Seattle School Board Work Session - Feb 25, 2021

This is Director Hampson.

I am now calling the board special meeting to order at 4 p.m.

We would like to acknowledge that we are on ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish people.

For the record I'll call the roll.

Director DeWolf.

Present.

Director Harris.

Present.

Director Hersey.

Director Rankin.

Here.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Okay hopefully she'll join us in a moment.

And this is Director Hampson.

The superintendent is also joining us for today's meeting.

This meeting is being held remotely per the Governor's proclamation on open public meetings.

The public is being provided remote access today by phone and through SPS-TV by broadcast and streaming on YouTube.

Today's meeting is also being recorded.

To facilitate this meeting I will ask all participants to ensure you are muted when you are not speaking.

Staff may be muting participants to address feedback and ensure we can hear directors and staff.

We will start with a briefing and director discussion on the Washington Schools 2020-21 Reopening Progress Report which is one of the items that would be approved under today's action item which we will take up later in the meeting.

The Reopening Progress Report is required to be submitted to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction by March 1st.

We will be pausing throughout this staff briefing for director questions and discussion.

Chief of Staff Sherri Kokx I believe you will be beginning the briefing on the Reopening Progress Report.

Yes good afternoon directors and thank you President Hampson.

My colleagues and I are here tonight or this afternoon to present the Washington Schools 2020-2021 Reopening Progress Report template.

We'll walk through each question.

And I propose that we pause at the end of each section for questions.

If you are not muted please do so.

And also sorry to interrupt.

Chief Kokx Director Rivera-Smith joined us at 4.02 p.m.

Thank you.

No worries.

Thank you President Hampson.

I want to be clear here that as Superintendent Juneau shared at last night's school board meeting We have been preparing for a phased return to in-person learning since last June.

Our buildings are ready for students to return.

We have safety protocols that have been implemented successfully in many of our schools.

We have audited all HVAC systems and have brought schools into compliance with the CDC and other expert recommendations.

PPE is in place and we are ready to transport and feed our students safely in our schools.

And while schools will look different we are committed to sustaining engaging and joyful learning in all of our classrooms.

Today you're going to hear some of the details from our chiefs as they present the OSPI template.

As a reminder this document is required by the legislature and House Bill 1368 which states that each Washington Public School District must review and update school reopening plans submitted for the 2020-2021 school year and provide the updated plans to the Office of Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction or OSPI no later than March 1st.

Again this is a progress report is intended to provide an update for the current school year.

We need to submit this document to receive our federal ESSER II relief funds.

And with that I'd like to hand it over to Chief Jessee who will discuss questions 1 through 8 in Part 2 of the health and safety planning and training.

Good evening.

Thank you Chief Kokx Board President Hampson board directors and Superintendent Juneau.

So I will go through I'll read it.

I will give you a brief description for this Part 2 health and safety planning and training.

Our district has followed and enforced the health and safety guidance set by the Department of Health DOH and the Department of Labor and Industries L&I We have yes we have done that.

We have 21 health and safety protocols in place in addition to other guidance and checklists related to our health and safety protocols.

We've been providing ongoing communication both to staff and to the community through a variety of mediums.

We have training materials and videos that we have been using over the course and adjusting those based on any changes that have been provided by those listed state agencies as well as others.

And then we have our site supervisor role.

That is the school principal as well as other designees who have been trained who help ensure that those particular health and safety guidance or regulations are in place at each of our 104 school sites.

We have also experts in the district who help provide guidance and direct coaching if you'll have me for each of the site supervisors as well as staff.

And then we also do on-site walkthroughs each month to just answer questions ensure that we have enough face masks sanitization solutions whether that's soap or hand sanitizer in our signs and making adjustments where needed and answering questions again.

We regular number two we regularly view health and safety guidance from the Washington State Department of Health the U.S.

Centers of Disease Control and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries and our own local health jurisdiction which is Seattle King County Seattle King County Public Health.

and adjust our plans for training communication education delivery and guidance as it evolves.

Yes indeed.

It's been now almost a year.

We've made a number of adjustments along the way.

