From: Apostle, Paul A
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 12:45 PM
To: Enfield, Susan A
Subject: Lafayette Investigation Memorandum

MEMORANDUM

To: Susan Enfield
From: Paul Apostle
Date: May 22, 2012
Subject: Lafayette Investigation

Per your request, I have directed that an investigation be conducted into allegations that the Lafayette Principal, Jo Lute Ervin, did not properly address allegations of misconduct by a student and that the principal violated Board Policies 3207, Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying, and 3208, Sexual Harassment. The investigation is in response to a complaint filed on May 3, 2012, by two Lafayette parents.

The report of the District’s Employee and Labor Relations Investigator, Denise Williams-Saunders, is attached.

The report states that the student misconduct was promptly addressed by the classroom teachers and other staff involved. A parent of one of the students that witnessed one incident of inappropriate gestures on April 10, 2012 complained to the principal that the conduct had not been addressed and that his child had been subjected to sexual harassment.

In response the principal conducted an investigation, including interviewing the student and five student-witnesses on April 13, 2012. The principal then reported back to the complaining parents that her investigation confirmed the student had used inappropriate gestures, which had already been addressed by the classroom teacher, but did not confirm that the student had touched himself in a sexual manner. Ms. Williams-Saunder’s report states that the principal conducted the student interviews in private and asked the students to demonstrate the gestures used by the student. It was alleged that the principal had refused to allow a parent to sit in on the interview, but evidence indicates the principal was not aware the request was from the parent of the child being interviewed.

The report concludes that School Board Policies 3207 and 3208 were not violated.

Aurora Lora, Executive Director of Schools, met with the principal on April 25, 2012 and provided advice on ways to improve her response to sensitive allegations of student misconduct in the future. These include having another adult in the room whenever possible sensitive subjects are involved, not asking students to demonstrate the gestures used, informing parents before and after of such interviews, and providing better information to substitute teachers to inform them of problematic situations they may encounter.

You have asked that we take steps to assure a positive learning environment is maintained between now and the end of the school year. Deputy Superintendent Bob Boesche, Aurora Lora and I visited the school yesterday to assess that question. Aurora will meet with the entire staff today. We believe that staff is working hard and effectively to teach students. To assure this continues, we will provide additional support at the building as needed for the remaining four weeks of the school year.

Unrelated to this incident, the District announced in February that Ms. Lute Ervin would be leaving the school at the end of the school year. The hiring process for her replacement is nearly complete. No decision has been made for Ms. Lute Ervin’s new assignment next fall.

The District is planning mandatory training for school leaders for later this summer in identifying and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and bullying.

The SSCF site reported that one of the parents involved had filed a report last week asking police to investigate. We were unable to get that report through the precinct but are seeking it through headquarters, to find out its status.

ADDED 8:20 AM: The Lafayette PTA e-mail we mentioned above, sent to a school-related list, alluded to a letter to Lafayette families from West Seattle executive director of schools Aurora Lora. PTA president Annie Higgins has provided WSB with a copy; she says a hard copy will go home with Lafayette students today. As you will read, it is similar in content to the district memo above:

May 22, 2012

Dear Lafayette families,

I want to let you know about an issue at Lafayette that has come to public attention and assure you that student safety and well-being is a top priority at Lafayette.

Issues of alleged student misconduct at Lafayette were raised in early April and addressed. The student was disciplined by the classroom teacher. After a complaint from two parents, the principal conducted an investigation and concluded that no further action was warranted.

Later, on May 3, two parents filed a formal complaint. In response, Dr. Susan Enfield asked Human Resources to conduct an investigation. The report states that student misconduct was promptly addressed by the classroom teachers and other staff involved. The report concludes that no Board policies were violated.

To ensure a positive learning environment is maintained between now and the end of the school year, on Monday, Interim Deputy Superintendent Bob Boesché, and Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Paul Apostle and I visited Lafayette and on Tuesday, we spoke to the entire staff. To help finish the school year, the school district is providing Principal Jo Lute-Ervin with additional administrative assistance.

With four weeks until the end of the school year, I want to thank the Lafayette staff and community for continuing to ensure strong teaching and learning, despite these distractions. I should have news about a principal appointment for the 2012-13 school year later this week.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Aurora Lora
Executive Director of Schools, West Seattle

(WSB photo from 2011 tournament)
With a week and a half to go till the second annual Chief Sealth Athletics Golf Tournament, organizers are ready to see the final spots fill up so it’s a full lineup when everybody tees up. June 1st is the day, Rainier Golf and Country Club the place. Sealth athletic director Sam Reed explains, “The goal of the Chief Sealth Athletics Golf Tournament is to become the prime method of fundraising for our student-athletes. The inaugural event in 2011 raised over $5,000 which went directly toward supporting athletic efforts including transportation, uniforms and equipment, and building quality lower level programs (JV and C-teams).” There are also some specific needs, from buying banners to celebrate past championships – previous banners were lost in the remodel – to funding a certified strength coach who can design programs to help the students best utilize Sealth’s state-of-the-art weight room. If you can swing it, it’s a great excuse to take that Friday afternoon off – and you can register online right now, with the fees including food and beverages as well as golf.

