More News From the Investigation of Two Seattle School Board Members; Director Interviews

There were three directors interviewed for the investigation into accusations against Director Chandra Hampson and former Director Zachary DeWolf that the two harassed, bullied and/or intimidated two senior Black SPS staffers using their "positional authority." The investigation concluded they had done so. 

The directors interviewed were Liza Rankin and Lisa Rivera Smith. I do not know if Director Leslie Harris was asked and declined or was not asked at all. I suspect the former. Ditto on former Director Eden Mack who stepped down in the middle of her term, citing dysfunction (and clearly that was true).

Liza Rankin

This particular interview seems to have random statements but Director Rankin has frequently pointed out she is ADD and has concentration issues so that may be why. 

She says she knew Hampson when they both served on the Seattle Council PTSA Board as did Eden Mack. 

She says she knew there had been "some conflict" among various racial groups but she said the accusations by the two Black staffers of racism were "shocking." She said when she saw the letter of complaint, she wondered, "What the hell is going on?"

She said she listened into the fateful Executive Committee meeting that appears to have been the final straw for the staffers and thought it "weird." She said that she thought DeWolf was just trying to keep the meeting going and did not bully anyone. 

"Usually the staff person responsible says, 'Here is where we are; the documents are attached, ' and asks if there are questions." 

Then there is a formal presentation at a Board meeting and yet it was happening at this meeting. She said that there was "a lot of out-of-order behavior" with "people trying to assert themselves." 

She said that DeWolf was "regularly rude and disrespectful" but she would not have "characterized his interactions as bullying or harassing." 

She also spoke about the background of DeWolf and Hampson and said that "both DeWolf and Hampson are perceived as White, and this may add to some of the conflict." She said that DeWolf "is a victim of trying to prove himself in a White-Dominant space." But she said that it would be hard for either Hampson or DeWolf to tell a person of color what that person was experiencing and it add layers that both are Native American.

She said that most of Juneau's direct reports are women, "so it's hard to tell if the issues are about women or just if there are fewer men." 

And again, like others who were interviewed, she seems to be saying this fight was predicated on the ownership of Policy 0040. 

Lisa Rivera Smith

Unlike Hampson and Rankin, Rivera Smith was not part of SCPTSA but worked at the school level before she was elected. 

When she started her term, she interviewed staff members to understand their roles and their work, trying to build relationships. 

She said initially it was hard to work with DeWolf despite having some similar goals. She said that they  worked past issues and wanted to work well together.

She said that Hampson is a strong-minded person who seems to carry a lot of trauma with her. She says Hampson is "quick" to tell her when Hampson thinks Rivera Smith does something inappropriate. Rivera Smith goes to committee meetings of which she is not a member . She feels that Hampson has treated her harshly for that. 

I'll just interject that ANY Board member can attend ANY Board committee meeting. Unless that member is disrupted, no one on any committee should be complaining about their presence. More bullying by Hampson it appears. 

She said that Hampson didn't systemically cut people off in meetings but DeWolf did. 

She said that she knows Hampson centers the voices of those who are marginalized and yet the accusations by Scarlett and Al-Ansi got made. 

I will again break in here and say that two things can be true at once. Hampson can center marginalized voices AND be a bully to others. 

She thought the letter of complaint was "very brave and long overdue." Rivera Smith said she had heard from community members who had issues with how Hampson interacts with people. 

She was at the Executive Committee meeting because Leslie Harris, a member of that committee, could not be present to take a vote. She said that tight agendas do lessen the time for questions/discussion.She took notes of this meeting and gave them to the investigator.

 She said she thought there was "hurt and disrespect going on." She believes there was "some trauma in the policy making." SCPTSA wanted forward movement on the policy.  Hampson seemed determined to say that the policy came from community and it was going go back to community.