School board members in Washington are basically volunteers. Seattle School Board President Chandra Hampson threatened volunteers with trespassing who were distributing leaflets on Monday regarding a homeless encampment on campus and school officials' refusal to address it. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Student Members - Seattle Public Schools Seattle Public Schools Leadership: Executives and Demographics - Zippia There was another meeting between the board directors and the complainants on Sept. 16, 2020. The employees names were redacted. The Seattle Public Schools board unanimously approved the new district elections map last week. Districts of Seattle's size are also limited by state law to seven School Board Directors. 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. 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. According to the investigation, both complainants claimed that HIB investigations are not good enough to uncover implicit bias and anti-Blackness. Your IP: In a series of emails, DeWolf and Hampson accused staffers of inaccuracies in district meeting minutes and claimed the district staffers didnt do the work they said they did, the report said. 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.. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. Chandra Hampson email address & phone number | Seattle Public Schools Her online tantrum may have broken the law . The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. The board voted on March 24 to move Pre-K through fifth-grade students into in-person instruction starting in April 2021. DeWolf totally disagreed with the allegations and described himself as conflict averse and being careful in this situation.. The filing deadline for this election was May 21, 2021 . I dont know what youre getting at by sharing yours, Hampson added, according to the witness. Hampson and DeWolf are no strangers to controversy. Please fill out this form by April 3, 2023 if you would like to join the School Board Student Member Selection Committee. The investigative report was submitted last August and concluded that Director Hampson used her position and authority to the detriment of [staff] in violation of [the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy], according to court documents. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Eden Mack, Seattle School Board member, resigns from post Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, the board will annually seat School Board student members to represent student voice through board committees and regular board meetings. Seattle reporter Jason Rantz noted that, in leaked emails, the school district actually refused to request the mayor's office sweep the camps for illegal activity. The findings note that four of the 13 witnesses they interviewed opined that Dir. 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. Some school board directors even declined to be interviewed for fear their comments would become public record. School Board Members Face Rising Threats Across the U.S. - The New York The two SPS employees believed board members were silencing, undermining, discrediting and discriminating against them based on gender and race, court documents say. SEATTLE -- As Washington schools continue to face huge challenges with test scores and student achievement, theres a new proposal from one state lawmaker to help kick-start public education: Pay school board members, he argues, and thereby attract better leaders.We cant demand that our kids and our teachers improve their quality, and not improve the quality of our management as well, said state Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle. Board of Trustees - Seattle Preparatory School. For details see Revised Code of Washington 29A.56.110. 206-252-0000, Distributing Information to Students and Schools, Northwest Coast Art by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, Squaxin/Skokomish, School Board Student Member Selection Committee, School Board Policy No. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. Should school board members be paid a salary? - Q13FOX.com She is the Seattle School Board president. The new geographical boundaries do not affect student attendance boundaries; their purpose is to make sure each region within the city is represented by a board member who lives in that region. 1250, School Board Student Members. As the inaugural class of student members, students serving during the 2022-23 school year will play an integral role in designing the scope and focus of these positions, advising the board on implementation of newly adopted Board Policy No. So far SPS has spent $36,238.53 defending the case against Hampson, according to public records. District 7 - Brandon K. Hersey. Board of Directors and District Map. They couldnt get to this sooner? Northwest for Underrepresented Regions (NUR) seeks to improve access to educational opportunities in . A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. 174 (Teamsters 174). School Board student members will contribute to discussion by providing student insight and perspective, advocating their positions on district issues or needs, and serving as liaisons between the board and students. Broad coalition of parents seek recall of six Seattle school board members But the district is doing what it can to keep the report from public view. Seattle School Board chooses new board member, approves plan to return The Seattle School Board believes students possess valuable insight and should have a paramount voice in the education received from the district and in the decisions made by the board. Paralegal. 1250, School Board Student Members, Share a commitment to elevating the voices of students of color furthest from educational justice in district decision-making, Be currently enrolled students in Seattle Public Schools, Be currently enrolled in high school grades 9-12, Be able to meet once a week during the months of April and May 2023, and spend up to 15 hours on meeting and application evaluation, NOT be applying to be a School Board Student Member. 