Seattle Schools Community Forum

 I am a Twitter user. Not in a huge way and I mostly try to stick to public education topics. Here's a recent thread on Twitter about the issue of some school districts banning the book, Maus. It really hits home about sanitizing history. First, about Maus via the publisher: It is the story of Vladek Speigelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father's story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity. Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek's harrowing story of survival is woven into the author's account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century's grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of th...

 To preface, I don't know who writes the surveys for SPS; do they have actual people who do it for all departments? I suspect it's whoever in whatever department. It is not SPS' strong suit and most surveys are not written to survey standards out in the world.  Here's the preamble:

Update: forgot about this local angle story via USA Today  -  Supreme Court to hear case of high school football coach who lost job after praying on field The Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear an appeal from a former high school football coach who says his First Amendment rights were violated when he lost his job after kneeling at the 50-yard-line in prayer.   The lawsuit by Joseph Kennedy, a Bremerton High School coach who was placed on administrative leave in 2015, has become a cause célèbre among religious conservative groups who asserted he was denied his free speech rights as a private citizen.   Kennedy's case made it to the Supreme Court once before, in 2019, as he sought to reclaim his job while the case continued. The court denied his appeal but four of its conservative justices wrote at the time that a lower court's ruling in favor of the school was "troubling" and that Kennedy's claims "may justify review in the future."   The Brem...

There appears to be a disconnect between what the district is saying to the City about Memorial Stadium and what they are telling voters (likely to get them to vote for the BTA V levy). I don't think the district is being entirely honest and upfront about the situation to voters.  I thought of this as I listened to the BTA V forum sponsored by Horizon House, a senior housing group. At that forum, I asked about Memorial Stadium and JoLynn Berge, head of Budget, said that the Stadium is "just for us." As she was speaking for the district, I'm pretty sure she meant the district.  At the district website on BTA V, here's what the district says: Memorial Stadium Repair and Renovation.       $66,537,000 Plus under  Service School & Administrative Building Systems Repair & Replacement Projects there is: Memorial Stadium Plumbing.                              $1,350,041 Plus under...

 From the National Cybersecurity Alliance: January 24 - 28 is Data Privacy Week! Data Privacy Week spreads awareness about the importance of online privacy and educates individuals on how to manage their personal information and Keep It Private . Manage Your Privacy At Home Sign up for our newsletter to receive regular online safety news and resources. Own your online presence: Talk to your family and friends about protecting personal information and how to stay safe online. Get started with our Privacy Tips for Parents . Hold a family “tech talk.” Learn and discuss how each family member can protect their devices and information. Send an email to friends and family informing them that January 28 is Data Privacy Week and encourage them to visit staysafeonline.org for tips and resources. Test your knowledge. Check your online safety knowledge by taking a privacy or security quiz. Get started with the National Privacy Test and Google Phishing Quiz.

Update : I missed this bill - Senate Bill 5735 - so thanks to an alert reader for letting me know about it. This would open a big kettle of fish. Via KING 5 News: SB 5735 would allow school districts to offer up to 20% of instruction online, without live interaction. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Manka Dhingra , said allowing the option is not the same as remote learning. "I want to make that clear," said Dhingra (D-Redmond). Dhingra said giving districts the option of using a different method of instruction could result in more “creative and collaborative” teaching, which could better prepare students for working online once they get out of school. ”My grandmother went to a school with that model, with a teacher in the front lecturing. I know we can do better,” Dhingra said. She said the idea came from students in her legislative district who liked asynchronous lessons. Three students from Lake Washington High School testified that the new approach worked better for them, especi...

 Big news from the Seattle Council PTSA via their Facebook page: Seattle Council PTA regrets to inform you that Romanita Hairston, Heather Hart, Kiani Pineiro-Hall and Brian Terry submitted their resignation as members of the executive committee. We also saw the resignation of O'Hara Jimenez, District 7 co-chair. The saying "unprecedented times" seem (sic) to continue finding deeper meaning as the pandemic carries on. We appreciate their time serving council, and understand the challenges that prevent them from remaining the board.