Staff involvement was a privilege, not a right, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. 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. Yes, they get reimbursed a little for expenses such as gas and supplies but certainly not for their time. 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. School Board (1882 present) minutes, indexes, correspondence, email, public hearings and administrative documents. Is there a reason you telling me this? This is my Executive Committee meeting if you could please wrap up your remarks, he said, according to minutes printed in the investigation. 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. The student school board positions are new positions, created by School Board Policy No. And its costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, the chairman of a school board in northwest Oregon, has received death threats. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Seattle . 198.1.97.113 Elected to the Central Valley School Board in Spokane Valley in November 2011, Bolt . and are the keepers of school policy. The anti-racism policy has not been adopted by the school board. A district that I know ardently strives to be a safe, welcoming and anti-racist institution. Normally, this investigation would be posted online three days ahead of a school board meeting. The tension came to a head during an Aug. 28, 2020, phone call between Hampson, DeWolf, the complainants, and SPS staff. AMDG; For the Greater Glory of God; Seattle Preparatory School. 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. 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. 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 . Although the report didnt find clear evidence that Hampson and DeWolf discriminated against the two staffers because of their race or gender, it did conclude that both board members violated board policy 5207, which prohibits harassment, intimidation and bullying. SPS contracted FLO Analytics, a consulting company with expertise in data analysis and redistricting, to draw new district election maps. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The complainants said that even though they didnt push for a HIB investigation, they will be positive about it. 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. Some kids are back at Seattle schools, but 2 homeless camps near Meany Middle and BroadviewThomson Elementary have parents worried. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. 2013 - Present10 years. 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. I wanted it to get out afterThanksgiving, as stories printed the week before the holiday tend to get lost. Bellevue Christian Board of Directors. John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence Student board members will not be voting members but will serve as advisors to the Seattle School Board. But Scarlett and Al-ansi wanted more legitimate community engagement with the Black community before passing the policy. All students and the more than 100 full-time faculty members live on the grounds. Seattle Public Schools started out the 2020-2021 school year in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And it . Student board members will not be voting members but will serve as advisors to the Seattle School Board. During a group phone call in August 2020, the situation took a turn for the worse. Mary Fertakis, Kevin Wang, Patty Wood - At-Large Positions 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. 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. Our safety, legitimacy as leaders, unique and necessary lived perspectives, and material contributions have been routinely marginalized and discredited in accordance with our proximity and alignment with white-centric institutional norms, and these Board Directors views, they wrote in the memo. "You will not see me supporting your business and I find it intriguing you think that crime is just in Tacoma, said a Tacoma Councilmember. As Scarlett was discussing her desire to ensure the policy is a pro-Black anti-racist policy, she was repeatedly interrupted by DeWolf. DeWolfs last day in office was Wednesday; he was elected in 2017 and did not run for a second term. 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. 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. As a former elected official, its bloody nonsense.. By Chris B. Bennett, The Seattle Medium. Emails and meeting notes appear to back this claim. Greetings from the Admissions Director; Prep At A Glance; Explore Prep; Open House; Panther For A Day; Apply to Prep; . 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. I found out about this a week or so before my vacation, thanks to a listener tip. Nothing comes up. Before she was first elected to the District 6 seat in 2015, she worked on the Schools First campaign in support of district levies. Dahlia Bazzaz. His complaint appears to come from her wanting to work more independently from him. Board members accused both employees of inaccuracies in the policy. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.). The district was also to provide harassment, intimidation and bullying training to board members as needed. But some witnesses and school board directors got in the way. But the district is doing what it can to keep the report from public view. 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). The student-led Selection Committee will support the Board's selection of three (3) students for the 2023-24 . 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. DeWolf totally disagreed with the allegations and described himself as conflict averse and being careful in this situation.. 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. The Board of Directors is self-perpetuating; new members are elected each year, serving up to two, 3-year terms. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. School Board 1971 (PH 007-25) Archives. 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. 04 Mar 2023 01:18:54 Enrollment ('17-'18) 54,573 students. Paralegal. Social Media - Qiong Schlegel. 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 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. Show more Show less When not harassing Black, female staff, they fought to keep dangerous homeless encampments on school property, including one that housed a sex offender. It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety. Better yet: Where are they? Currently the owner of Delos Reyes Law . 