The campaign also builds on the Clean Schools Resolution passed by the Seattle School Board in February, which commits the district to being fossil fuel-free by 2040. Your IP: A left-wing media outlet used a union-backed poll to push a union-backed piece of legislation to push you into offering support. It was public during the September school board hearing. The two staffers sent the board a memorandum in September 2020 that said Hampson and DeWolf orchestrated a campaign of bullying, escalating intimidation, gaslighting, and retaliation, according to court documents. What was provided offered little insight into the total claims and ignored the complainants take on the process. Kirby Winfield - Founding General Partner - Ascend.vc | LinkedIn Its a bridge too far.Carlyle says the quality and diversity of the board would improve if members were compensated.Retiring Seattle School Board Chairwoman Kay Smith-Blum agrees that its time to start paying some kind of salary.This is a job that averages, I believe, anywhere from 20-30 hours a week, Smith-Blum said. Seattle school officials declined to comment on the case, although spokesperson Beverley Redmond said the replacement of the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy does not impact the superior courts decision. November 2, 2021. The only somewhat meaningful reporting on this complaint came from the Seattle Times. Her online tantrum may have broken the law . They were accused of waging sexist and . Seattle Public Schools started out the 2020-2021 school year in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining seats will open up in 2025. Mason Trinca for The New York Times. But the authority over direct policy lies in the hands of the governing directors, not staff. Student members are encouraged to utilize course credit, service hour, independent study, free periods, or other opportunities, as available and appropriate for their own academic schedule, to modify their class schedule to accommodate committee meeting attendance. Melissa Westbrooks local blog which I just discovered actually covered this story back in October. District 6 - Leslie S. Harris. Self-interested unions, insider political interests and entrenched school officials decide what happens in public schools, not parents. While serving, School Board student members must be enrolled in courses that ensure normal progress towards graduation and maintain the number of credits necessary for advancement to the next grade level. Hampson recused herself from voting. Students on the selection committee must: Students on the selection committee will be able to earn community service hours for their work. District 1 - Liza Rankin. Click to reveal 2 Seattle School Board members violated policy on harassment and They complained that they were being tokenized in the policys development. Enrollment ('17-'18) 54,573 students. He was elected twice to the Seattle School Board serving from 2007 to 2015. I have been doing this for 30+ years, and I dont need to hear your qualifications. 1250, School Board Student Members. As Scarlett was discussing her desire to ensure the policy is a pro-Black anti-racist policy, she was repeatedly interrupted by DeWolf. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.) And other directors and witnesses declined their opportunity to speak, too. She repeatedly said she was elected to do this work and appeared upset that her authority and duty were questioned. It unnecessarily meddles in the employment practices. Consequently, media coverage has been scant and inadequate. In other words, they are far-left activists who dont practice what they preach on anti-racism, nor do they serve the kids they are supposed to protect. Capitol Hill's school board seat will have a vacancy this year, and the incumbent has some thoughts for anyone interested in running. Emijah Smith Represents More Than A Missed Opportunity By The Seattle Not be a current employee of the district and/or be related to a current employee in that district. Email the Records and Archives Center archives@seattleschools.org for finding aids for paper records: school board and superintendents working files, correspondence and meeting materials. These meetings are held Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. at John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. Have at least a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency. An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. Approval of the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Seattle School District No. Meeting days and times vary by committee and may occur during school hours. And, moving forward, new school board members would be required to take training on HIB conduct. At a meeting earlier this month, Seattle Public Schools board member Liza Rankin pointed out that the upcoming legislative session is a budget year, and called for the state to start paying for . Yet here they wont? Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration. Tensions began to mount beginning in July 2020 between Hampson, DeWolf and district staffers. MFR investigators did, however, find that Hampson used her position and authority to the detriment of the complainants. 174 (Teamsters 174). The current policy doesnt codify any punishment for HIB conduct, so neither Hampson nor DeWolf were punished. School Board student members will also attend the regular meetings of the School Board of Directors on a roughly once-per-month rotation and will have an opportunity to report on the work of their committee, offer opinions on the motions and resolutions before the board, and communicate other topics of student interest or concern. Monica Velez. Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. But attorneys representing SPS are arguing a thorough investigation was conducted, and that the outcome is supported by 20 witness interviews and thousands of documents. Hes no longer in office, with Nov. 17, 2021, being his last day serving on the school board. Thats quite clearly the opposite of being an anti-racist. Founded in 1856, St. Paul's School is a fully residential independent high school located in Concord, N.H. WA to end masking requirement in health care, correctional facilities, Fire on Lake City Way in Seattle raises smoke, flooding concerns, One Seattle business is taking a stand against tipping mania, Chef Ethan Stowell buys a historic Seattle dive bar, Amazon shutters some convenience stores, including 2 in Seattle, concluded she harassed, intimidated and bullied. This behavior is always done to Black folks and holds up anti-Blackness. It was an attempt to limit Scarletts contributions to the meeting. "You will not see me supporting your business and I find it intriguing you think that crime is just in Tacoma, said a Tacoma Councilmember. Hampson declined to comment. The School is accredited by the New England . Other indicators of failure are Seattles extraordinarily high private school attendance rate, dangerous homeless encampments adjacent to school grounds, the persistent learning gap for black, Hispanic and Native American children, and the fact that hundreds of families have left the system since March of last year. The Seattle Public Schools Board Office has two main areas of focus: Supporting the Board in the preparation and planning of Board meetings to ensure they run effectively and allow for public awareness and participation. Districts of Seattle's size are also limited by state law to seven School Board Directors. Any immediate political consequences are unknown. Winner of President's Cabinet for top performance in 2006 and 2008. 68% of the management team is White. The findings call his conduct unprofessional.. Jacob Taylor-Mosquera - Member Board of Trustees - Seattle School for Board member Zachary DeWolf will not be running for re-election to the seat representing District 5, which covers the bulk of Capitol Hill, the Central District, downtown and the area near the stadiums.. It's a tumultuous time for Seattle and the city's . Juneau spoke with students and parents of students in the district, staff, principals, and the Seattle Council PTSA, and gathered feedback from Latinx and Black community members before making the . Seattle School Board approves new district boundaries for board members Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2021) Al-ansi noted that DeWolf was pushing for a HIB investigation because he is familiar with the law and the level of scrutiny that is required around a racial claim., She calls it an institutional tactic where DeWolf is trying to find a different way to discredit their named experiences., The choice to move forward with an investigation is the most institutionally racist way you can do it, Al-ansi wrote, according to the investigation. Dr. Keisha Scarlett, the SPS Chief of Equity, Partnerships, and Engagement, and Manal Al-ansi, the Director of Racial Equity Advancement, alleged an orchestrated campaign of bullying, escalating intimidation, gaslighting, and retaliation that lasted for months. Raymond Delos Reyes - Owner - Delos Reyes Law, LLC | LinkedIn In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. He also said that both of the women were not qualified to continue working on the policy. The estimated total hours of board meetings that student board members will attend in a month is six (6) hours. The recall petition must be reviewed and approved by Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi. More info. A hearing is scheduled for April 16th. Come one, come all! Kindergarten Class Rep - Whitney Qualls. Once selected, student members will need to obtain written permission to work from their parent or guardian. The Seattle Public Schools Board Office has two main areas of focus: Supporting the Board in the preparation and planning of Board meetings to ensure they run effectively and allow for public awareness and participation, Supporting Board members in their role as Directors, John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence The board vacancy came on the heels of Director Betty Patu announcing her departure from the school board, and without enough time to [] Right now they are relying on the superintendent and staff to provide them with data. Seattle School Board President threatens volunteers with trespassing It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety. But given the events of a recent school board meeting, this shouldnt come as a shock. GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund. Should school board members be paid a salary? - Q13FOX.com The complainants said that even though they didnt push for a HIB investigation, they will be positive about it. Theres been an issue on whether the staff of Seattle Public Schools runs the district or if the superintendent and board do, said Hampsons attorney, Philip Talmadge, a former Washington State Supreme Court justice. Zirahuen Herrejon-Crutcher, a student at Ballard High School, details her experience with sexual assault and how it was handled, to the Seattle Public Schools school board, on Wednesday, December . Do I need to pull out my resume? she asked, according to witness testimony. Board members raised their voices at staff and the conversation has been described as terrible, heated, and berating, according to interviews conducted by investigators. Last month, the school board voted to repeal the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy for adults (a student policy still exists) and replace it with civility procedures, citing the extraneous resources it took to go through complaints that often didnt meet the threshold of the policy and prevented more serious complaints from being addressed. 