seattle school board membersstanly news and press arrests

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. Admissions. Hampsons attorneys are seeking to overturn the finding that their client violated the districts harassment, intimidation and bullying policy and say the district has not explained how events that led to the investigation meet the threshold of causing substantial harm to staffers under the policy. SPS contracted FLO Analytics, a consulting company with expertise in data analysis and redistricting, to draw new district election maps. According to district policy, the investigation was compulsory since they did not successfully mediate their dispute. 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 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.. Paralegal. It doesnt help that theyre insufferably rude, either. Social Media - Qiong Schlegel. During a group phone call in August 2020, the situation took a turn for the worse. I found out about this a week or so before my vacation, thanks to a listener tip. The number of hours a month may vary, but should not exceed 20 hours. Any immediate political consequences are unknown. 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. If youre retired or getting ready to retire and looking for new ways to stay active, becoming a SHIBA volunteer could be for you! Show more Show less It was dated Sept. 18, 2020. The board voted on March 24 to move Pre-K through fifth-grade students into in-person instruction starting in April 2021. When not harassing Black, female staff, they fought to keep dangerous homeless encampments on school property, including one that housed a sex offender. Mary Fertakis, Kevin Wang, Patty Wood - At-Large Positions 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. Not be a current employee of the district and/or be related to a current employee in that district. 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. 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. Students on the selection committee must: Students on the selection committee will be able to earn community service hours for their work. Hampson, meanwhile, wanted to vote on the anti-racism policy instead of waiting for more community engagement, arguing its already been done. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. Geary won in the general election on November 3, 2015. A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. Its unfortunate that another story like this has surfaced. 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. 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. Their feelings about why or how they were targeted do not replace the need for evidence. Seattle Times staff reporter. If you feel you are being discriminated against, you need to prove it with the highest level of scrutiny., According to the investigation, both DeWolf and Hampson felt it important to move forward with an investigation so that it was clear they were not being held to a different standard or process than other SPS staff.. During a board meeting Sept. 9, the board voted to take action based on the findings of the investigation. Ironically, the complaints came out of work on a draft policy concerning anti-racism. He was elected twice to the Seattle School Board serving from 2007 to 2015. Greater Giving Administrator - Kelsey Fish. 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. School Board student members will receive $17.27/hour for their work in this role, not to exceed 20 hours a month. By Chris B. Bennett, The Seattle Medium. He also said that both of the women were not qualified to continue working on the policy. It unnecessarily meddles in the employment practices. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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. 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. I dont want to rehash our own private conversations.. The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH has a staff of one when it comes to reporting and research: Im the one. Hampson declined to comment. All students and the more than 100 full-time faculty members live on the grounds. But some witnesses and school board directors got in the way. 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 . 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. Currently the owner of Delos Reyes Law . By . Seattle school board directors Zachary DeWolf (L) and Chandra Hampson (R). But Scarlett and Al-ansi wanted more legitimate community engagement with the Black community before passing the policy. Scarlett and Al-ansi did not appear pleased with the process. 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. Once selected, student members will need to obtain written permission to work from their parent or guardian. 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. Director Harris has every right to vote yes or no on any measure that presents itself to the board. The attorneys representing the district, Pacific Law Group LLC, referred to the district for comment. 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. The conduct violated SPSs policy against harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB). 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. 1250, School Board Student Members. West Seattle news, 24/7. And in that letter I heard from two brilliant Black women that worked within our district, Rivera-Smith said. 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. Better yet: Where are they? 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. 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. School Board Member Chandra Hampson appealed the outcome of the investigation in September. But the authority over direct policy lies in the hands of the governing directors, not staff. Multiple school board members say . Elected to the Central Valley School Board in Spokane Valley in November 2011, Bolt . Come one, come all! School Board Policy No. They complained that they were being tokenized in the policys development. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. The remaining seats will open up in 2025. The only somewhat meaningful reporting on this complaint came from the Seattle Times. Try searching for this story on the websites for KIRO 7, KING 5, KOMO News, or FOX 13. This case highlights that particular problem and ultimately can bring affirmation to the board and the superintendent they hire.. 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. DeWolf did not respond to requests for comment. District 6 - Leslie S. Harris. Scarlett and Al-ansi, who have escaped media scrutiny, should also be called out. They say it's not safe. Do I need to pull out my resume? she asked, according to witness testimony. March 8 @ 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm. An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. District 7 - Brandon K. Hersey. The judge does not rule on the truth of the charges, only their legal sufficiency under state law. Kindergarten Class Rep - Whitney Qualls. Hampson and DeWolf later tried to expedite the board vote on the anti-racism policy during an executive committee meeting without the staffers. MFR submitted the report to Seattle Schools in early August. 