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. 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. The School Board Office will reach out to interested students with further information and meeting dates. Elise Takahama. Her attorneys filed a brief on Friday to the appeals court. SPS upholds all board policies and superintendent procedures and thoroughly investigates workplace complaints.. A school board candidate must: Be a registered voter. 1250, School Board Student Members. Melissa Westbrooks local blog which I just discovered actually covered this story back in October. The superintendent was in attendance. DeWolf engaged more harshly, disrespectfully, and/or rudely with women, regardless of race. But others note hes rude to everyone regardless of gender. And District 6 in West Seattle now stretches to the other side of the Duwamish Waterway and includes Georgetown and South Park. District 3 - Chandra N. Hampson. It was clear Hampson had darts for both of them, the witness told MFR investigators. 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. 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 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. Its a bridge too far.Carlyle says the quality and diversity of the board would improve if members were compensated.Retiring Seattle School Board Chairwoman Kay Smith-Blum agrees that its time to start paying some kind of salary.This is a job that averages, I believe, anywhere from 20-30 hours a week, Smith-Blum said. But why did it take the Seattle Times months to cover? and . 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. At a meeting earlier this month, Seattle Public Schools board member Liza Rankin pointed out that the upcoming legislative session is a budget year, and called for the state to start paying for . He made these comments several times. Pre-K Class Rep - Clare Moffat. 2023 FOX Television Stations, from SAT 6:00 PM PST until SUN 12:00 PM PST, Wenatchee Area, FOX13 News | Seattle & Western Washington | Formerly Q13 News, 'I've been really scared:' Survivor of home invasion sexual assault fighting to keep suspects in jail, Remains found tangled in a fishing line south of Marysville in 1979 identified through DNA, VIDEO: Kent police search for man who stole car with 2 children inside; children later found unharmed, Giant bug found at an Arkansas Walmart identified as a Jurassic-era insect, 7 people arrested in Seattle connected to national drug trafficking operation, Bryan Kohberger lawyer blasts 'grotesquely twisted' media coverage of stabbing that killed 4 Idaho students, Philadelphia Eagles WR Zach Pascal robbed at gunpoint in Maryland, Thurston County man dead after being hit by car in his own driveway, suspect arrested, VIDEO: Distinct red van may have been used in multiple break-ins in Seattle, Edmonds, Investigators: Former Puyallup police officer accused of rape may be linked to other assault, Skin cancer removed from President Biden's chest, Roof collapses during vacant building fire in Lake City, Seattle Police search for suspect who shot someone in the leg in Belltown, Seattle Police search for hit-and-run driver, SPD: 3 kids arrested for threats, stealing a car, having guns. 68% of the management team is White. Seattle Prep. This year's inaugural class was nominated by a student-led committee in May, and was approved by the board in June. The districts decades-long record of failure helps explain why three Seattle mothers, Emily Bramwell Cherkin, Jennifer Rebecca Olson Crow, and Beverely Diann Goodman are leading a broad coalition of concerned parents asking voters to recall six out of seven Seattle school board members. MFR investigators did, however, find that Hampson used her position and authority to the detriment of the complainants. Both Hampson and DeWolf, according to the complainants, were upset that they lost control over the anti-racism policy to two Black women. 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. Scarlett and Al-ansi, who have escaped media scrutiny, should also be called out. 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. Hampson and DeWolf are no strangers to controversy. Hampson and DeWolf later tried to expedite the board vote on the anti-racism policy during an executive committee meeting without the staffers. Right now they are relying on the superintendent and staff to provide them with data. Pawares Pathompornvivat, a 32-year-old teacher from Franklin High School, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual misconduct. 1250, School Board Student Members. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Follow@JasonRantz onTwitter,Instagram, andParler,and like me onFacebook. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. A criminal history does not automatically disqualify an applicant from serving as a School Board student member. 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. This case highlights that particular problem and ultimately can bring affirmation to the board and the superintendent they hire.. In 2023, voters will choose board members for districts 1, 2, 3, and 6. 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, concluded she harassed, intimidated and bullied. Board Member @ Seattle Public Schools Vice President at Seattle School Board @ Seattle Public Schools President @ Seattle Public Schools see more 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. 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. 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. District 2 - Lisa Rivera Smith. In the summer of 2020, the two staffers and board members disagreed on when the anti-racism policy should go to a board vote. Your IP: District 6 - Leslie S. Harris. (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); })(). It only requested Hampson and DeWolf review the policy the investigation said they violated. Mason Trinca for The New York Times. School Board Student Member Application. Bier on the Pier takes place on October 7th and 8th and features local ciders, food trucks and live music - not to mention the beautiful views of the Guemes Channel and backdrop of downtown Anacortes. Here are further demographic highlights of the leadership team: The Seattle Public Schools executive team is 40% female and 60% male. 