We do interpretations and then implementation into the context across the district at each of our school sites and building sites.

Number three.

Thank you.

A COVID-19 safety plan has been established by the district and used for each school and other work sites.

Yes at the beginning of the school year you know we had to have safety plans in place.

That's something we've presented previously to the school board.

Those plans do get adjusted.

Obviously obviously staff can access any of the updates to our health and safety protocols through MySPS.

That site has received well in excess of over 30,000 visits.

It's very popular.

We push out new information to staff in weekly updates and emails as again as well as our front-paging website for the general community to access.

We know that as we expand and scale out we'll have to make adjustments to those plans.

Inadequate trained site-specific COVID-19 site supervisors identified at each school and other work sites to monitor the health and safety of employees.

Model safety guidelines and enforce the COVID-19 safety plan.

That is that has been going on well since last spring.

We have identified site supervisors.

We work regularly with them and they are an integral part of our ability to ensure that we are following all the health and safety guidance that we are required to follow.

Each work site has a safety committee that works with the COVID-19 site supervisor to engage the staff in following the health and safety guide guidelines including employee training or proper protocols and the use of personal protection equipment.

such as PPE hand hygiene cleaning and other strategies of preventing transmission of COVID-19.

Yes we have committees.

It has been helped create the safe the COVID-19 safety plans again at the beginning of the school year.

Those plans have been created and then again as we scale up I'm we know that those committees will grow.

as we have to expand and implement all of the guidelines and protocols as we introduce more students on the campus and more staff.

So that's something that we know that will coming up.

And we also have a central office safety committee or COVID-19 command central that we go over all the things that are going on at our campuses making sure we make any adjustments again back to the health and safety protocols that we do have in place.

And helps us also update any of our communications and trainings that we have been put putting out as well as support materials.

Can you please scroll up.

Thank you.

All employees and volunteers who do work on-site or trained in the language they best understand about preventing the transmission of COVID-19 on or before the first day of reporting in-person as necessary depending on the need.

Yes we actually have a number of you know we trained up our staff.

We have a fitting and a PPE identification of their own particular risks according to L&I.

We worked through that.

Really have limited significantly any volunteers that is really significantly down.

That would really primarily be any of our CBO's and care providers that come on site.

So we're really talking about SPS employees and again there has to be a site's COVID site supervisor on site in order for folks to come onto campus outside of custodial staff or any maintenance staff from the John Stanford Center.

Obviously making any maintenance efforts that may happen outside of school hours.

So we do provide those.

One of the benefits is the Department of Health themselves.

They have over translated the safe health and safety training materials.

Things like anywhere from posters or descriptions of things in over 20 languages.

So we've been utilizing that information thanks to our partnerships.

Number 7. All students are trained in a developmentally appropriate way and in the language they must I'm sorry I already read that one.

I'm sorry number 7 yes.

All students are trained in a developmentally appropriate way in a language they best understand about preventing the transmission of COVID-19 on or before the first day of in-person learning and necessarily depending on the need.

Currently we are serving students with individual education plans.

We have had basically any of these trainings have happened with the families and where appropriate with our students.

to go over the health and safety protocols or specifically the things we're asked and guidance that we have to follow.

Again hand sanitization making sure we're wearing masks social distancing and then attestation.

So we do literally walk through right now.

As we scale that up that'll be an increased effort.

Again back to dividing out the responsibilities for staff that are coming onto site.

We have an in-person planning template that is in excess of 30 pages that we have that helps lift our protocols and put them into place so that they can contextualize them at each school.

As you know all our 104 schools are unique in both their staffing and their layout so that we have that prepared for our school leaders to lift that off and to help orient our families and our students and staff as we again scale out and provide any in-person services.

Number 8. There is a clear process for reporting concerns and safety protocol violations to the Safety Committee and or COVID site supervisor and this process has been communicated to all employees.

Yes that is true.

We have done that.

We most certainly have sent communication out to all of our staff and we provide updates usually directly to the site supervisors around any additional specifics And as again we scale out we'll be doing providing more training and more communication just to help provide reminders.

And my last piece of course is any adjustments that are provided by our state and local agencies we will continue to do so.