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. The six officials parents are seeking to recall are Chandra Hampson, President, Brandon Hersey, Vice-President, Zachary DeWolf, Liza Rankin, Leslie Harris, and Lisa Rivera-Smith. Tel 206-324-0400 . The investigation itself was extensive. 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. A school board candidate must: Be a registered voter. In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. 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 . 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. This is my Executive Committee meeting, the report said he told her. 2023 Bonneville International. DeWolfs last day in office was Wednesday; he was elected in 2017 and did not run for a second term. Ghislaine Maxwell has appealed the conviction and 20-year prison sentence she received for trafficking girls to Jeffrey Epstein for sex, with her . and . Geary did not file to run for re-election in 2019. And its costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. In the summer of 2020, the two staffers and board members disagreed on when the anti-racism policy should go to a board vote. The complainants said that even though they didnt push for a HIB investigation, they will be positive about it. 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 . "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. 206-252-0000, Distributing Information to Students and Schools, Northwest Coast Art by Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, Squaxin/Skokomish, School Board Student Member Selection Committee. Pawares Pathompornvivat, a 32-year-old teacher from Franklin High School, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct. GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund. The 2,000-acre grounds are home to approximately 535 students from more than 30 states and 13 countries. Should classroom learning time be cut down to 4 hours a day in Washington state. DeWolf engaged more harshly, disrespectfully, and/or rudely with women, regardless of race. But others note hes rude to everyone regardless of gender. District 5 - Michelle Sarju. Served on Corporate Advisory Board at the University of Arizona, School of Retail. Capitol Hill's school board seat will have a vacancy this year, and the incumbent has some thoughts for anyone interested in running. Here are further demographic highlights of the leadership team: The Seattle Public Schools executive team is 40% female and 60% male. The district was also to provide harassment, intimidation and bullying training to board members as needed. 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. Seattle, Washington, United States. They were targets because the school board directors are rabid left-wing activists who want to play savior to the citys minority communities. 198.1.97.113 The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Location. The findings note that four of the 13 witnesses they interviewed opined that Dir. 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. 1250, School Board Student Members. 1250, School Board Student Members. Hampson, on the other hand, is in office until 2023 and its unclear if shell run for re-election. Board members must first be elected to the 40+ member BCS Corporation. They were accused of waging sexist and anti-Black harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) campaigns against two Black female SPS staff. DeWolf has represented District 5, which includes Capitol Hill, downtown and the Central District. 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 School Board student members should also possess an awareness of challenges and barriers that they or others experience in education and in society. Newsletter & Website Content - OPEN. As Scarlett was discussing her desire to ensure the policy is a pro-Black anti-racist policy, she was repeatedly interrupted by DeWolf. 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. During law school, I served as a Board Member on the Black Law Students Association, Alternative Dispute Resolution Board, Academic Conduct Board, and Seattle Journal for Social Justice. The superintendent was in attendance. 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. and are the keepers of school policy. For example, in one email, DeWolf called out Scarletts dishonesty in claiming she was working with him on the anti-racism policy. Consequently, media coverage has been scant and inadequate. 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. Districts of Seattle's size are also limited by state law to seven School Board Directors. And, moving forward, new school board members would be required to take training on HIB conduct. Student board members will not be voting members but will serve as advisors to the Seattle School Board. Some kids are back at Seattle schools, but 2 homeless camps near Meany Middle and BroadviewThomson Elementary have parents worried. Normally, this investigation would be posted online three days ahead of a school board meeting. However, DeWolf cut her off before the 10 minutes were up, telling her twice to wrap up her comments, the report said. And in a district like Seattle, a $1 billion annual enterprise, its a big job for someone who isnt getting paid.Dont we deserve a higher quality education system for our 50,000 kids, asked Carlyle.Carlyle argues that many of Seattles problems, and many problems in other districts, including the achievement gap, low graduation rates, and high turnover, can be tied to the fact that board members are volunteers, arent up to the job, and dont have much time for it.Carlyles plan would pay board members, starting in the biggest, most complex district in Seattle, a salary in-line with state legislators, which is $42,000 per year.It is unreasonable to expect people to have all of that knowledge and then be full-time volunteers on top, said Carlyle. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. As crime increases, our safety measures must too, GSBA is closing the disparity gap with Ready for Business Fund. Yet here they wont? The board voted to withhold the information from online publication in an apparent move to keep the adverse findings from the public spotlight. Right now they are relying on the superintendent and staff to provide them with data. 8. 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. They barely got a slap on the wrist. Student board members are appointed for one year, following the academic calendar. It was an attempt to limit Scarletts contributions to the meeting. Students will also have opportunities to participate in outside training, such as through the Washington State School Directors Association. 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. St Andrews Property For Sale, Articles S