seattle school board members

Tensions began to mount beginning in July 2020 between Hampson, DeWolf and district staffers. 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. School Board student members should reflect the impressive diversity of the district and represent a variety of interests, perspectives, and backgrounds. The school board attempted to bury the report. 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. 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. 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. 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). When Al-ansi attempted to explain why her ties to the local Black communities would help tweak the policy, Hampson interrupted to scoff at the womans bona fides. Seattle School Board chooses new board member, approves plan to return to classrooms. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. 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. One year appointment. DeWolf did not run for re-election and will suffer no immediate political consequences as a result. 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. So far SPS has spent $36,238.53 defending the case against Hampson, according to public records. Both Hampson and DeWolf, according to the complainants, were upset that they lost control over the anti-racism policy to two Black women. Director Harris has every right to vote yes or no on any measure that presents itself to the board. Its unfortunate that another story like this has surfaced. 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. I wanted it to get out afterThanksgiving, as stories printed the week before the holiday tend to get lost. Leslie Harris (incumbent), 61. Geary did not file to run for re-election in 2019. Northwest for Underrepresented Regions (NUR) seeks to improve access to educational opportunities in . During a board meeting Sept. 9, the board voted to take action based on the findings of the investigation. Inspired by the Angela Davis quote that Walls turned sideways are bridges, the board recognizes the organizational structure of the district can create a wall between decision makers and the students the district serves. Scarlett and Al-ansi, who have escaped media scrutiny, should also be called out. All current board members still reside in the districts they represent under the new map. And in that letter I heard from two brilliant Black women that worked within our district, Rivera-Smith said. Districts of Seattle's size are also limited by state law to seven School Board Directors. "It is unreasonable to . Some kids are back at Seattle schools, but 2 homeless camps near Meany Middle and BroadviewThomson Elementary have parents worried. 8. The Jason Rantz Show, 3pm-7pm on KTTH. The Stranger, normally interested in amplifying claims of racism, offered the bare minimum in covering the story, only to link to the Seattle Times. Selection of School Board Student Members; Approval of the Amended 2021-22 Superintendent . And it . Part of the reason that I personally chose not to run is that it is such a huge commitment, particularly for someone who has a full-time job, and we have three board members who have full-time jobs.Smith-Blum said that there are good quality candidates who dont ever run because of the fact that its so overwhelming, with no compensation.But others doubt that board pay is a panacea.I dont think we are going to get a better corps of board candidates for that level of pay, and I dont think anybody who is doing it is doing it for the pay, said Charlie Mas who writes for the Save Seattle Schools website. It unnecessarily meddles in the employment practices. Kudos to her. DeWolf totally disagreed with the allegations and described himself as conflict averse and being careful in this situation.. 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. At least one of the employees was supposed to present a 10-minute update on the anti-racist policy. Once selected, student members will need to obtain written permission to work from their parent or guardian. The Seattle Public Schools board unanimously approved the new district elections map last week. Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration. Volunteer to help people understand their Medicare options! 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 Seattle Prep. Student members will serve as experts through their own experiences and as representatives of their peers. School Board Member Chandra Hampson appealed the outcome of the investigation in September. 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. The tension came to a head during an Aug. 28, 2020, phone call between Hampson, DeWolf, the complainants, and SPS staff. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 PO Class Reps. Preschool Class Rep - Rojine Rudio. 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 . Capitol Hill's school board seat will have a vacancy this year, and the incumbent has some thoughts for anyone interested in running. She is passionate about high-quality education for all Washington students and for an equitable education system to help fully equip achievers for tomorrow. 2013 - Present10 years. Seattle school board directors Zachary DeWolf (L) and Chandra Hampson (R). 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 number of hours a month may vary, but should not exceed 20 hours. In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. But the authority over direct policy lies in the hands of the governing directors, not staff. 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. Is there a reason you telling me this? 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. 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.. School board members Lisa . Hampson did acknowledge the group phone call was terrible, the report said, but denied violating harassment, intimidation and bullying board policies. Its been made available only through a public disclosure request. Indeed, they seem upset that an investigation would occur and that their claims arent believed at face value. Theyre not against racism; they want to favor one racial group over others. Kindergarten Class Rep - Whitney Qualls. March 24, 2021 at 5:12 pm Updated March 24, 2021 at 9:35 pm . Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. 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. They found mixed and inconclusive evidence to show the conduct was based on gender. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. 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. I dont want to rehash our own private conversations.. School board members in Washington are basically volunteers. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 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. Hampson declined to comment. Some of the biggest changes: District 2, which incorporates Green Lake and Phinney Ridge, has expanded west to include Ballard and Magnolia. Hampson told MFR investigators that she was being disrespected as a school board director. They were accused of waging sexist and anti-Black harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) campaigns against two Black female SPS staff. Applications for the 2023-24 student member positions will be open Monday, Feb. 27 - March 24. A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. The controversy began about two years ago, when SPS hired a law firm focused on employment law and human-resource services in the Pacific Northwest to investigate claims that Hampson and DeWolf violated a board policy during meetings that took place in August and September 2020. MFR investigators said DeWolf repeatedly and persistently mistreated the two complainants, violating the HIB policy. The motion also waived the need to post the report on the districts website, which typically needs to happen at least three days before public meetings. 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. 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, School Board Policy No. During a group phone call in August 2020, the situation took a turn for the worse. Email the Records and Archives Center archives@seattleschools.org for finding aids for paper records: school board and superintendent's working files, correspondence and meeting materials. Its not considered harassment when an elected board member reprimands staff for failing to follow board directives, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. Hes no longer in office, with Nov. 17, 2021, being his last day serving on the school board. School Board Audit Quarterly Meeting. 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. But Scarlett and Al-ansi wanted more legitimate community engagement with the Black community before passing the policy. The School is accredited by the New England . AMDG; For the Greater Glory of God; Seattle Preparatory School. 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. More info. The School Board Office will reach out to interested students with further information and meeting dates. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. 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.

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