Right now The concerns really come through the site supervisor and we do get some particular questions that come to a specific our health information email that we have at central office to help answer any questions that we have from our staff around any health and safety concerns or just questions in general.

So we get those and been helping folks on that in addition to the on-site walkthroughs.

So that'll conclude Part 2. I'll be happy to take any questions at this point.

Okay so we're going to go ahead and do questions now correct for you Chief Hersey.

We can do it now Director Hampson if that works best.

We propose that we stop after each of the big sections so.

Okay.

Okay.

Just want to double check.

Okay I'm going to go first to Director Hersey.

Hey excuse me.

I keep forgetting my camera.

Thank you for the presentation thus far.

I just have one quick question about the site supervisor.

Is this a dedicated role or is this a responsibility that we're adding to an already existing position.

It's already an existing position.

That's actually how most districts have done it is the principal is the site supervisor because they're the ones responsible.

They also have obviously have the supervisor responsibilities for employees.

Yeah no I totally.

Okay.

That clears things up for me.

I'm just wondering just because we've been in a position before where We have had our principals who have come to us and said that they're feeling incredibly overworked.

And so adding this level of responsibility can you tell us a little bit about the engagement that's been done with our principals to make sure that they feel like they've got an adequate handle on being able to manage this in addition to everything else that's going to come with reopening.

Yeah that's that that's an excellent part.

People are working really hard including our school leaders.

We have gone through you know in addition to the training and working through them we have that's why we have designees.

One of the parts is having a designee on site to help manage some of those loads.

Almost there's almost designees at every one of our school sites even those at the comprehensive schools that have multiple assistant principals for example to help manage that.

And and then having gone to a lot of the schools there's really not a lot of folks coming on but as we scale up Other folks will have to take other responsibilities on Director Hersey just as we scale out the responsibilities of managing all things like attestation and the information that comes in.

A lot of those details will also be brokered through our negotiations with our labor partners.

Sure.

That makes a ton of sense to me.

Thank you for that information.

The only thing that I will say additionally is that to me I would really love to see like and I know that we will do our best to provide this but I would really love to see like consistent check-ins making sure that folks feel supported because as we add on these additional layers of responsibility during this I really fear for principal and educator burnout.

And so I just want to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to ensure that you know all of the additional responsibilities that are going to come along with this we're doing everything that we can to support our principals who are taking on this role.

Thank you.

That's all for me for now.

Okay.

Director Harris you're up next.

Thank you.

And also thank you for printing out the top 10. And thank you for the current effort to make all of these practices and accomplishments more simple and to expand the communication thereof because to say that lots of people aren't understanding of how hard the district has worked to date is an understatement.

Other than that no questions.

Thanks so much.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Hi thank you.

Thank you Chief Jessee for the breakdown here.

I guess my other question I as I was wondering about the safety committees that you have formed.

Is that safety committee per school site.

Yeah schools already have naturally safety committees.

Okay so.

And then you know they tailor and adjust.

We're in an adjustment period.

I'll be you know.

Director Rivera-Smith.

We're in an adjustment period you know.

Some people take interest in this.

Obviously a lot of this has been borne on the office staff.

I think Director Hersey's point is definitely well-received.

A lot of our SAOPs and our school administrators have been the ones upholding and ushering in these as well as our nursing staff.

So those those have been definitely front people frontline to safety safety work and upholding the health and safety protocols.

Okay so I guess my question was kind of who who are the makeup of those.

Are those all do they include teachers.

Do they include any family members.

Parents.

I'm just trying to see how robust these committees are.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they're very robust.

Sometimes they're smaller.

As you know we have a number dozens of smaller schools.

Sometimes that is can be this committee of three people depending on where we're at.

But I would definitely hold right now.

A lot of it's been borne on the folks who are school admit your front office staff that that also includes the nurse.

That that is generally the people that have been working on this right now on those COVID-19 safety plans.

Okay I would like to see if we if it can be made available the rosters of each school safety committee just so we can kind of get a clearer picture of the makeup of those and how how you know how many people they do have.