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.. More info. 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. I certainly understand that SPS did not make it easy to track this story. 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. School Board student members will hold non-voting advisory positions. Student board member terms run . The Seattle Public Schools board unanimously approved the new district elections map last week. This is my Executive Committee meeting, the report said he told her. The report found Hampson worked with DeWolf to limit the impacts and remarks of the district employee. While I started to look into it then, I purposefully withheld my reporting until now. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 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. Did you like this opinion piece? District staff thought they knew better and felt sidelined. 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. By . Approval of the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Seattle School District No. 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. Multiple school board members say . He was elected twice to the Seattle School Board serving from 2007 to 2015. Food, Drink, and Coastal Christmas Anacortes has it all. It doesnt help that theyre insufferably rude, either. Theyre not against racism; they want to favor one racial group over others. Student members will serve as experts through their own experiences and as representatives of their peers. However, the investigation did not conclude Hampson and DeWolf discriminated against staffers based on their race or gender. A hearing is scheduled for April 16th. 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. District 5 - Michelle Sarju. Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration. 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. All current board members still reside in the districts they represent under the new map. Mar. I dont know what youre getting at by sharing yours, Hampson added, according to the witness. The board voted to withhold the information from online publication in an apparent move to keep the adverse findings from the public spotlight. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Districts of Seattle's size are also limited by state law to seven School Board Directors. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. They were accused of waging sexist and anti-Black harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) campaigns against two Black female SPS staff. The events that took place between Seattle public school staff and board members Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolfe . District 1 - Liza Rankin. 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. 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. 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. Consequently, media coverage has been scant and inadequate. Location. John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. 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. Founded in 1856, St. Paul's School is a fully residential independent high school located in Concord, N.H. BCS is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. Seattle, Washington, United States. But the investigation said her treatment of Scarlett and Al-ansi was not based on race or gender, as alleged. 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. 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. MFR submitted the report to Seattle Schools in early August. Leslie Harris (incumbent), 61. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.) MFR investigators said DeWolf repeatedly and persistently mistreated the two complainants, violating the HIB policy. School Board Audit Quarterly Meeting. Education. 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 . 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. City officials and school board members have declined to meet with the group of neighbors, parents and employees who are . Do I need to pull out my resume? she asked, according to witness testimony. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Indeed, they seem upset that an investigation would occur and that their claims arent believed at face value. Currently, Liza Rankin holds the district 1 spot, Lisa Rivera Smith represents district 2, Chandra Hampson represents . 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. The attorneys representing the district, Pacific Law Group LLC, referred to the district for comment. Students on the selection committee must: Students on the selection committee will be able to earn community service hours for their work. Subscribe to thepodcast here. It unnecessarily meddles in the employment practices. Once selected, student members will need to obtain written permission to work from their parent or guardian. The findings call his conduct unprofessional.. 2445 3rd Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134 District officials said that number will increase because the case is ongoing. Director Harris has every right to vote yes or no on any measure that presents itself to the board. 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. March 24, 2021 Updated Wed., March 24, 2021 at 8:31 p.m. Board members must first be elected to the 40+ member BCS Corporation. Tensions began to mount beginning in July 2020 between Hampson, DeWolf and district staffers. Northwest for Underrepresented Regions (NUR) seeks to improve access to educational opportunities in . Raymond Delos Reyes is a first-generation Filipino American, born in Seattle and a native of the Rainier Valley neighborhood, where he continues to reside. 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. Im sorry. 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. She is the Seattle School Board president. 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 . So far SPS has spent $36,238.53 defending the case against Hampson, according to public records. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. By. Lets remember, six of the last seven people who had the job ran for re-election. 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. It was an attempt to limit Scarletts contributions to the meeting.
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