Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. But why did it take the Seattle Times months to cover? Right now they are relying on the superintendent and staff to provide them with data. It was dated Sept. 18, 2020. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. DeWolf did not respond to requests for comment. The district has improperly employed [the harassment, intimidation and bullying policy] to rebalance the power between elected directors and staff., Board members are elected to advise and approve policies, Talmadge said. They complained that they were being tokenized in the policys development. The complainants said that even though they didnt push for a HIB investigation, they will be positive about it. Hampson did acknowledge the group phone call was terrible, the report said, but denied violating harassment, intimidation and bullying board policies. It doesnt help that theyre insufferably rude, either. 2023 Bonneville International. 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.. And thats not an unbiased source of data.Carlyle is working to get legislative support for his idea before lawmakers reconvene in Olympia in January. Seattle school board directors Zachary DeWolf (L) and Chandra Hampson (R). Im sorry. The company, which has offices in the Pacific Northwest and New England, created various maps based on legal requirements, community and board member input. Admissions. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She repeatedly said she was elected to do this work and appeared upset that her authority and duty were questioned. Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration. But the district is doing what it can to keep the report from public view. 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. However, the investigation did not conclude Hampson and DeWolf discriminated against staffers based on their race or gender. Committees meet monthly. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. Geary did not file to run for re-election in 2019. But some witnesses and school board directors got in the way. This is my Executive Committee meeting, the report said he told her. 8. Consequently, media coverage has been scant and inadequate. Greater Giving Administrator - Kelsey Fish. "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. I have been doing this for 30+ years, and I dont need to hear your qualifications. 68% of the management team is White. Indeed, they seem upset that an investigation would occur and that their claims arent believed at face value. 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. Population and demographic changes in Seattle cause district boundaries to fluctuate. Facebook Parent Group Moderator - Kaye Smith. They couldnt get to this sooner? The anti-racism policy has not been adopted by the school board. 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. 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. The findings call his conduct unprofessional.. DeWolfs last day in office was Wednesday; he was elected in 2017 and did not run for a second term. 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. Two Seattle School Board members violated the board's harassment, intimidation and intimidation policy last year when they worked on an anti-racism policy with two black district employees, an external investigation showed. Your IP: The number of hours a month may vary, but should not exceed 20 hours. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Harris is a mother and foster parent who works as a litigation paralegal for Campiche Arnold PLLC. Northwest for Underrepresented Regions. According to the investigation, both complainants claimed that HIB investigations are not good enough to uncover implicit bias and anti-Blackness. The second instance that was investigated was an executive committee meeting on Sept. 16, 2020, according to the report. But on Sept. 9, 2021, a month after the report was submitted, the board voted to waive the requirement that it be posted online. 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. These meetings are held Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. at John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. The report noted that it seemed [DeWolf] felt the need to put them in their place. One of the accusers tried to raise that there must have been a misunderstanding, but DeWolf was relentless in his negative admonishing and chastising tone, which set the stage for a terrible conversation., Hampson berated staffers, the investigation said, and the conversation became very heated and spiraled out of control.. 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. 1250, and incorporating student voice into district decision-making. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Board members raised their voices at staff and the conversation has been described as terrible, heated, and berating, according to interviews conducted by investigators. The estimated total hours of board meetings that student board members will attend in a month is six (6) hours. Student board members will not be voting members but will serve as advisors to the Seattle School Board. Be a resident of the district she is running in. There was another meeting between the board directors and the complainants on Sept. 16, 2020. They were accused of waging sexist and . Leslie Harris (incumbent), 61. The Seattle School Board recognizes the organizational structure of the district can create a wall between decision makers and the students the district serves. The superintendent was in attendance. 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. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. Hampson told MFR investigators that she was being disrespected as a school board director. PO Class Reps. Preschool Class Rep - Rojine Rudio. Each School Board student member will be assigned to one of three board committees: the Audit & Finance Committee; Operations Committee; or Student Services Curriculum & Instruction Committee. March 24, 2021 Updated Wed., March 24, 2021 at 8:31 p.m. 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. Once selected, student members will need to obtain written permission to work from their parent or guardian. The report further concluded Director Hampson and Director DeWolf violated [the policy] because they intended to and did degrade and humiliate [staffers] in their workplace.. 1st Grade Class Rep - Lauren McAlister. 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. Its been made available only through a public disclosure request. 