But they are also fringe partisans who set up their complaint to fail when they claimed concern over the process not being able to weed out implicit bias. 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. District 4 - Vivian Song Maritz. Both Hampson and DeWolf, according to the complainants, were upset that they lost control over the anti-racism policy to two Black women. She repeatedly said she was elected to do this work and appeared upset that her authority and duty were questioned. November 2, 2021. Any immediate political consequences are unknown. Hampson and DeWolf were required to review the policy, according to the motion passed by board members, and the district was to provide harassment, intimidation and bullying training to all new board members as needed.. 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. 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. Melissa Westbrooks local blog which I just discovered actually covered this story back in October. 'Time for an intervention:' Seattle School Board member resigns, cites 'dysfunctional culture Jan 07, 2021 at 7:22 pm Believe me, I know. 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. Enrollment ('17-'18) 54,573 students. 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 . 1250, School Board Student Members. Work. The complainants said that even though they didnt push for a HIB investigation, they will be positive about it. 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 (1882 present) minutes, indexes, correspondence, email, public hearings and administrative documents. Hampson recused herself from voting. But you wont find the report on the districts website. It unnecessarily meddles in the employment practices. Currently, Liza Rankin holds the district 1 spot, Lisa Rivera Smith represents district 2, Chandra Hampson represents . March 8 @ 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. 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. Lets remember, six of the last seven people who had the job ran for re-election. Kirby has served as Board Chair at Special Olympics of Washington, where he helped bring the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games to Seattle. Come one, come all! Contact us with questions about applying to be a School Board Student Member. Another Washington community is having to deal with the possibility of rogue sex offenders. 1 and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local No. By. School Board Member Chandra Hampson appealed the outcome of the investigation in September. District 6 - Leslie S. Harris. Board members must first be elected to the 40+ member BCS Corporation. 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. In a series of emails, DeWolf and Hampson accused staffers of inaccuracies in district meeting minutes and claimed the district staffers didnt do the work they said they did, the report said. This fall, the community can expect three new members to join the Seattle School Board . 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. Director Harris has every right to vote yes or no on any measure that presents itself to the board. For details see Revised Code of Washington 29A.56.110. Carlyle's 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. She is the Seattle School Board president. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. The two staffers attempted to present the policy during the meeting in September but were cut off by board members. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, the chairman of a school board in northwest Oregon, has received death threats. "Members of the Seattle School Board demanded the mayor's office not sweep dangerous and growing homeless encampments on two school properties," Rantz reported Tuesday . He was elected twice to the Seattle School Board serving from 2007 to 2015. Some board members thought historic redlining maps should have been taken into consideration. John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence I certainly understand that SPS did not make it easy to track this story. 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. March 24, 2021 Updated Wed., March 24, 2021 at 8:31 p.m. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Board members raised their voices at staff and the conversation has been described as terrible, heated, and berating, according to interviews conducted by investigators. But Scarlett and Al-ansi wanted more legitimate community engagement with the Black community before passing the policy. Leslie Harris (incumbent), 61. Nothing comes up. But the authority over direct policy lies in the hands of the governing directors, not staff. The Seattle School Board recognizes the organizational structure of the district can create a wall between decision makers and the students the district serves. 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. Northwest for Underrepresented Regions (NUR) seeks to improve access to educational opportunities in . Meeting days and times vary by committee and may occur during school hours. 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. Student members are encouraged to utilize course credit, service hour, independent study, free periods, or other opportunities, as available and appropriate for their own academic schedule, to modify their class schedule to accommodate committee meeting attendance. Seattle school board directors Zachary DeWolf (L) and Chandra Hampson (R). The Jason Rantz Show, 3pm-7pm on KTTH. 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 student-led Selection Committee will support the Boards selection of three (3) students for the 2023-24 school year who will serve as Student Members. GSBA, Comcast, and other partners are working to address disparities in access to financial resources with the Ready for Business fund. They were accused of waging sexist and . But the investigation said her treatment of Scarlett and Al-ansi was not based on race or gender, as alleged. Its unfortunate that another story like this has surfaced. Apr 2013 - Jan 20162 years 10 months. Posting documents for regular Board meetings at least 3 days in advance of the meeting to allow for public review. Food, Drink, and Coastal Christmas Anacortes has it all. Geary won in the general election on November 3, 2015. 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. And other directors and witnesses declined their opportunity to speak, too. A criminal history does not automatically disqualify an applicant from serving as a School Board student member. School Board student members will hold non-voting advisory positions. The report was never posted to the Seattle Schools website. Should classroom learning time be cut down to 4 hours a day in Washington state. 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. Dahlia Bazzaz. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2e666278b6291a Your IP: They were victims of HIB, no doubt. General election date. 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. Committees meet monthly. Is there a reason you telling me this? 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. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Not have been convicted of a felony. "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. 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. The number of hours a month may vary, but should not exceed 20 hours. The investigation is damning both for the directors who misbehaved and the complainants who use their wokeness to prove any investigation into anti-Blackness would be futile. 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 . Theyre always quick to lift other peoples stories and present them as their own. Newsletter & Website Content - OPEN. She coordinated with DeWolf in an attempt to limit the complainants from speaking about their work on the policy and from offering input. 