Seattle Schools Community Forum

From SPS Communications: At Seattle Public Schools, it is our top priority to make sure each and every student is safe. When we have an incident like we did on Oct. 27, where a Center School student brought an incendiary device to school, it is important that we take the time to review how school and district staff respond to these incidents. While we conducted this review, we did place Principal Oksana Britsova on paid administrative leave. The review is now complete and concluded that there were no issues with how Principal Britsova handled the situation. She has returned to school today. However, our review led us to take a deeper look at our procedures and we are working on making some additional improvements in our security communications. Center School staff members have spent time debriefing the incident, and the school’s building leadership team met on Tuesday afternoon to revise the shelter-in-place protocol. Staff will be looking at other...

From SPS Twitter at about 2:30 p.m.: Franklin HS and Thurgood Marshall Elementary are in shelter-in-place after shots were fired in nearby neighborhood. SPD looking for suspects. Students were released on time when school ended.  For Thurgood students who normally walk home, parents were asked to come and pick them up.

Remember that thinking, after the mass killings at an elementary school earlier this year, that we should arm teachers and staff at our schools ?  Well, Kansas passed a law allowing teachers and others to be armed.  Guess what the problem is ? Via TPM: An insurance company based in Iowa has refused to renew coverage for Kansas schools that permit teachers and staff to carry concealed firearms on campus, the Des Moines Register reported  on Sunday. EMC Insurance Cos. made the decision after Kansas enacted a new law to allow the concealed guns on campus. The company told the newspaper the decision was based on financial policy, not politics. The company reportedly covers 85 to 90 percent of Kansas school districts. "We’ve been writing school business for almost 40 years, and one of the underwriting guidelines we follow for schools is that any on-site armed security should be provided by uniformed, qualified law enforcement officers,” Mick Lovell, EMC’s vice ...

Dear Seattle Public Schools community: As the 2012-2013 school year draws to a close, I want to thank you all for welcoming me in my first year as your Superintendent. It has been a pleasure to get to know the schools and community and learn about the ideas and concerns each of you have. My conversations with educators, students, families, staff and community members have provided insight for changes and priorities, both for this year and for the future.  Throughout the year we’ve celebrated successes and addressed challenges. The 2,900 students graduating from high school this year are a visible reminder that our primary purpose continues to be ensuring that students graduate prepared for college, career and life. We are building for the future Our enrollment continues to increase, with more Seattle families choosing to send their children to Seattle Public Schools. Thanks to approval by Seattle voters, two key levies will help us address running the...

From Seattle.gov: Today Mayor Mike McGinn announced five new locations for future school zone speed cameras at locations across Seattle. The existing school zone cameras have led to a combined 16 percent reduction in citations for speeding across the four schools. “The public has been clear that we need to do more to protect children as they travel to and from school,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “The data shows that the existing cameras are helping improve safety near schools by reducing travel speed and cameras should be installed at additional schools.” “Increasing safety in our school zone and beyond continues to be a high priority for me and for our school community,” said Sherri Kokx, principal of Nathan Eckstein Middle School, a potential location for future school zone traffic cameras. “School zone cameras are one more tool that can help increase safety.” Last fall, the City installed school zone speed cameras in four locations – Broadview-Thomson K-8, Olympic...

From My Northwest, a report of three (apparent) attempts to abduct a child in three different areas in the Puget Sound Region (including outside of two schools including Coe Elementary).  Talk to your children about strangers and what to do if they are approached.  From the story: The National Child Prevention Council offers these tips for talking with kids about stranger danger: You should also talk to your children about how they should handle dangerous situations. One way is to teach them "No, Go, Yell, Tell." If in a dangerous situations, kids should say no, run away, yell as loud as they can, and tell a trusted adult what happened right away. It's good to practice this in different situations so that your children will feel confident in knowing know what to do. Here are a few possible scenarios: -A nice-looking stranger approaches your child in the park and asks for help finding the stranger's lost dog. -A woman who lives in your neighb...

I ran across some items about science and public education and wanted to share them. An article from the NY Times caught my eye about ADHD and sleep .  For some people — especially children — sleep deprivation does not necessarily cause lethargy; instead they become hyperactive and unfocused. Researchers and reporters are increasingly seeing connections between dysfunctional sleep and what looks like A.D.H.D ., but those links are taking a long time to be understood by parents and doctors. This article appeared in the journal Science about an interview with Ed Lazowska in UW's department of Computer Science and Engineering about the future of computer science.   (Public disclosure; I know Ed and the department very well.)  Some highlights:

I hope this to be the last word on capacity issues at Eckstein (but I suspect not as these parents are quite persistent).  From the  DPD/FMO.  (I am not posting the entire thing but here's pertinent info.) "During inspection, staff walked the halls and observed class sizes and hall traffic between classes.   No signs of overcrowding in halls or classrooms was observed with respect to allowing safe exiting in the event of emergency. " "For purposes of safe exiting, the more doors you have off (classrooms and offices and hallways), the more people you can have in the building.  Based on current building code standards, the size of the rooms and number/proximity of exits, Eckstein Middle School could safely handle over 4,000 people for purposes of exiting." "Portables with one door are limited to 49 occupants but portables with an additional exit can have more." Re: pedestrians - " The topic of student safety is important and should be discusse...

