Seattle Schools Community Forum

  This segment is from the On the Road series on CBS News.  According to many of her senior classmates at Waunakee High School in Waunakee, Wisconsin, 18-year-old Molly Schafer was a loner. "I haven't talked to her in years," one student told CBS News. "Not a lot of kids did hang out with her," another said. That wasn't always the case. Back in elementary and middle school, before her social anxiety kicked in, Schafer said she was much more engaging. "There was a connection there, at some point," Schafer said. "... And, I don't know, I really wanted to just talk to them again, or be seen again." That longing for connection is a common high school lament. But what is really interesting is that Schafer didn't blame her peers. She didn't sulk. Instead, she took it upon herself to reconnect in a most unusual way. Just about every day, for hours a day, Schafer would climb to a loft in her garage and try to paint her way out o...

Here's the transcript from the School Board meeting on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.  This is what Superintendent Ben Shuldiner had to say on the subject of elementary school recess. In short, he is saying that schools need to show their work. Meaning, are you meeting state requirements for teaching time for subjects? I'll highlight pertinent sections. I really do want to thank everybody who has reached out to discuss some of the things that came up in my last week's newsletter and I'm happy to certainly pontificate on this a lot.   I had a really wonderful meeting in Magnolia.   We packed the house last night at a community meeting and really what I want to make sure people understand is that Our job is to make sure that our children are getting a holistic education and part of that is certainly recess, part of that is PE, part of that is lunch, but it's also of course English and math and science and social studies.   And what we did was we looked at the schedule...

Big news - Mayor Katie Wilson has signed "a New Approach to Reducing Gun Violence." This from the  Office of the Mayor . I'm highlighting the efforts that will help students.  I don't see in either the press release or plan any formal interaction with SPS but I would assume that to be the case.  Here are key points for SPS and its students: - The big item that is something of a surprise to me, given it's just one school.  New afterschool support: Invests over $600,000 in Rainier Beach High School to pilot a new  afterschool program for students and expand peer mentorships for teens at Rainier Beach  Community Center.  The 2027—2028 budget will fund two staff to support the afterschool program, increase funding for contracts with community-based organizations that offer services  to teens, and provide staffing and training to Seattle Parks and Recreation staff who work with  our teens. Maybe since it's a pilot, if it works, the City will expa...

Update 2:  From KUOW, info that may be of interest to parents of teens.  Every year, the Library’s citywide book club  Seattle Reads  encourages all of Seattle to read and discuss the same book. The program has been replicated around the world. This year’s selection is  “True Biz”  by Sara Nović, a highly engaging novel about a deaf high school student, Charlie, who enrolls at a residential school for the deaf when her cochlear implants begin failing her. It’s a quick read, and no spoilers, but a lot happens. Nović will speak at four Library events around the city on Sept. 25 and 26, presenting in ASL, with voice interpreters and live captioning at each event. Seattle Public Library has unlimited copies of the e-book available via the Libby app as well, so you’ve got plenty of time to read it before the event! REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED -  Event Calendar | The Seattle Public Library end of update Update: The biggest news is that former head of SPS Human ...

The screener being used is an SBIRT one (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) called Check Yourself.  It is being used in most middle schools and some high schools.   (All bold mine)  It is not truly peer-reviewed, the protection of the student data has been questionable, and it does NOT require an accredited and trained mental health professional talk to your child. It also doesn't require a parent to be notified if your child is referred for additional services if they are 13 and over unless it's a top-tier issue like self-harm or harming others. Washington state law supports this.  However in the interest of saving you time, here's the bottom line: - Seattle Schools is using a mental health program for teens that is NOT truly peer-reviewed.  - I note that students CAN opt out but may feel peer pressure to take the screener. Your child will take the screener with other students in the class sitting right there, and there are reports of stu...