The Gaze of the Superintendent and Seattle School Board - Part Two

 Troubling Issues at Hand

One - violence to SPS students and at buildings in SPS continues on. To have some students even suggesting bringing back SPD officers to high schools is stunning because my impression is student overwhelmingly didn't want that. But perhaps they are really scared. 

 

Two - Recalling the overzealous middle school mental health screener being used - Check Yourself - my sources has even MORE distressing comments from students.

• “dont contact anyone or talk to me about any of my answers”
• “I don't really see why we have to do this because it is private information, and even if someone needs help they would tell someone if they wanted to.”
• “IT WUZ WEERD” • “i never want to do this ever again
• “there was not msny middle ground options”
• “its nice but im worried my parents will get upset if they find out the things i do”
• “why do want to know my sexual orientation?
- My teacher is watching me take the questions; please tell the teachers not to.
- Don't make it (sic) this weird people see what I am writing and placing as my answers. I don't like that

- on some of the answers I wish there was a "sometimes.”
• “i would like to be able to skip questions and it allows me to move on to the next one”
• “are you going to contact anyone about my answers”
• “Do I have to take this again later?”
- Getting too personal

And, my source has enough information to narrow down to individual students because you can see the school, the grade, the race/ethnic background, age, other members of family, language spoken at home. With those data points, you can figure out who a student is. This is wrong.

 

Three, the terrible situation at Rainier View Elementary School as outlined by concerned parents at a recent Board meeting AND in this article in the Seattle Times. The district promises "a community meeting" when it appears the parents and staff want a direct intervention. This situation appears to have gone on for YEARS. 

Some parents and staff described the environment at the 200-student school as “oppressive” and “traumatic,” where teachers are afraid to speak up or question Pinchback-Jones because they fear retaliation, according to legal documents, emails, public testimony and interviews. 

A letter this week from the Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance alleged that students were made to walk in the hallways in silence, couldn’t wear coats when going from the school building to portable classrooms, and could only use the bathroom during recess. The PTSA has been unable to hold meetings in the school building and said that students were suspended without proper documentation, according to the letter, which was part of a public campaign aimed at Superintendent Brent Jones and Director Brandon Hersey, the school board member who represents the area. The campaign was launched to pressure them to look into the yearslong complaints and remove Pinchback-Jones as principal.

The PTSA has filed several complaints over the years, including a May 2023 federal civil rights complaint, alleging harsh discipline policies and practices that fell disproportionately on Black and brown students, discrimination against English learners, religious discrimination, and violations of students’ individual education plans.  

What does the district say?

“We’ll collaborate with families and staff to address issues, maintain a welcoming environment, and keep the joy of learning at the forefront.” 

SPS says they will "take action" before Spring Break but that the work of investigating won't come until the end of the school year.  

While Rome burns the district acts with all deliberate speed.

The state of the continuing decline in enrollment numbers. 

I am on a Facebook page for Seattle parents. I noticed that one topic was about private schools. I asked why these parents were not considering public schools (and I said this was for information, not to criticize them).

Two main reasons were given. 

One, the uncertainty that continues about HCC services, starting with next year's no first grade at Cascadia Elementary, an HCC school. Going from even trying to understand how to enroll in the program to what is actually going to happen over the next couple of years with the return of these students to their neighborhood schools, parents cannot get solid answers from their principals or district staff and the frustration is real. Parents are ready to throw their hands up and go.

This issue is not over separate HCC services; parents just want to know what the services will look like in the future. The district seems to forget this is a state mandate.

Two, and this came as a surprise to me, safety. And I mean safety in elementary and middle schools. So many parents said that their child was experiencing an on-going situation and not just a one-time experience. Parents asked principals and teachers what to do and yet nothing seemed to change for their child. 

So again, safety in SPS appears to be left twisting in the wind with no real appearance of action on the part of the district and it is driving parents away. 

This is a typical result - parents who can flee will leave. And, the discussions on the playground or at the supermarket about who is leaving only puts the idea in the heads of other parents. Or potential parents of SPS students.

OSPI has given SPS dough to do some kind of research/survey on the falling SPS enrollment numbers. 

In all these cases, maybe they should just ASK parents. And listen. And act. 

 

And I didn't even mention two new issues at Garfield High School that are likely to become news soon. 

So while Crabill is whispering in the ears of the members of the School Board and Superintendent Brent Jones operates with something of a veil of secrecy, parents are voting with their feet. 

What happens on the ground truly matters, whether the Superintendent and the Board are paying attention or not.