Seattle Public Schools and My Public Disclosure Requests - Part Two

As you may recall, back in June 2022, a week after Uvalde, Sand Point Elementary School was invaded by what appeared to be a mentally ill man. He climbed the fence, chased kids on the playground, and then continued to a 5th grade portable before he was talked out of the classroom by a teacher (not the teacher of record in that class) with the principal.

I had put in a public disclosure request for several items and have heard back on a few. 

One item result was astonishing - I asked for any emails that were sent to the Board president and/or entire Board or the Superintendent within specified dates and with key words around that incident from anyone identifying themself as a Sand Point Elementary parent or guardian. According to the Public Records Officer, not a SINGLE email of that kind exists. (Naturally, I would have expected the parent's name or child's name to be redacted.)

However, in a new batch, there were letters from community members who said if it were true that the principal was not fully cooperating with SPD, he should resign. (Baileykaze was moving out of the country at the end of the school year anyway.) There were at least 5 emails from parents (redacted). The principal tells the head of SPS Communications that he HAS been receiving emails and voicemails. Hmmm.

Not one single parent from the Sand Point Elementary School community wrote to anyone on the Board or the Superintendent about this incident? Sure.

1) One parent wrote to Baileykaze and asked some questions about the incident while assuring him he/she trusted him. Her son was one of the fifth graders in the portable invaded by the intruder.

Furthermore, my son was completely unsure of where "Ms Addie" was during this frightening moment for the kids.

That does remain a question - where was the 5th grade teacher? This has never been answered.

2) The head of SPS Communications is Beverly Redmond. Her office is at JSCEE but that particular day, she was somewhere in the NE because she managed to turn up at Sand Point Elementary School at or just before the time the police arrived. 

A Next Door account by a parent on the scene said "A school district supervisor/employee who lives nearby came on site and stepped in to support the principal." But that may have been Tony Ruby, the executive director of schools who also managed to be right on the scene. 

3) Right after the incident, the SPS Assistant Manager for Safety and Security, Benjamin Coulter, wrote to the then-principal, Rick Baileykaze, about a safety walk-thru. To note, a terrifying issue during the invasion was that 5th graders in the portable could not figure out how to lock their door and the intruder was then able to get into the room. (bold mine)

The tentative date being looked at is the 21st. That could change but I am sharing just to give you an idea of the window being looked at. Moving up the walk through on timing is not going to lead to work being done at your school faster, that is more about prioritizing of implementation after the walkthrough.

The walkthrough was to be about lighting, fencing and the school receiving the standard four buzzed entry points and four card reader entries. 

Honestly, I was shocked to read this. With all deliberate speed, SPS?  To note in the school account of the situation:

The door to P(ortable)6 couldn't be locked because I didn't have the external key. These doors cannot be locked from the inside alone. 

Mr. Coulter said he was more concerned about the foilage because there might be hiding spaces in it.

4) The principal, referencing the community meeting said that they had to be "extra careful" about the messaging on student signs. 

"Right now there are a lot of feelings out there regarding this incident and in an elementary school we have to carefully navigate student responses."

"Should a student protest the police response for example, it will only inflame the narative that we don't support SPD and we are teaching our students to do the same. "

"I will continue to work with the District to reach out to SPD about how this matter was documented in the police report and characterized in the media."

"Please make sure these are signs of love, support, joy and moving forward."

So no upset kid signage even to allow the students to work out difficult feelings. Tamp those down and spread joy. 

The Next Door accounting of the incident by a parent on the scene that day said:

Many of the classrooms did not know the reason for the lockdown, but those who had witnessed and been part of the events were shaken, crying, and scared. Many of the students had been discussing the recent school shooting in Texas in their classes since last week, and several of them were worried that this kind of event was going to happen to them while they remained in lockdown.

But kids, only love and joy on those signs. Who was the principal protecting - the kids or the school?

5) As for the police report,  SPD and Principal Baileykaze had very different memories of what happened with their interactions. And "the media?" That would be me because no one reported on this in any major way.

In fact the "draft letter" written by SPS Communications was not the same accounting as the SPD police report. In fact, the letter gives most of the credit to Baileykaze when it was two brave teachers who stood up to the intruder first.  

In Mr. Baileykaze's account you hear his frustration but also that the SPD officer came to where Baileykaze was with the suspect "approximately 20 seconds after I had left." That's pretty quick but Baileykaze had made it sound like the officer just sat in his car. The intruder left and "approximately 2 minutes later I made the call to the office to life us from lock down..." So again, if Baileykaze had felt safe just 2 minutes later, I'm not sure what the issue was with the police officer who was trying to gather information.

What's also odd is for all Baileykaze claiming to know the situation, he then tells a parent that he didn't know the 1st graders were on the playground at the same time as the 5th graders. 

But Baileykaze complained to Redmond about being frustrated at the accounts. He says he didn't like her talking point that he doesn't dispute the SPD police report. He says at no time was he uncooperative. Meanwhile the police report says Baileykaze walked away from the cop while the cop was still talking. Baileykaze is he couldn't understand the district "painted me as an obstructionist of justice at worst" and why the district didn't stand up to that narrative. He also complained he wanted to go before the press and that never happened. He mentioned he and his wife moving to Brazil but if he came back to look for a job, "it might not look great for me."

The ED, Tony Ruby said to Baileykaze of an SPD officer, "

Definitely keep including me. Keep mike on there so he can pick up the pieces when he’s not training the next generation of military talent.

Baileykaze also expresses concern over the intruder being released on bail and "I also have many students scared because supposedly the man (Harasam, Liban G) has been released on bail? Any way to find out if that's the case?"

 

I am now awaiting a batch with emails from SPS Safety and Security, executive directors, the then-principal, etc. 

I can ask if the safety measures ever got enacted. Maybe they finally did fix the door on that portable.