 Update: A hugely helpful and through wrap-up of the current discussion over K-12 public education funding (and the fulfillment of McCleary) in the Legislature over at Publicola . Basically, the Republicans wanted to pass an amendment that said they approve an education budget FIRST and then a state budget.  And all without saying what they would cut elsewhere to fulfill the needs of the education budget. Even LEV doesn't like this idea.  It makes the Republicans look great - we care about education, first and foremost - when we all know those cuts would be drastic ones especially to areas of social services which have already been slashed.  Mental health services (like for people who might go shoot up someplace)? Already cut?  Insurance for poor people?  Already cut.  Higher ed?  Already cut. I'm not saying there won't be pain but it has to be clear BEFORE any vote where the pain will be. End of update. In a newbie display of id...

From the Times about the West Seattle robberies of Denny students : S eattle police believe they may have caught at least one teen connected to the armed muggings and beatings of West Seattle middle-schoolers earlier this week. When officers approached a dozen teens hanging out around 4 p.m. today near Roxhill Park, where the armed robberies took place, several of them took off running. Officers chased after them and caught eight, all between 14 and 18 years of age. One 18-year-old was arrested and booked into King County Jail because of a gun and box of ammo in a car he’d been driving. The seven other teens were released, but police say they’re continuing to examine any links between them and recent robberies in the area. The Stranger Slog is reporting that Salmon Bay K-8 has dropped out of the MAP boycott.   They surmised, (and I believe rightly so) that their middle school could lose funding via the Families and Education levy for their middle school activities....

What a week.  Confusion over the interim plan for the next school year, GHS teachers/staff take a stand against MAP and a chance of snow flurries?  Support GHS teachers (and encourage other SPS teachers/staff) to say no to MAP at their Facebook page .   Don't forget the following activities this weekend: Saturday, January 12th Kick-off for Schools First campaign for the SPS operations and capital levies (Props 1 and 2) from 10:30-11:30 am at McKinstry's Innnovation Center (just sw of Costco), 210 S. Hudson St. Director Carr Community Meeting from 8:30-10 am at Bethany Community Church, 8023 Green Lake Dr North - Main Sancutary Bld, Classroom A Director Martin-Morris Community Meeting from 9:30-11:30 am at Diva Espresso, 8013 Lake City Way NE Director McLaren Community Meeting from 10:15am - 12:15 pm at Delridge Library, 5423 Delridge Way SW Sunday, January 13th Washington Ceasefire march/rally starting at 1:30 p.m .  We will walk from Westlake...

There was a high school shooting in Taft, California today with one student shot but with a teacher and administrator able to talk the student shooter into giving up his weapon.  Taft is a rural community  about 120 miles northwest of LA.  Taft Union High School has about 900 students. From AP: When the shots were fired, the teacher began trying to get the more than two dozen students out a back door and also engaged the shooter in conversation to distract him, Youngblood said. A campus supervisor responding to a call of shots fired also began talking to him. "They talked him into putting the shotgun down," Youngblood said. The sheriff said that at one point the shooter told the teacher, "I don't want to shoot you" and named the person he wanted to shoot. The shooter may have had up to 20 shotgun rounds in his pockets, he said. Officials said there's usually an armed officer on campus but the person wasn't there because he was snowe...

2013.  Let's make this the year when gun control matters.   Enough of these (seemingly) endless mass shootings.  Folks, we can agree to disagree on what the Second Amendment means.  (I personally believe our Founding Fathers meant a militia of many and not of one but that's not how the Supreme Court ruled.) Let me be clear.  Yes, it's is about who has the gun, not the gun.  But way too many guns means access to those guns by people who should not have access. It's about common sense.  It's also about saying if you own a gun, you WILL be held responsible for what happens to that gun (unless it is stolen.  FYI, only gun store owners have to report a missing or lost gun.  That should change as well.)  If gun owners know that they will be accountable, they will be more likely to secure their weapons. No one needs a military-style assault weapon but the military.     No one needs to get be able to buy a gun without a ...

