Seattle Schools Community Forum

Out of Everett from the Daily Herald: An off-campus Bible education program sued Everett Public Schools in federal court on Thursday, accusing the school district of violating First Amendment law by implementing a number of policies the program said hinder its constitutional rights. My understanding is that LifeWise is trying to create a legal case that will go to the Supreme Court so that religious groups can get a foot in the door of public schools. The district says: “With respect to LifeWise Academy itself, the District will continue to evaluate any requests to participate in District-sponsored events or to distribute its materials in compliance with its policies and procedures which comport with state and federal laws,” wrote the attorney representing the district, Sarah Mack. “Simply because your client disagrees that those policies and procedures should apply to it or to the families and students served by LifeWise Academy does not make them unconstitutional.” Good news at the ...

Both victims of last Friday's shooting at a bus stop near Rainier Beach High School and South Shore PK-8 have been identified.  One is Traveiah Housemuse, 17, and the other is Tyjon Stewart, 18. Both were students at RBHS. SPD has classified both deaths as homicides. The Seattle Times reports that on Monday, Feb. 2nd: After school, students, staff and community members, including the district’s new superintendent, Ben Shuldiner, and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson,  gathered to honor the students at the bus stop .  From that article on the bus stop vigil: Jeremiah Ntoco, a 17-year-old sophomore at Rainier Beach High, said he felt stressed and unsafe coming to school Monday.  Ntoco said he was friends with one of the students who was killed.   Seeing more security guards on campus, and police officers passing by the school every few days, would help him feel safer, he said.  It is unclear to me what the status is of SPD drive-bys at SPS high schools during the we...

This terrible event occurred at a bus stop in the Rainier Valley last Friday around 4 pm; the students appeared to be teens and part of the Rainier Beach High School community. This led to a two-hour delay of start at South Shore PK-8 which is very near to RBHS. As well, Sugiyama High School and Interagency Academy SE started classes at 12:30 pm today. All weekend activities at those schools were canceled.  From The Seattle Times : Superintendent Ben Shuldiner, who began his first day on the job Sunday, “has been clear that strengthening safety measures across the district is a top priority, and that work begins immediately,” according to the school district.eattle police investigating the homicides believe the shooting was targeted and have said they do not think there is a broader threat to the community.   The male teen victims have not yet been publicly identified although their families did tell people who they were and there was a vigil for them on Saturday. SPS is wor...

Update: From the SPS home page, an announcement of the Superintendent's "Community Engagement Tour." He is doing eight events, one of them virtual but the rest at schools. The first is on February 26th and the last one is on April 2nd.  end of update As I previously reported, Benjamin Schuldiner's contract started February 1st and he is indeed on the job.  I say to him - as I have for over a decade to ALL the new superintendent - I want you to be a big success. Because if he is successful, then that means the district is successful. Not on paper "I did this, this, and this" but actual progress visible to all.  Readers, what are your top three things he should focus on? He has said he wants to visit every school in the next 100 days which is sweet but I don't think needed, given the state of the district.  The first time you can see him in person in public is this Wednesday, Feb. 4th at a Board Special Meeting Work Session: Progress Monitoring - Goal 2 ...

  This meeting had two parts. One was an update on SPS' efforts around protecting schools from any federal intervention. Meaning, likely ICE coming in a nd asking about staff/students.  Julia Warth, Board office administrator, talked about the district receiving grants from different federal sources. I assume this was perhaps noting that the feds could put the screws on school districts that don't cooperate. Superintendent Fred Podesta moved onto what schools are being told. The first issue of concern is " the need for better facts." It seems that a lot of rumor gets going and it is difficult to know what is truly happening on the ground.  Associate Superintendent Rocky Torres-Morales said that they need to know factually what is happening and so "if you hear something, see something, say something."  There is to be a large meeting of principals on Friday to go over guidelines for action. Each principal, should they encounter this situation, is to gather ...

From a reader: There has been some personnel movement heralded in the past week - Eckstein Middle school principal is headed to take over at Roosevelt this week, with Ambyr Burrell (Assistant Principal at Hale) assuming the interim principal role at Eckstein - and Rocky Torres Morales has been named as the new Superintendent in Vancouver WA staring July 1.  TJB My comment to that information is that there seems to be a lot of principal churn in the north end.  As to Dr. Torres-Morales leaving, he serves as Associate Superintendent so that will be a fairly big hole for new superintendent, Benjamin Schuldiner, to have to fill. I could see him moving Mike Starosky up from Assistant Superintendent of Academics.  The Seattle School Board is having one meeting this week on Wednesday, the 28th starting at 4:30 pm. It's a Work Session on the Budget. The agenda lists the first item as "Federal Response Update" but there is no further information. I'll try to ask what that'...

  It appears at least one Kent School District high school is having a student walk-out tomorrow over the actions of ICE. Any word on any SPS high schools?  The  NEA  has a good article on student confusion over what is happening.