When José Banda, just hired to be Seattle Public Schools‘ next superintendent, visited Arbor Heights Elementary last Thursday (WSB coverage here), the final official stop of his tour was an orchestra rehearsal in the cafetorium, shown in our video clip above. The rehearsal also provided a view into a community partnership that is playing out at schools around this area. Since 2008, the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras have provided professional music coaches to several schools in West Seattle and South Park, in hopes that will increase the number of students who go on to play orchestral music with string instruments in middle school and high school. Two SYSO-provided coaches were there during the Thursday practice, according to Kathleen Allen, education/communication/partnerships director of SYSO, a West Seattleite who also was on hand. Earlier in the week, she had circulated a video – see it here – promoting the SYSO/SPS partnership in this area, and she provided this list of 13 school concerts over the next three weeks to which you are welcome (including next Thursday at AH):

May 22, 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Highland Park Elementary
May 24, 1:30 pm and 6:00 pm at Arbor Heights Elementary
May 24, 2 pm and 6 pm at Gatewood Elementary
June 1, 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Sanislo Elementary
June 6, 6:30 pm and June 8, 1:30 p.m. at Concord International (Elementary)
June 6, 7:00 pm, Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School Choir and Orchestra concert at the Sealth Auditorium
June 11, 1:30 pm and 6:30 pm at Roxhill Elementary

The program is supported by grants and donations, and the collaboration also includes the West Seattle Community Orchestras, Allen says.

(Saturday photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
The bonnets worn by Arbor Heights Elementary first-graders Lynn and Lucy on Saturday afternoon might look familiar – two days earlier, they and their classmates wore old-time farmers’ gear to greet a distinguished visitor to their school, newly hired Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda:

(Thursday photo courtesy of AH parent volunteer)
We had reported before on their tomato-growing adventure in teacher Marcia Ingerslev‘s class, and the plan to give away tomato plants at Roxbury Safeway on Saturday; by the time we checked in toward the end of their four-hour stint outside the store, hundreds of plants had new homes, they told us, and as you can see in their table decoration, they had a healthy-food message to go along with it.

The West Seattle High School baseball team fought to get to the state playoffs, but were shut out this morning in Bellevue in their first-round playoff game. Timberline won at Bannerwood Park, 5-0.

That’s one of the most personal moments we caught on video this morning as Arbor Heights Elementary School played host to José Banda – who starts work as Seattle Public Schools’ next superintendent July 1st, after the School Board voted unanimously last night to finalize his hiring. It might be a little hard to hear (with multiple camera shutters mixed in), but he’s speaking with a student about world geography, and mentioning that his son is currently working half a world away – as a teacher. Banda looked in on classrooms all over the school, as well as orchestra practice in the cafetorium, and gave short interviews to the panoply of media crews that showed up (this was his only official photo op as his Seattle visit continued today). But before the designated 10 am start time for the school tour, he was greeted by AH students:

Thanks to an AH parent for sharing that photo of Marcia Ingerslev‘s first-graders, who were dressed as farmers, since they presented the new superintendent with a plant – you saw their story here last week, as they are selling and giving away tomato plants, and will be at Roxbury Safeway this Saturday. (Watching the students, from left, are district communications director Lesley Rogers, executive director of West Seattle schools Aurora Lora; superintendent-to-be Banda; and AH principal Christy Collins; WS school-board director Marty McLaren was there for the visit too). We also took many photos, and more video, and are going through it all right now, to add more to this story later.

(And yes, the new superintendent said, the students did make sure he knows about the poor condition their building is in – rated worst in the district – the BEX IV levy currently proposes a new building for AH, but not to be completed until 2018, and the community is campaigning to have that timetable moved up before the levy plan is finalized this fall; its problems were amply explained during a BEX-related meeting at AH that we covered in April.)

ADDED 4:50 PM: More photos, ahead:

This is a different view of the scene in our video clip atop the story – while Banda spoke with a student, these are all the cameras (including ours) that surrounded them:

The teachers/students he visited were Ruben Gonzalez‘s 5th graders; then Sandy Kennewick‘s 5th graders, doing math at a 6th-grade level, as the principal explained to us, both students qualified for the district’s advanced-learning programs and others who are capable of the advanced work:

Also, Cate Simmers‘ 1st graders; Sue Wilson‘s 1st graders; and at the last stop, Daniel Hershman-Rossi was leading the student musicians in the cafetorium; coaches from the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra‘s innovative program were there too, and we will have a breakout story about this – and the program’s upcoming concerts around West Seattle – this evening:

The tour covered a lot of ground around the rambling main building:

A photo op with Arbor Heights and district reps as the official tour began:

From left are next year’s Arbor Heights PTA president, John Christensen, McLaren, principal Collins, Lora, and the incoming superintendent. We expect to add another video clip or two this evening.