206-252-0000, Distributing Information to Students and Schools, Northwest Coast Art by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, Squaxin/Skokomish, Posting documents for regular Board meetings at least 3 days in advance of the meeting to allow for public review, Maintaining accurate and timely information on the School Board?s website, Noticing all Board meetings on the District?s website in a timely manner, Responding to and tracking constituent communication, Complying with requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), Providing administrative support to Board members (e.g., travel arrangements, expense reimbursements, and document preparation). But they did not find evidence that DeWolf discriminated against, harassed, intimidated, or bullied either Scarlett or Al-ansi based solely on race., They also said he used his position and authority to the detriment of the complainants. While I started to look into it then, I purposefully withheld my reporting until now. With just a week before the Seattle School Board is scheduled to vote on a plan for instruction this school year, which begins Sept. 2, some members including Chandra Hampson say the district's . I found out about this a week or so before my vacation, thanks to a listener tip. In the summer of 2020, the two staffers and board members disagreed on when the anti-racism policy should go to a board vote. SPS School Board Director Leslie Harris Has Some Explaining To Do Hampson did not respond to requests for comment. Talk with Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors member Leslie Harris, who represents West Seattle and most of South Park, at 2 pm at Delridge Library. Some of the background facts for malfeasance include the U.S. Department of Educations civil rights investigation against Seattle Schools for not serving disabled children, the long-term closure of schools during COVID-19, and the districts inadequacy in providing children with at-home instruction. Try searching for this story on the websites for KIRO 7, KING 5, KOMO News, or FOX 13. 15. Is there a reason you telling me this? Pre-K Class Rep - Clare Moffat. Applications for the 2023-24 student member positions will be open soon please continue to check this webpage and district social media for updates. The seven . The Emerald asked the two finalists in the city's tightest school board race, Laura Marie Rivera and Vivian Song Maritz, nine questions collected from community members with a stake in education, and then one of our own.. His complaint appears to come from her wanting to work more independently from him. This is my Executive Committee meeting if you could please wrap up your remarks, he said, according to minutes printed in the investigation. "For the fiscal year 2024-25, the subsequent year, I forecasted a shortfall of $139.4 million," Gannon told Seattle school board members on Wednesday night. School Board Special Meeting: Executive Session: Supt Eval Check-In; Work Session: Policy Diet. Both Hampson and DeWolf, according to the complainants, were upset that they lost control over the anti-racism policy to two Black women. The district was also to provide harassment, intimidation and bullying training to board members as needed. Board of Trustees - Seattle Preparatory School Dahlia Bazzaz. 2 Seattle Student Councilors Violate Harassment & Intimidation Policy Elected to the Central Valley School Board in Spokane Valley in November 2011, Bolt . As soon as the call began, DeWolf raised his voice at the two women who made the allegations and accused both of them of being dishonest about their collaboration on the anti-racist policy, according to the report. The two women who made allegations against Hampson and DeWolf wrote a letter to the board on Sept. 18, 2020 almost a year earlier detailing their experiences, board member Lisa Rivera-Smith said during the meeting. Rantz: Seattle School Board hides findings that its members harassed March 24, 2021 Updated Wed., March 24, 2021 at 8:31 p.m. She is passionate about high-quality education for all Washington students and for an equitable education system to help fully equip achievers for tomorrow. And why havent local TV stations picked the story up in any meaningful way? Three high schoolers join Seattle School Board WA to end masking requirement in health care, correctional facilities, Fire on Lake City Way in Seattle raises smoke, flooding concerns, One Seattle business is taking a stand against tipping mania, Chef Ethan Stowell buys a historic Seattle dive bar, Amazon shutters some convenience stores, including 2 in Seattle, at least three days before public meetings. SPS upholds all board policies and superintendent procedures and thoroughly investigates workplace complaints.. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.). School Board student members will be provided agendas and other materials in preparation for meetings and are also encouraged to attend board work sessions and other special meetings of the board. Our safety, legitimacy as leaders, unique and necessary lived perspectives, and material contributions have been routinely marginalized and discredited in accordance with our proximity and alignment with white-centric institutional norms, and these Board Directors views, they wrote in the memo. West Seattle news, 24/7. District 5 - Michelle Sarju. Scarlett and Al-ansi outlined the complaints in a memo titled Bullying, Intimidation, and Anti-Black Racism, which was sent to the full board and then-SPS Superintendent Denise Juneau. DeWolf did not respond to requests for comment. However, the investigation did not conclude Hampson and DeWolf discriminated against staffers based on their race or gender. Then Hampson started