This and That, February 28, 2026
There was a Shelter in Place this week for two southend schools but this time it was Franklin High School and John Muir Elementary. They are one mile apart. Apparently there was shooting going on somewhere between the schools. According to the Times, the police caught the shooters. I am trying to get further info on the shooters. No shots were near either school and the students were safe.
So that makes about eight schools in a month in the southend that have experienced shelter-in-place, This is clearly a problem with teen boys getting guns. From the SPD dashboard:
Just before 1:00 p.m., patrol officers responded to reports of gunfire in the 3300 block of Wetmore Avenue South. There, police recovered multiple shell casings. Witnesses reported seeing two suspects running from the area.
Officers caught the two suspects and detained them. They recovered a handgun with an extended magazine and an auto sear or “switch” that converts the weapon into automatic fire. While investigating, police determined the boys were involved in a shooting with at least two other individuals.
Police arrested the teens for Unlawful possession of a firearm, as they both handled the gun. Both are convicted felons under 18 and are prohibited from having firearms. Officers booked them into juvenile detention at the Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center.
Incident Number: 2026-53992
Convicted felons before they are 18? And a converted weapon that has automatic fire?
I note that early yesterday morning, SPD responded to a call from Capitol Hill where a drunken 16-year old shot up a pizza shop and tried to hijack and Uber car at gunpoint. This was just after 1:30 am. The kid was getting drunk (with a fake ID) at some nearby bar and got kicked out. Get this:
Security walked the teen to a Maserati parked in front of the bar, and he got into the back seat. As the luxury car began driving away, the teen shot several times through the back passenger window at security who were still standing on the sidewalk.
Video surveillance footage captured the shooting. Five people can be seen narrowly escaping gunfire, running and ducking for their lives.
The kid got spotted by SPD officers who nabbed him. It was then when an Uber driver told the police what the suspect had tried with him.
A kid with a Maserati AND a gun? Oh my.
I noted at the SPS Facebook page the other day that the lead item is about vacations. (As of yesterday, they still had the February break notice even though it was finished last week.) One thing I found particularly odd is that there is a new superintendent doing community meetings and you had to scroll down to the middle of the page to find it.
I see today they actually moved it to the top where it should be. I have my doubts about this Communications team. They always seem one step behind.
Here are the dates for the remaining meetings:
- Tuesday, March 3, 7:30–8:30 p.m., South Shore K–8, 4800 S Henderson St.
- Tuesday, March 10, 7:30–8:30 p.m., Salmon Bay K–8, 1810 NW 65th St.
- Tuesday, March 17, 7:30–8:30 p.m., Eckstein Middle School, 3003 NE 75th St.
- Tuesday, March 24, 6:30–7:30 p.m., McClure Middle School, 1915 1st Ave W.
- Thursday, March 26, 6:30–7:30 p.m., James Baldwin Elementary, 11725 1st Ave NE
- Tuesday, March 31, 6:30–7:30 p.m., West Seattle Elementary, 6760 34th Ave SW
- Thursday, April 2, 6–7:30 p.m., Virtual, online; link forthcoming
- English, Amharic, Chinese
Community Engagement Meeting Schedule and information - English, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese
Community Engagement Meeting Schedule and information
I hope you will join us. Bring your ideas, your questions, and your hopes for our students. Together, we can create schools where every child feels supported, challenged, and inspired.
If you cannot make one of these sessions, that’s okay. We will be livestreaming and recording them on the SPSTV YouTube channel. And there will be plenty of future opportunities to attend a meeting, join one of the roundtables I am forming, pull me aside when you see me at a school or in the community, or just send me an email at boshuldiner@seattleschools.org.
I will also be visiting every school in my first 100 days. Please say hello if you see me at drop-off, in your hallways, or out in the community.
Thank you for welcoming me into this incredible community. I look forward to meeting you and listening.
In partnership,
Ben Shuldiner
Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools
From SPS Facebook:
From the Seattle Times:
State lawmakers might reduce funding for Running Start, a program that lets high school juniors and seniors take courses and earn credits at community and technical colleges.
Running Start students don’t pay tuition but do have to cover required fees, books and transportation. They get both high school and college credit.
But amid a budget shortfall, lawmakers have proposed cutting $14 million from the program. If enacted, students in the program might need to pay to continue taking summer courses.
Several years ago, state lawmakers raised the maximum combined enrollment per Running Start student, allowing them to take more courses during a school year, including the summer.
Lawmakers now want to lower that cap, which would mean fewer courses and staff available to high schoolers. As such, students wouldn’t have the chance to take as many courses, or may not be able to take additional courses during the summer.
The policy change could affect nearly 7,000 students annually, according to the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Thoughts?
Comments