Earth to the Seattle School Board; Quit with Ignoring the Safety Issues

Update 2:

From the Times on Saturday, Garfield High School and Nova High School are to reopen on Monday.

Both in-person classes and all after school activities will resume on Monday,  they wrote.

Seattle Public Schools has contracted for additional security to be outside both schools all week, the principals wrote, and there will be additional support from the district’s safety and security team. Seattle police will also be starting a patrol emphasis in the area to provide a police presence, they wrote.

Garfield will host a meeting about safety and security for students, families and staff on Monday evening at 7 p.m.

Regarding school building security, Jones said that in addition to increased police patrols, the district will send added private security to Garfield and Nova over the next week. 

If anyone attends the Garfield High safety meeting on Monday, do let us know how it goes.  

Superintendent Jones:

“Folks need to know that we are seeking help or seeking partnership to really curb this gun violence,” Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones said Friday. “It’s something that is a citywide issue that impacts our students.”

On this statement, he's right (and Director Liza Rankin said this in an interview) but it feels a bit like deflection. Given the district and Ingraham High School knew the accused shooter was bringing weapons to school a month before the murder there, it was something they could have been much more proactive on. 

In another story in the Times on Friday, Jones said this:

He said the district is being “proactive and reactive” in reaching out to city departments for assistance with campus safety and providing mental health support. 

“But it’s a very complex, complex situation and I think folks need to know that we are seeking help or seeking partnership to really curb this gun violence,” Jones said. “It’s something that is a citywide issue that impacts our students.”

Well, that "proactive and reactive" certainly took a long time after the murder at Ingraham, at least in the eyes of the parents there. Jones did acknowledge that the work "took more time than I anticipated."

Continuing the story:

Fred Podesta, the district’s chief operations officer, said he authorized $100,000 on Friday alone in emergency expenses. The district has also authorized more overtime for safety and security staff as more violent incidents and threats near schools are happening outside of the normal school and school event hours. 

With what money? It's a mystery. 

I am interested in why the Times didn't ask the Superintendent or SPS Communications if there were any OTHER high schools with safety issues. Because it would appear that parents at Franklin High School are deeply concerned about that school. 

I also wonder why the Times didn't ask if the changing of the locks couldn't get done faster, given the concerns at so many schools. (My understanding is that they are doing high schools first and I would hope that is done by now.) 

end of update

Update 1:

Nearby Nova High School is also closed today. For both schools, all after-school activities have been cancelled.

end of update

I would likely add, HELLO SUPERINTENDENT JONES! Ring up your good friend, Mayor Bruce Harrell for help.

From the Seattle Times:

After shootings and new threats, Seattle's Garfield High cancels in-person classes

Seattle’s Garfield High School will close its campus Friday “out of an abundance of caution” after three recent nearby shootings, the school’s principal announced Thursday in an email to parents.  Classes will be online Friday, with a two-hour late start.

None of the shootings involved students, but they did prompt increased security on campus, according to the Seattle Police Department and previous statements from Principal Tarance Hart.

 About those shootings:

Two of the shootings, including the most recent this past weekend, occurred near the Garfield Teen Life Center, a city facility next to the high school. A meeting will be held Monday for Garfield families to address student, staff, and parent concerns, a Seattle Public Schools spokesperson said.

Monday? Isn't that days away? Wouldn't a Saturday meeting have a bigger turnout for parents who work?

In a letter sent to Garfield students and family after the first shooting, principal Dr. Tarance Hart said the 19-year-old is not a Garfield student.

“At the time of the incident, Garfield track and softball practices were underway. We quickly moved to a shelter in place. Staff moved all students who were on campus inside. The shelter-in-place was lifted after SPD indicated that it was safe to do so,” Hart said.

Sure might have been the time to ask Director Michelle Sarju for a comment but the Times never seems to talk to anyone but President Brandon Hersey. I wonder if that was messaging given to the Board by Hersey.

Question: did Superintendent Jones ever get around to meeting with Ingraham parents? I don't see a notice at the Ingraham High School webpage. And what about the issues at Franklin High?

I was talking with someone yesterday about this disconnect between what the Super/Board talk about at Board meetings and what is happening on the ground, in the schools.

We need a new majority on the Board.