to berate the staff members and [one of] the complainants with accusations. The witness said that Hampson was lying about some of the allegations made against the complainant. DeWolfs last day in office was Wednesday; he was elected in 2017 and did not run for a second term. The district elections map only affects who can run for school board (candidates must live in the district they run for) and which board members people vote for. The student positions were created under the recently adopted School Board Policy No. A list of School Board Members and Superintendents. Jonathan LeCompte - Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle Be a resident of the district she is running in. Raymond Delos Reyes is a first-generation Filipino American, born in Seattle and a native of the Rainier Valley neighborhood, where he continues to reside. High school senior writes Washington's new sex trafficking awareness Currently the owner of Delos Reyes Law . Hampson appears easily slighted and is disrespectful to many people. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 This case highlights that particular problem and ultimately can bring affirmation to the board and the superintendent they hire.. Seattle students, teachers rally for more ethnic studies and school MFR investigators interviewed 20 witnesses and reviewed over 5,600 documents. Two woke Seattle Public School board directors who claim to be anti-racist progressives were found guilty of harassing, intimidating, and bullying Black staff. Ironically, the complaints came out of work on a draft policy concerning anti-racism. They were victims of HIB, no doubt. Students will also have opportunities to participate in outside training, such as through the Washington State School Directors Association. WA to end masking requirement in health care, correctional facilities, Fire on Lake City Way in Seattle raises smoke, flooding concerns, One Seattle business is taking a stand against tipping mania, Chef Ethan Stowell buys a historic Seattle dive bar, Amazon shutters some convenience stores, including 2 in Seattle. The student school board positions are new positions, created by School Board Policy No. Currently, Liza Rankin holds the district 1 spot, Lisa Rivera Smith represents district 2, Chandra Hampson represents district 3, and Leslie Harris represents district 6. KUOW - I was assaulted, this Seattle teen told school leaders, but no And I heard them speak of treatment that they did not just want us as their leaders to be aware of but to also act upon.. During a group phone call in August 2020, the situation took a turn for the worse. 1250, School Board Student Members. Kudos to her. How will Seattle Public Schools pay for the new teacher contract? District 5 now stretches from the Central Area all the way to the Montlake Cut, and includes Madison Park, Montlake, Eastlake and all of Capitol Hill. In an emailed statement, the district said its not able to comment on personnel matters but that Seattle Public Schools is committed to nondiscrimination in all our educational, employment and staff endeavors., We firmly believe this commitment to anti-racism increases student success, the statement continued. They found mixed and inconclusive evidence to show the conduct was based on gender. Mary Fertakis, Kevin Wang, Patty Wood - At-Large Positions Codd, Superintendent Denise Juneau, School Board President Zachary DeWolf and Hersey heard from community members at a Thursday evening meeting on the issue at Garfield High School. Board of Trustees - Seattle Preparatory School. Students entering their junior or senior year are eligible to apply for a one-year term that will begin August 2023 and conclude at the end of the 2023-24 school year. As a former elected official, its bloody nonsense.. Some kids are back at Seattle schools, but 2 homeless camps near Meany Middle and BroadviewThomson Elementary have parents worried. Two Seattle School Board members violated a board policy against harassing, intimidating and bullying staff members last year when they were working on an anti-racism policy with two Black district employees, an outside investigation has found. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, the chairman of a school board in northwest Oregon, has received death threats. Three seats on the Seattle Public Schools school board in Washington were up for general election on November 2, 2021. School Board student members are charged with engaging students and student groups for feedback and with carrying forward the diverse perspectives of Seattle Public Schools students. Newsletter & Website Content - OPEN. School Board Student Member Selection Committee - Seattle Public Schools Their feelings about why or how they were targeted do not replace the need for evidence. A list of School Board Members and Superintendents. As crime increases, our safety measures must too, GSBA is closing the disparity gap with Ready for Business Fund. For example, in one email, DeWolf called out Scarletts dishonesty in claiming she was working with him on the anti-racism policy. Student members will serve as experts through their own experiences and as representatives of their peers. They expressed concerns about the expected Public Records Act disclosures after the investigation concluded., The report also notes that some witnesses asked MFR not to take notes during parts of their interviews.. Admissions. Believe me, I know. This is my Executive Committee meeting, the report said he told her. But they are also fringe partisans who set up their complaint to fail when they claimed concern over the process not being able to weed out implicit bias. Kirby has served as Board Chair at Special Olympics of Washington, where he helped bring the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games to Seattle.