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. Meeting days and times vary by committee and may occur during school hours. Show more Show less SPS contracted FLO Analytics, a consulting company with expertise in data analysis and redistricting, to draw new district election maps. Seattle Prep. 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. March 7 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. School Board student members will hold non-voting advisory positions. And in that letter I heard from two brilliant Black women that worked within our district, Rivera-Smith said. 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. 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. 2013 - Present10 years. And District 6 in West Seattle now stretches to the other side of the Duwamish Waterway and includes Georgetown and South Park. The conduct violated SPSs policy against harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB). District 2 - Lisa Rivera Smith. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 And it . School Board Member Chandra Hampson appealed the outcome of the investigation in September. By. School Board student members should reflect the impressive diversity of the district and represent a variety of interests, perspectives, and backgrounds. 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. 206-252-0000, Distributing Information to Students and Schools, Northwest Coast Art by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, Squaxin/Skokomish, School Board Student Member Selection Committee. SPS board members wrestled with the district boundary lines over the course of various public and community meetings, and debated how race played a role in the redistricting process. John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence Some school board directors even declined to be interviewed for fear their comments would become public record. 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. Miles Hagopian, a student at Mercer International Middle School, applauded the Seattle School Board's unanimous vote in June 2020 to indefinitely suspend the district's partnership with the . 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. Mar. During a board meeting Sept. 9, the board voted to take action based on the findings of the investigation. Do I need to pull out my resume? she asked, according to witness testimony. 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. 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. Scarlett and Al-ansi, who have escaped media scrutiny, should also be called out. But you wont find the report on the districts website. It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety. Seattle School Board chooses new board member, approves plan to return to classrooms . 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. 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. 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. I dont want to rehash our own private conversations.. An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. Self-interested unions, insider political interests and entrenched school officials decide what happens in public schools, not parents. 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. Lake Washington Windows and Doors is a local window dealer offering the exclusive Leak Armor installation. Hampson and DeWolf later tried to expedite the board vote on the anti-racism policy during an executive committee meeting without the staffers. District 4 - Vivian Song Maritz. Washington Democrats are trying to force employers to hire or retain potheads with new legislation. Applications for the 2023-24 student member positions will be open soon please continue to check this webpage and district social media for updates. Hampson did not respond to requests for comment. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The two staffers attempted to present the policy during the meeting in September but were cut off by board members. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Her attorneys filed a brief on Friday to the appeals court. Hampson declined to comment. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.) He made these comments several times. and . Geary won in the general election on November 3, 2015. Posting documents for regular Board meetings at least 3 days in advance of the meeting to allow for public review. So far SPS has spent $36,238.53 defending the case against Hampson, according to public records. 2400 11th Avenue East Seattle WA 98102. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Enrollment ('17-'18) 54,573 students. Board members also believe students possess valuable insight and should have a voice in the education received from the district and the decisions made by the board. 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. The School Board student member positions were created in response to student advocacy about the need to uplift and increase BIPOC student voices within Seattle Public Schools, to work toward a student-centered educational system, and to help students understand the educational system around them and share their perspectives with district leadership. He also said that both of the women were not qualified to continue working on the policy. The School Board Office will reach out to interested students with further information and meeting dates. Their feelings about why or how they were targeted do not replace the need for evidence. One of the accusers tried to tell Hampson and DeWolf twice they were disrespecting her, the report said. A Seattle school board member has gone to court to fight the outcome of a district investigation that concluded she harassed, intimidated and bullied two Seattle Public Schools employees. Capitol Hill's school board seat will have a vacancy this year, and the incumbent has some thoughts for anyone interested in running. March 24, 2021 at 5:12 pm Updated March 24, 2021 at 9:35 pm . School Board student members will participate in committee discussions and are encouraged to question and communicate their opinions, suggestions, and concerns. Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. Food, Drink, and Coastal Christmas Anacortes has it all. 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. Three seats on the Seattle Public Schools school board in Washington were up for general election on November 2, 2021. General election date. Not have been convicted of a felony. This fall, the community can expect three new members to join the Seattle School Board . In the summer of 2020, the two staffers and board members disagreed on when the anti-racism policy should go to a board vote.

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