educational justice” [all data come from this WMS principal handout]. More than two-thirds of these students are not succeeding on SBA tests and other measures of academic success.
Yet, when this population’s demographics and test scores are combined with those of the HC and AL students, Washington appears very “average” within the District. However, an “average” amount of staffing doesn’t enable the school to properly educate both the many at-risk students as well as HC students.
Here is some information about the crisis at Washington Middle School:
KOMO report: https://www.kiro7.com/…/students-at-washington-mi…/912724476
Seattle Times report on use of public shaming: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/up-there-to-humiliate-is-a-seattle-schools-detention-list-bringing-shaming-back/
Melissa Westbrook’s blog has three important news items from the past year—some of this may be new to you. Despite some comments from trolls, there actually is important contextual and statistical information in some reader comments: https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2018/09/washington-middle- school-woes.html
https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2019/02/washington-middle-school-upheaval-update.html
https://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2018/09/washington-middle-school-meeting.html
Gotta Go
Dental 101
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/crime/article/Charge-Seattle-teacher-s-aide-raped-young-student-12562473.php
Why wasn't the guy ever fired before children suffered?
I am not in favor of accommodating any religious holidays, even Christmas, because ideally you would accommodate all or accommodate none. Just let people miss school on the religious holidays of their choosing, perhaps offer a number of religious excused absences per year.
FNH
There is a bigger story to this and when the final disposition comes in, I'll tell it. Let's just say some people at Muir took their eye off the safety of students in this case.