By Chris B. Bennett Co-publisher/Editor Two weeks ago, The Seattle School Board had a decision to make - who will be the next board member representing District 7, which encompasses Southeast Seattle. School Board (1882 present) minutes, indexes, correspondence, email, public hearings and administrative documents. Thats quite clearly the opposite of being an anti-racist. 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. The tension came to a head during an Aug. 28, 2020, phone call between Hampson, DeWolf, the complainants, and SPS staff. 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. 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. Board members raised their voices at staff and the conversation has been described as terrible, heated, and berating, according to interviews conducted by investigators. Harris is a mother and foster parent who works as a litigation paralegal for Campiche Arnold PLLC. Not have been convicted of a felony. Seattle School Board chooses new board member, approves plan to return to classrooms . The law targets boundary lines drawn with the intention of diluting votes based on race or political party a tactic known as gerrymandering. 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. John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
District officials said that number will increase because the case is ongoing. 68% of the management team is White. The lack of choices and the disrespectful treatment of children and parents by those in power will have to change if officials are going to be accountable, or have any chance of earning back the publics confidence. Hampson appears easily slighted and is disrespectful to many people. Staff involvement was a privilege, not a right, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. . But the district is doing what it can to keep the report from public view. Pre-K Class Rep - Clare Moffat. Currently the owner of Delos Reyes Law . MFR investigators did, however, find that Hampson used her position and authority to the detriment of the complainants. SEATTLE, WA- Massive homeless encampments have taken over several school grounds in Seattle.Instead of demanding that the growing tent communities be removed, the Seattle School Board president and one of its directors have reportedly urged Mayor Jenny Durkan to not clear them out.. Best believe anywhere else, there would be zero homeless camps outside a school. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.) School board members in Washington are basically volunteers. 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. 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. Some of the biggest changes: District 2, which incorporates Green Lake and Phinney Ridge, has expanded west to include Ballard and Magnolia. Northwest for Underrepresented Regions. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Meeting days and times vary by committee and may occur during school hours. Have at least a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency. Its been made available only through a public disclosure request. The board vacancy came on the heels of Director Betty Patu announcing her departure from the school board, and without enough time to [] 174 (Teamsters 174). The employees names were redacted. 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. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134
District 5 - Michelle Sarju. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. 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. Do I need to pull out my resume? she asked, according to witness testimony. August 3, 2021. District 3 - Chandra N. Hampson. 1 and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local No. It only requested Hampson and DeWolf review the policy the investigation said they violated. Tensions began to mount beginning in July 2020 between Hampson, DeWolf and district staffers. Founded in 1856, St. Paul's School is a fully residential independent high school located in Concord, N.H. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Every 10 years, in accordance with the U.S. census count, Seattle Public Schools board members have the task of approving a new district election map. Served on Corporate Advisory Board at the University of Arizona, School of Retail. Seattle University School of Law. 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. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. More info. 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. The board did, however, vote to take action on the investigation. It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety. School Board student members will participate in committee discussions and are encouraged to question and communicate their opinions, suggestions, and concerns. These meetings are held Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. at John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. Is there a reason you telling me this? School Board Special Meeting: Executive Session: Supt Eval Check-In; Work Session: Policy Diet. Enrollment ('17-'18) 54,573 students. What was provided offered little insight into the total claims and ignored the complainants take on the process. They were accused of waging sexist and anti-Black harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) campaigns against two Black female SPS staff. 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.. It was public during the September school board hearing. Education. 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. The Board of Directors is self-perpetuating; new members are elected each year, serving up to two, 3-year terms. Im sorry. 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. Scarlett and Al-ansi, who have escaped media scrutiny, should also be called out. During a group phone call in August 2020, the situation took a turn for the worse. Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. Before she was first elected to the District 6 seat in 2015, she worked on the Schools First campaign in support of district levies. But the investigation said her treatment of Scarlett and Al-ansi was not based on race or gender, as alleged. Emails and meeting notes appear to back this claim. Kirby has served as Board Chair at Special Olympics of Washington, where he helped bring the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games to Seattle. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })(). 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. 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. That meeting was the focus of the investigation and what triggered the accusations against Hampson and DeWolf. 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. It still has not been posted on the boards website. Contact us with questions about applying to be a School Board Student Member. Be a resident of the district she is running in. The Jason Rantz Show, 3pm-7pm on KTTH. Some school board directors even declined to be interviewed for fear their comments would become public record. Hampson recused herself from voting. Earlier this month, in response to the school board's proposal, Washington Senator Jamie Pedersen introduced Senate bill 6282, which would require school districts to create individualized . It was clear Hampson had darts for both of them, the witness told MFR investigators. The School Board has not yet voted on the policy. 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. 1250, School Board Student Members. 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. Lake Washington Windows and Doors is a local window dealer offering the exclusive Leak Armor installation. 04 Mar 2023 01:18:54 Leslie Harris (incumbent), 61. 198.1.97.113 The School Board Office will reach out to interested students with further information and meeting dates. Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office could arrest or civilly commit conservatives for uttering mainstream positions under a terrifying and illegal plan. DeWolfs last day in office was Wednesday; he was elected in 2017 and did not run for a second term. This fall, the community can expect three new members to join the Seattle School Board . Nothing comes up. 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 . Pawares Pathompornvivat, a 32-year-old teacher from Franklin High School, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct. Student board members are appointed for one year, following the academic calendar. Students on the selection committee must: Students on the selection committee will be able to earn community service hours for their work. Once selected, student members will need to obtain written permission to work from their parent or guardian. And it . 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. They were victims of HIB, no doubt. Your IP: The estimated total hours of board meetings that student board members will attend in a month is six (6) hours. But the authority over direct policy lies in the hands of the governing directors, not staff. 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. 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. Ironically, the complaints came out of work on a draft policy concerning anti-racism. In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. 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. A hearing is scheduled for April 16th. There was another meeting between the board directors and the complainants on Sept. 16, 2020. When not harassing Black, female staff, they fought to keep dangerous homeless encampments on school property, including one that housed a sex offender. Board members were under pressure to bring the resolution to the board quickly because many other board policies that were in the works hinged on this document, and district staff was pushing back on the urgency. 2023 Bonneville International. And in that letter I heard from two brilliant Black women that worked within our district, Rivera-Smith said. 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. He will decide whether there is reasonable cause to show these board members committed an act or acts of malfeasance or misfeasance while in office or that such person has violated an oath of office.. DeWolf did not respond to requests for comment. An unnamed board director who worked closely with DeWolf in 2020 declined an interview. Right now they are relying on the superintendent and staff to provide them with data. 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. Seattle Prep. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. I think the investigation was correct in noting there was no evidence to suggest Hampson or DeWolf targeted Scarlett or Al-ansi for their racial or gender identities. It doesnt help that theyre insufferably rude, either. And other directors and witnesses declined their opportunity to speak, too. Hampson did not respond to requests for comment. Location. 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. Two woke Seattle Public School board directors who claim to be anti-racist progressives were found guilty of harassing, intimidating, and bullying Black staff. The filing deadline for this election was May 21, 2021 . Hampson and DeWolf come off as petty public servants because thats precisely what they are. One witness called it worst meeting she had ever experienced., Another witness said that DeWolf began raising his voice and accused [the complainants] of being dishonest about their collaboration on the policy. She said that it seemed he felt the need to put them in their place., When one of the complainants wondered if a miscommunication could have led to the belief that they were working independent of the school board members, the witness said, DeWolf was relentless in his negative admonishing and chastising tone, which set the stage for a terrible conversation., DeWolf told MFR investigators, according to the report, that he was not scolding [the complainant], because he does not like conflict, and he was trying to be super-intentional and gentle with his language..
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