Seattle Schools Community Forum

The majority of high schools, comprehensive and alternative, will start at 7:50 am (ten minutes earlier than last year) and end at 2:20 pm.  This includes Cleveland STEM, World School and South Lake. The outliers are Center School (8:30 am-3:10 pm), Chief Sealth (8:40 am- 3:10 pm), Hale (8:40 am-3:10 pm) and Nova (8:30 am - 3:00 pm).  So Center School I get because of its location.  Sealth because it's a joint campus with Denny and the district promised to not have the middle school and high school kids come to school at the same time.  Nova?  Well, it is a project-based alternative school so I get that. But Hale? It lives a charmed life and has been able to keep their late start for years (and to this day).   (I personally have never seen any advocacy from Hale's administration for this kind of benefit for other high schools. ) Also, how is that it's okay for Nova, Hale and Sealth all to deliver 10 minutes less a day to students than other high sch...

I do want to note a couple of items before attending to the subject of the thread. Director McLaren was not in attendance at last night's meeting. Also, the student speaker, Mallory Richey of Roosevelt , told the Board and Superintendent that they are working more on school pride and have "Rider Pride" cards that they send home with students to their parents, letting the parents know a good thing - either kindness, leadership, etc. - that their student did that contributed to the life of the school.  Great idea. After attending part of last night's Board meeting, I feel somewhat differently about later start times for secondary students becoming a reality at some point in the near future.  Here's why. Most of the speakers for public testimony were speaking in support of later start times and boy, did the supporters find some good speakers. One was Michael Vitiello who is a UW professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.  From his UW page: Dr. Vitie...

I am urging you to speak out - either via e-mail or via public testimony - to the Board about two subjects. One, student data privacy.  We see from the agenda the RTTT item, some of which is about helping PreK-3rd grade students.  It's a fine idea but again, that's exactly the starting age that many entities want to start data tracking.  Will their parents be told this is happening (or asked if they consent)? Two, later start times for high school.  As I reported, staff is not saying no but basically, we have enough work and the Board didn't make it priority.  President Peaslee said that they could not include everything into the Strategic Plan but that the Board has been talking about this and asking for feasibility information for quite a few years.  Help the Board get there to that nuts and bolts discussion. Write to them at schoolboard@seattleschools.org.   Tell them you want a student data privacy policy with real teeth and protections and/o...

Tuesday, January 7th Work Session: Transportation Service Standards and School Start Times from 5-6:30 p.m.  No agenda/presentation available. Should be interesting given that many want a discussion on school start times and staff seems to be pushing back mightily.   However, President Peaslee is not moving an inch on waiting to have that discussion. Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council Meeting from 6:30 pm to 9:00 p.m., JSCEE Room 2700. Wednesday, January 8th Executive Committee Meeting , 8:30-10 am, Update- agenda School Board Meeting starting at 4:15 pm.  Agenda . Please sign up to speak on student data privacy.   The district is NOT happy over the unilateral move by OPSI in their agreement with the Seattle Times for Seattle student data.  Let them know you want a robust policy with teeth (currently none exists).   Need talking points?  Contact me.

From The Huffington Post : During the four-year study, researchers are working with hundreds of 10 to 18-year-olds who have trouble falling asleep and waking up. “Adults are good with eight hours of sleep, but because teenage minds and bodies are developing so rapidly, they should be getting about nine ,” explained Allison Harvey, the principle investigator in the study and a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, to The Huffington Post.  During each semester of the ongoing study, researchers invite several dozen teens who suffer from sleep deprivation to a “slumber party” on campus. Teens are then paired with "sleep coaches" who monitor hormone levels and sleeping habits and patterns. The teens also attend workshops about habits to promote a good night's rest, including meditation, creating a tech-free zone and other methods outlined in the slideshow below. Harvey also hopes that with concrete results, researchers might have a s tronger case for p...

OSPI is apparently interested in your thoughts on a later start for high schools .  I don't believe they have the authority to order this to happen but that they are interested in finding out the depth of interest is a good sign. Weigh in at their Facebook page .

There are lots and lots of great reasons for Seattle Public Schools to swap around the start times for school so that elementary school starts earlier and middle and high school starts later. A group called Start School Later Seattle has is looking for a resounding show of support for moving secondary schools to a later start time. They have created a petition. You can express your support for the effort by signing the petition at :  http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/later-start-time-for?mailing_id=13345

It's a quiet week for SPS because of Spring Break. The City has a survey about your use of the Internet, cable tv and city communications .  It might be good to take it as it may influence what kind of access to technology may be available in our city.  Transportation A group called Start School Later is doing a survey about flipping start times .  I received word about this from several readers and it appears to be aimed only at elementary parents.  Saturday, April 20th Memorial service for the late Cheryl Chow at Town Hall at 10:30 am.  This is likely to be quite crowded so be advised if you plan on attending.   Community Meeting with Director DeBell from 9-11 am at Cafe Appassionato by Fisherman's Terminal. Community Meeting with Director Martin-Morris from 9:30-11:30 am at Diva Espresso on Lake City Way. Parent Forum put on by the Road Map Project at Foster High School in Tukwila.  They will have workshops and a Resource Fair....