An amazing season ended tonight for the Chief Sealth International High School boys’ soccer team – one in which they were ranked among the state’s top teams, ran up an incredible winning streak, and made it to the state playoffs. Shorewood, the state’s #1 team, edged the Seahawks 2-1 tonight at Shoreline Stadium.

At the end of the game, the team applauded and cheered those who had come to cheer for them. Toward the start, we photographed them in an on-the-road edition of the “Hawks Nest”:

The game was a draw through the first half, 0-0 at halftime – no scoring till the 49th minute, as our partners at the Seattle Times report. Led by Head Coach Ron Johnson, Sealth closes the season at 14-3-1; Shorewood is undefeated, with 20 wins.

In a comment on the WSB Facebook page, Sealth athletic director Sam Reed thanked the fans who made the trek to Shorewood, then writing, “So proud of our boys and especially the Seniors that worked so hard to build something special during their time as Seahawks.”

The Seattle School Board Wednesday night voted 7-0 to approve a contract for José Banda to become the next Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. The contract is online at: http://bit.ly/SuperintendentContract2012

Banda, the current Anaheim City Schools Superintendent, will start his new job in Seattle July 1. Banda addressed the Board and public after the vote, saying that he is excited to start work in Seattle and become a part of the community.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to come here and do this work together,” Banda said, adding that every decision will be made with an eye toward what is “best for our students.”

Banda, who has served as Anaheim City Schools Superintendent for the past four years, was chosen following a national search for a superintendent who exhibited the desired characteristics and traits defined by the community, including: a visionary, inspirational leader; an instructional leader who has a proven track record; a knowledgeable manager and an effective communicator.

School Board Director Sherry Carr noted that she and Director Betty Patu traveled to Anaheim May 5-6 to validate what board members heard during the superintendent interview process. During their visit, they discovered that Banda “is a highly respected Superintendent. This respect cut across every individual we spoke with. Senior staff members said he is terrific to work for and is the best mentor that they have ever had,” Carr said.

When the board members visited Anaheim City Schools classrooms, “Students were on task, well behaved and very engaged in their learning,” Carr added. “Teachers, staff and students all seemed very happy.”

Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield said: “I want to join the board, staff and community in welcoming José Banda as the new Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools. I care deeply about the students, families and staff here in Seattle so I am pleased Mr. Banda has accepted this leadership position. I have been firm in my commitment to the Board and to Mr. Banda to offer whatever help I can in the weeks ahead to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.”

During Banda’s time with Anaheim City Schools, the District saw increased academic achievement for all students, including English Language Learners. In addition, the District narrowed the achievement gap and 19 of 24 schools met their school-wide Academic Performance Index (API).

Banda spent 13 years as a secondary administrator, including eight years as a high school principal before becoming the Superintendent of the Planada School District from 2002-2005. Before Anaheim, he was the Deputy Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District.

He has also served as a high school counselor, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and board member for Salida Union School District. He brings over 30 years of experience in the field of education.

At Steve Cox Memorial Field in White Center tonight, West Seattle High School and Liberty HS faced off for a berth in the state tournament – and WSHS came out on top, 2-1.

Here’s the box score from our partners at the Seattle Times.

WHAT’S NEXT: The Wildcats play Timberline at 10 am at Bannerwood Parkin Bellevue this Saturday.

All parents of students currently enrolled at STEM for the 2012-13 school year, families on the wait list, and families interested in learning more about the K-5 STEM at Boren program are encouraged to attend. For those who are interested but cannot attend, questions and comments will be collected on the community forum groups.yahoo.com/group/k5stem for discussion at the meeting.

A representative from the state PTA network will be there to help facilitate discussion of what kind of organization to form. Also, tasks will be identified and assigned.

Three kindergarten classes
One first-grade class
One first/second-grade class
One second/third-grade class
One third-grade class
One fourth-grade class
One fourth/fifth-grade class

Total enrollment as of last Thursday, 233. There has been some confusion over whether people are still being encouraged to apply in hopes they will add another class or two; the meeting notes say “still encourage people to get on the waitlist.” Next team meeting (public always welcome): 6:15 pm May 24th, Madison Middle School. There’s also an ongoing online-discussion group here.

Noel Treat, SEPA Responsible official
John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
2445 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98134

Or: jawolf@seattleschools.org

The School Board is expected to give final approval to the levy plan in October, after another round of community meetings in September. What’s currently being discussed was covered in our report on a board “work session” last week.