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. School Board Audit Quarterly Meeting. Applicants must be a Seattle Public Schools student entering their junior or senior year of high school at the time of selection, on track to graduate, and continue to be enrolled in Seattle Public Schools through the school year of their term. It was dated Sept. 18, 2020. School Board student members will have the opportunity to participate in district policy development processes and counsel board directors on the impacts of potential district actions on students. PO Class Reps. Preschool Class Rep - Rojine Rudio. Contact the Student Members through Lets Talk. Last week, the Seattle School Board approved two measures involving African Americans males by a vote of 5-1, with the lone no vote on each measure cast by senior school board director Leslie Harris. The student positions were created under the recently adopted School Board Policy No. Hampson had been a last-minute addition to the conference call. Come celebrate Anacortes 11th annual Bier on the Pier! 174 (Teamsters 174). And, moving forward, new school board members would be required to take training on HIB conduct. It only requested Hampson and DeWolf review the policy the investigation said they violated. Email the Board of Trustees . (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); })(). School Board student members will receive $17.27/hour for their work in this role, not to exceed 20 hours a month. I wanted it to get out afterThanksgiving, as stories printed the week before the holiday tend to get lost. Right now they are relying on the superintendent and staff to provide them with data. And why havent local TV stations picked the story up in any meaningful way? They were accused of waging sexist and anti-Black harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) campaigns against two Black female SPS staff. District officials said that number will increase because the case is ongoing. Emails and meeting notes appear to back this claim. Since 2013, evolved legal intern program at the Allen Institute into a law school class to teach the practical aspects and soft skills . Subscribe to thepodcast here. By . An unnamed board director who worked closely with DeWolf in 2020 declined an interview. (One recently-appointed member is not eligible for recall.) An accumulation of these disagreements and misunderstandings, according to the emails, led to a group phone call and meeting on Aug. 28, 2020. Before she was first elected to the District 6 seat in 2015, she worked on the Schools First campaign in support of district levies. Gross: Residents step up to hold government leaders accountable, Tacoma councilmember vows to not support departing local business, Rantz: AG pushing most dangerous bill in legislative history, Rantz: Union-backed bill gets friendly, misleading media support, Rantz: Washington Democrats to force businesses to hire potheads, Franklin HS teacher charged on multiple counts for having sex with student. Hampson and DeWolf later tried to expedite the board vote on the anti-racism policy during an executive committee meeting without the staffers. I dont want to rehash our own private conversations.. The Seattle Public Schools board unanimously approved the new district elections map last week. The recall petition must be reviewed and approved by Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi. March 7 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. They say it's not safe. 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. The law targets boundary lines drawn with the intention of diluting votes based on race or political party a tactic known as gerrymandering. The superintendent was in attendance. Where were they? Hampson appears easily slighted and is disrespectful to many people. Social Media - Qiong Schlegel. 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 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.. A left-wing media outlet used a union-backed poll to push a union-backed piece of legislation to push you into offering support. March 24, 2021 at 5:12 pm Updated March 24, 2021 at 9:35 pm . Have at least a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency. and are the keepers of school policy. They couldnt get to this sooner? Mary Fertakis, Kevin Wang, Patty Wood - At-Large Positions 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.. Seattle Times staff reporter. A school board candidate must: Be a registered voter. 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. 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. It's easy to be accused of fearmongering regarding crime, but Seattle residents might have good reason to be concerned for their safety. And it . 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. But given the events of a recent school board meeting, this shouldnt come as a shock. When not harassing Black, female staff, they fought to keep dangerous homeless encampments on school property, including one that housed a sex offender. Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers claim Jeffrey Epstein's 15-year-old Florida plea deal should undo her sex-trafficking conviction. 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. 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. And its costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. 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. BCS is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. and . Medicare open enrollment is here and SHIBA can help! And in that letter I heard from two brilliant Black women that worked within our district, Rivera-Smith said. The two SPS employees believed board members were silencing, undermining, discrediting and discriminating against them based on gender and race, court documents say. Seattle Public Schools hired MFR Law Group PLLC (MFR) to conduct an extensive investigation into school board directors Chandra Hampson and Zachary DeWolf. Arizona school board member says district should reject hiring teachers with Christian values: 'Not.safe' https://lnkd.in/gsiKn_qu Explore the Fox News At least one of the employees was supposed to present a 10-minute update on the anti-racist policy. Admissions. Next year, Seattle voters may be voting for candidates in different Seattle School Board districts, the result of a monthslong redrawing of board member districts this fall. She is passionate about high-quality education for all Washington students and for an equitable education system to help fully equip achievers for tomorrow. The district's 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. 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. Approval of the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Seattle School District No. As crime increases, our safety measures must too, GSBA is closing the disparity gap with Ready for Business Fund. 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 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.. 1250, School Board Student Members. School Board 1971 (PH 007-25) Archives. So, the actual people who actually do the job clearly like it and want to keep doing it.Mas argued theres a better solution to the fact that the job can be demanding, a solution that doesnt involve paying board members.They dont need to be paid themselves, they need some paid staff to answer those emails, to do some independent data gathering, he said. August 3, 2021. For example, in one email, DeWolf called out Scarletts dishonesty in claiming she was working with him on the anti-racism policy. Im sorry. 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. A primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. As Scarlett was discussing her desire to ensure the policy is a pro-Black anti-racist policy, she was repeatedly interrupted by DeWolf. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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. Student board members are appointed for one year, following the academic calendar. 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 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. I have been doing this for 30+ years, and I dont need to hear your qualifications. City officials and school board members have declined to meet with the group of neighbors, parents and employees who are . 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. Its not considered harassment when an elected board member reprimands staff for failing to follow board directives, Hampsons attorneys argue in court documents. The company, which has offices in the Pacific Northwest and New England, created various maps based on legal requirements, community and board member input. And their commitment to turning an anti-racist policy into a pro-Black anti-racist policy is instructive. Redistricting is required by law. Pre-K Class Rep - Clare Moffat. 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. The School is accredited by the New England . 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. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The judge does not rule on the truth of the charges, only their legal sufficiency under state law. Better yet: Where are they? Served on Corporate Advisory Board at the University of Arizona, School of Retail. Volunteer to help people understand their Medicare options!
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