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 . Director Harris has every right to vote yes or no on any measure that presents itself to the board. Student board members are appointed for one year, following the academic calendar. Hampson declined to comment. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2e666278b6291a West Seattle Blog | Community meeting with School Board director 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. Some in Seattle want to recall Seattle School Board members Let's Indeed, they seem upset that an investigation would occur and that their claims arent believed at face value. According to the investigation, Hampson and DeWolf both denied engaging in anti-Black racism or treating the two district staffers any differently from other employees. But you wont find the report on the districts website. By Chris B. Bennett, The Seattle Medium. They say it's not safe. Raymond Delos Reyes - Owner - Delos Reyes Law, LLC | LinkedIn 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 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. Other government bodies, like the City Council, also have to redistrict every decade per the Washington Voting Rights Act, which requires redistricting after each new census count. King County Superior Court Judge Maf Rajul dismissed the case in April and, shortly after, Hampsons attorney filed an appeal in the states Court of Appeals. If a superintendent or board member directed staff to get something done by a certain time and the employee refused to and claimed that was bullying, I mean thats just unworkable, said Talmadge, who served as a state senator for 16 years. There was also confusion among board members and staff about the timeline of the anti-racist policy, the emails show. How can Seattle build climate resilience? Look to its schools 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. Seattle media deserves to be called out on this. The Jason Rantz Show, 3pm-7pm on KTTH. With one week to decide on fall remote learning, Seattle School Board West Seattle news, 24/7. Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office could arrest or civilly commit conservatives for uttering mainstream positions under a terrifying and illegal plan. I have been doing this for 30+ years, and I dont need to hear your qualifications. 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. Student board members can expect to spend approximately four (4) hours a month on additional work, including reviewing meeting materials, meeting with peers, and meeting with support staff and board mentor. Pre-K Class Rep - Clare Moffat. The School Board Student Member Selection Committee is a student-led committee that will recommend three (3) Student Members to the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors for selection. She coordinated with DeWolf in an attempt to limit the complainants from speaking about their work on the policy and from offering input. 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. The district was also to provide harassment, intimidation and bullying training to board members as needed. Email the Board of Trustees . July 6, 2022 at 6:00 am Updated Aug. 2, 2022 at 4:46 pm. MJ Bolt is an elected Eastern Washington representative to the Washington State Board of Education. School Board student members should expect to spend approximately ten (10) hours a month performing their duties. I found out about this a week or so before my vacation, thanks to a listener tip. Seattle Public Schools suspends partnership with Seattle police for one The student school board positions are new positions, created by School Board Policy No. The investigation itself was extensive. She repeatedly said she was elected to do this work and appeared upset that her authority and duty were questioned. Applications for the 2023-24 student member positions will be open Monday, Feb. 27 - March 24. Geary won in the general election on November 3, 2015. Try searching for this story on the websites for KIRO 7, KING 5, KOMO News, or FOX 13. Each district needs to meet certain criteria set by state law: having nearly the same population size, being as compact as possible and not favoring or disfavoring a political party or racial group. As crime increases, our safety measures must too, GSBA is closing the disparity gap with Ready for Business Fund. The Seattle School Board recognizes the organizational structure of the district can create a wall between decision makers and the students the district serves. Jill Geary was a member of the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors in Washington, representing District 3.. Geary ran for re-election to the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors to represent District 3 in Washington. Its not considered harassment when an elected board member reprimands staff for failing to follow board directives, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. 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. March 24, 2021 Updated Wed., March 24, 2021 at 8:31 p.m. An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. Seattle School Board Takes Steps to Dismantle Gifted Program As a result of the SPS investigation conducted by the MFR Law Group PLLC, Hampson, who was elected in 2019, and board member Zachary DeWolf, who has since left the board because his term expired, were required to review the board policy that prohibited harassment, intimidation and bullying. School Board student members will have the opportunity to participate in district policy development processes and counsel board directors on the impacts of potential district actions on students. Should classroom learning time be cut down to 4 hours a day in Washington state. 