From th West Seattle Blog, a report of yet another break-in (the second in two months) at Arbor Heights Elementary.  Both times, computers were taken.  From WS Blog: 4:29 PM UPDATE: More information from SPS’s Wippel: Four computers were stolen today, worth $1,800 each – $7,200 total – “And no budget to replace them. The four stolen last November weren’t replaced either. (Principal) Christy Collins said the kids ‘feel violated’.” How did the thieves get in? Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson tells WSB the break-in was discovered after an alarm went off around 5 am; officers found a door, hinge pins removed, propped open on the south side of the school, and started searching.   Yes, this school really does need rebuilding because this is NOT how buildings are today.  It's heartless to take from a school that clearly has so little.  Maybe there's another way to get those computers replaced. 

 Update: statement from SPS on the NRA statement. We are forming a joint working group with the Seattle Police Department to study all recommendations for improving our school safety, and this effort will begin early in 2013. Together, we will formulate sustainable plans for implementing improved safety measures across the District. The security of our students and staff is our highest priority, and we look forward to working with our staff and community partners to implement improved safety measures across the District. End of update. I rarely call people names here.  Not useful and there are better ways to say you disagree with people. But head of NRA, Wayne LaPierre - an idiot.  Here's what he is saying in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings:   "How can we possibly even guess how many, given our nation's refusal to create an active national database of the mentally ill?"   Wayne, your group doesn't even support an act...

Dear families, The Seattle School District is reviewing whether it should apply to the State Board of Education for a waiver, to allow the three full-day parent teacher conference schedule to continue for elementary and K-8 schools. The waiver also seeks one day for middle and high schools. Your input is valuable to us as we consider this decision. Parent-teacher conferences are important to ensuring direct communications between classroom teachers and families, and we want to make sure that we gather input from as many families as possible about these meetings. We have prepared a brief survey that should take 5-10 minutes to complete. The survey will close on Friday, January 11th at 5:00 p.m.  The survey is available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Parent-Teacher-Conferences-Jan2012   We appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Sincerely, Michael Tolley Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning Seattle P...

Back to school for the last week of the 2012 year.  What did you tell your children?  What do you hope your child's teacher does (or does not) say to your child?  Should they say anything or is that your job as parent? What about older students?  Is gun control an issue that high school students should consider in their history or civics classes? What do you think about what Sandy Hook Elementary had in place (which, sadly, did not work).  Namely, locking all the doors after a certain point and people had to be buzzed into the building. What about arming every principal?  That was one suggestion I read (although it would make the office and the principal a first target for anyone thinking of attacking a school).   Here's a good article from the NY Times on this subject. From SPS communications on talking with your children.

I heard about this story early this morning before there are many details.  I had assumed it was not serious. A man with a gun has shot and killed 27 people, 18 of them children, at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.  Allegedly, the killer went after his mother, a teacher, and then killed 18 students in her classroom.  He also shot seven other adults. From the NY Times: A photograph published by a local newspaper, The Newtown Bee , showed a line of children being escorted out of the school with some of the children crying.  This is BULLSHIT. Folks, what kind of country do we live in that we are accepting of this kind of thing, month after month, year after year?  What is is going to take until citizens - across the country, across political lines - say NO MORE? I am fine with people owning guns but they should have to be licensed like a driver's license. I am fine with people owning guns but they MUST be held responsible for what happens (eve...

When I attended a DeBell community meeting a couple of months back, there were some very unhappy McClure parents.  They had numerous issues but one was that two of their students had been pulled out of class - for different reasons relating to higher level behavior issues - and questioned by administrators.  One of the fathers was upset that neither he nor his wife had been contacted about the questioning. (By higher level behavior issues, I mean things like fighting, drugs found, etc.) The father said something to the effect of " well, if it had been the police I would have been notified ."  That stuck with me and I finally got around to checking. The policy in question that answers this issue is D78.00 School-Police Relations (it is to be reviewed as part of the on-going Board policy updates). There is a section on "interviewing of students" which states that the district encourages any police questioning to take place "off school premises", ...

Over the last week there have been some troubling incidents around two of our high schools, Roosevelt and Garfield.  Sometime last night or early this morning, a man was beaten to death just blocks from Garfield High School. Last weekend, there were several incidents right by Roosevelt including Bellevue police using a compression bomb to get into a house to make an arrest and two armed robberies.   (This is also near my house which makes it doubly scary.) I reported these crimes to the Board and Dr. Enfield.  She promptly wrote me back voicing her concern and said that she was having a meeting with Councilman Burgess this week and would bring it up with him.  (He is the chair of the Public Safety committee which also oversees education and, of course, is a former cop.)  I don't know what the answer is - more police patrols around schools after dark or alerting the kids to be watchful at their school after dark - but it is troubling.