Seattle Schools Community Forum

School Board Retreat tomorrow - agenda .  It's open to the public and at the JSCEE from 10 am to 2 pm. What the heck?  How many times will they discuss governance issues and communication issues?  They have been over this territory so many times and yet every retreat agenda, there it is.   And, that part is for two hours. I do note the addition of the issue of communications "how does the Board interact with the media and how is a spokesperson assigned."   It appears there is a policy but they seem to feel the need to discuss it.  Update: Here's the agenda for the Special Board meeting next Wednesday.  As of now, I know of two topics; approval of negotiation of a contract with Dr. Nyland to be permanent superintendent and approval of a contract for new computers.  This process for the purchase of new computers is way behind schedule and there are no vendors or prices yet available. The new computers will cost between $1.2-1.4M but ...

I know that I've mentioned this as a comment on a couple of other threads, but I really want to bring it out for attention.

From the district: The district has agreed to withdraw the proposed policy over the student newspapers and will revisit it in 2012.  The Seattle School District today announced that it will withdraw a policy proposal involving school district-sponsored freedom of expression. Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield said that school board directors and district administrators jointly agreed to revisit the policy, introduced to the Seattle School Board Nov. 2, to ensure that it better reflects the community’s values. “As we move forward in updating our policies, as chair of the curriculum and instruction policy committee, I will direct staff to ensure that any policy we develop regarding student expression is reflective of the language and values that we share in Seattle,” said School Board Director Harium Martin-Morris. Based on a shared concern between district leadership and the Board, this policy will be pulled from the current list of updates, scheduled for Boar...

Not an especially busy week with the Veteran's Day holiday on Friday. Wednesday Executive Committee meeting from 8-10 a.m.  Agenda not yet available. Work Session on Student Rights & Responsibilities from 4-5:30 p.m.  This is likely to be a discussion of the revisions to this section of Board policy.  Thursday Audit & Finance Committee meeting (Audit)  from 4-6 p.m.  Agenda not yet available. I'm sure you have noted the petition on the homepage of this blog in support student journalists at our high schools.  When you compare the old policy with the proposed policy, you can see how severely curtailed students' writing will be.  And, if there are minimal guidelines to principals, I'm sure the oversight may vary.  I asked this before and I ask the district again; what is the problem you are trying to solve?  I ask this of Dr. Enfield as well as it becomes part of her Superintendent policies.  What is the problem?...

What an interesting thing this story about the revision of Board policy around high school newspapers has turned out to be. First, the Times has no story.  They link to the My Ballard site story but are strangely quiet about it even as it's a pretty slow news day.  A story about freedom of the press that involves candidates for School Board right before election day?  You'd think that would interest any newspaper.  But not our Times.  Apparently, mums the word until AFTER the election. Trouble is, the Times isn't the only story and now The Stranger has picked it up.   Here's one comment: I'm glad I procrastinated mailing my ballot until after reading this. I was considering voting for (Stranger endorsed) Martin-Morris, but not anymore.

Update:   Here's some other coverage from the MyBallard blog, complete with the current policy and proposed policy.  It's a fairly shocking difference that would effectively mute student voices.   The district's statement about why this is okay is classic doublespeak. Read the whole thing here. From KUOW this morning, a story about our high school student newspapers.  It seems that the Board is considering changing Board policy about what can be published. But the new policy would say students can't publish anything "disruptive" or "inappropriate." And that determination is left up to the principal. Hiestand: "The minute that you open the door and say that a principal has that authority, as a plaintiff's attorney, you know, I start to salivate." Because, he says, that ties the student newspaper to the school district. And a plaintiff could argue the district is responsible for content. The board member who chairs t...

The Stranger Slog reports that local Roosevelt landlord jerk, Drake Sisley, is suing the district for an article in the Roosevelt High School paper back in March 2009 that he says is " false, defamatory, libelous, and malicious ."   There is much that I could say given where I live and my status at the time but I'll just leave you with the letter I wrote to Noel Treat, district lead counsel, the Superintendent, the Board and Principal Brian Vance.  Here's what I wrote: Dear Noel, I just got wind of Drake Sisley's lawsuit against the district over the Roosevelt High School newspaper articles about properties near RHS that he and his brother own. First up, I live in this neighborhood (just 2 blocks from RHS). Second, I was co-president at RHS PTSA from 2007-2009.   Between those two items, I know this issue well.  I have had to talk to the police about this issue (at their request based on my being co-president of the PTSA). Additionally, my ...