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. School Board Special Meeting: Executive Session: Supt Eval Check-In; Work Session: Policy Diet. Student School board members will receive an orientation from staff and board directors and will be paired with a School Board Director mentor and staff mentor for ongoing support. Im sorry. During his tenure on the Seattle School Board, he served on the Council of Great City Schools board of directors and the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) steering committee as its vice-chair. Seattle School Board President threatens volunteers with trespassing The two staffers attempted to present the policy during the meeting in September but were cut off by board members. Board members raised their voices at staff and the conversation has been described as terrible, heated, and berating, according to interviews conducted by investigators. It is widely acknowledged that the Seattle Public School district (with 53,000 students, the largest in Washington) is riddled with weak leadership, overly powerful unions, poor academics and deep structural problems. While I started to look into it then, I purposefully withheld my reporting until now. And District 6 in West Seattle now stretches to the other side of the Duwamish Waterway and includes Georgetown and South Park. Monica Velez. 04 Mar 2023 01:18:54 The Seattle school board voted unanimously Wednesday to fire Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson over a $1.8 million financial scandal involving a district business development program. 206-252-0000, Distributing Information to Students and Schools, Northwest Coast Art by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, Squaxin/Skokomish, School Board Student Member Selection Committee. But on Sept. 9, 2021, a month after the report was submitted, the board voted to waive the requirement that it be posted online. The two district employees, both of whom are women still working for Seattle Schools, alleged an orchestrated campaign of harassment, intimidation, bullying based on race and gender in response to their work on the anti-racism policy, according to the investigation by the MFR Law Group PLLC, a law firm focused on employment law and human resource services in the Pacific Northwest. They were victims of HIB, no doubt. Map of the seven director districts. 2023 Washington Policy Center All Rights Reserved Terms of Use, Closer look at Superintendent Reykdal's dig at WPC has me missing "Better call Saul", Washington state students to get less classroom time under new Dem-backed plan, Proposed WA bill would cut student's classtime by 4 hours a week, Tutoring bill to help students with school-shutdown learning loss blocked in Senate Ways and Means Committee, Bill reducing WA classroom learning by four hours a week working its way through Senate. Meeting days and times vary by committee and may occur during school hours. RT @mrandystevens: We need to replace the activists school board members with parents whose only agenda is to ensure a good education for our kids. Approval of the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Seattle School District No. She was elected in 2019 to represent District 3, which encompasses Northeast Seattle, including Sand Point, View Ridge and Bryant. In order to be compensated, students will be considered district hourly employees subject to standard onboarding and criminal background check requirements with parent/guardian consent. Two Black women staffers who still currently work at SPS were working with Hampson and DeWolf on developing an anti-racism policy, but as disagreements started, contentious conversations followed. Students on the selection committee must: Students on the selection committee will be able to earn community service hours for their work. The second instance that was investigated was an executive committee meeting on Sept. 16, 2020, according to the report. The School Board Office will reach out to interested students with further information and meeting dates. Though the District 4 primary was decided by voters in that district which includes Ballard, Magnolia, and Northern Queen Anne the runoff is citywide, so South End . Where were they? Three seats on the Seattle Public Schools school board in Washington were up for general election on November 2, 2021. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, the chairman of a school board in northwest Oregon, has received death threats. Hampson, on the other hand, is in office until 2023 and its unclear if shell run for re-election. 2013 - Present10 years. Applications for the 2023-24 student member positions will be open soon please continue to check this webpage and district social media for updates. Seattle Public Schools started out the 2020-2021 school year in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School Board 1971 (PH 007-25) Archives. The events that took place between the Seattle Public Schools employees and board members Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf happened in August and September 2020 during meetings and discussions about a draft of the districts anti-racism policy. Another Washington community is having to deal with the possibility of rogue sex offenders. Consequently, media coverage has been scant and inadequate. She is passionate about high-quality education for all Washington students and for an equitable education system to help fully equip achievers for tomorrow. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. 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. 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. School board members Lisa . The attorneys representing the district, Pacific Law Group LLC, referred to the district for comment. KUOW - 'Time for an intervention:' Seattle School Board member resigns