We don't need it obviously tonight but if that can be sent out an email or Friday memo I would appreciate that.

Thank you.

No further questions right now.

Thanks.

Director Rankin.

Thank you.

Yeah tagging tagging along with what Director Harris said.

I do want to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that has been going on.

all over the place.

And I also want to particularly acknowledge and thank our school nurses.

What people may or may not know there's an internal safety school safety committee that was formed that has SPS and SEA people working together on this health and safety protocols.

And our very much beloved school nurses have been a huge huge part of that.

And so just like gigantic shout out for your work and thank you for doing all you can to help support safe safety in our schools.

My specific question is about the process for reporting concerns and safety protocol violations that's been communicated to all employees.

Where there is another organization like a child care provider in one of our buildings what's the what's the cross cross-reporting I guess or do we have some consistency so that say there's a case a positive case in the child care Those are not our employees but it's in our building.

What's the connection there.

What communication has there been done between organizations to just make sure that of the physical building everybody in inside the physical building whether or not they're SPS employees kind of all is being collaborative.

worked hard to establish our ability to case track if there is any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19.

We've been working with our child care providers who have designated sites on our campuses and so they report that up.

You know we have an MOU with those care providers.

They you know we work it through.

our staff and then it comes to us centrally and we work with if need be any further with the care providers.

They've been working on their own good way of doing an isolation in their cohort models.

I would want to celebrate our child care providers for that.

But we do get notified.

We do record that information.

And then when we need we work with them.

Or also like I was saying Seattle King County Public Health But I will also say this.

We're averaging three to four positive cases of COVID-19 across the entire district each week.

So you know it's been really low rates of transmission so we're able to work on those things.

But it is incredible effort by the care of our child care providers and those staff internally.

So it goes to their COVID site and then we have a whole mechanism going through internally to our folks and including communication if we need to to get information back out to families where appropriate.

Again.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Just because I just want to be also sensitive to people's you know getting them right information but also knowing that we're talking about individual health care needs.

Yeah.

No that's great.

I appreciate that.

And I know that the cohorting is really well-defined in terms of entrances and exits and like students in a child care setting are not going to sit and have lunch together with.

students from a classroom for example.

But just in terms of everybody having kind of the same information about the building that they're in I just wanted to ask about connecting those dots I guess so.

Yeah and we do the same for them.

So we notify back to them.

We have a mechanism we have identified staff here you know that has worked on those partnerships with the child care providers that that person ushers back information that way too.

So it's a two-way street.

I do want to make sure I communicate that.

Thank you President Hampson.

I have two actually Director Rankin took my first question around the reporting.

The other question I had was around similar to Vice President Hersey's around the sites supervisor.

Is there any incentive or anything that we can be offering whether it's a mental health day or something to to kind of provide some support around the extra duty.

Is there something that we can we can do.

Well we've been trying to support them.

I am very sensitive to the needs of the COVID site supervisor.

You're you're absolutely right Director DeWolf.

At the same time we know that they you know there is a diminished amount of We try to work with the school leaders around really curtailing the office hours, the availability of the sites, because it can be exhausting.

We also know that they have their families themselves.

You haven't said that, but I would imagine you're alluding to that as well, because they're managing their own kids in many cases.

We have not discussed that.

Actually that hasn't been brought up.

But we also know that you know like I said at the same time students aren't on site and we're just trying to reshift responsibilities if you allow me.

Because a lot of time usually is taken up supervising kids.

And now since they're not on campus we just have to shift up their roles.

If I could give them one a mental health day I would I would I would love to do that.

But that's not solely on me for sure.

Well just thank you for that.

And just for the record I think that's certainly one thing I think we should explore and be really creative and agile over the course of the next year or two as we both continue to go through the pandemic and recover.

And my other thing is just around the similar to Director Rankin's question but it says it's a clear process but it actually doesn't say where somebody goes.

Can you just clarify for the audience where if I have an issue a safety protocol violation.

Let's say I'm a family.

Where do I go.

Is it a website.

Is it a link.

Is it a phone call.

Is it what.

We're not having families right now inside buildings.

So we would say let's just say for whoever it doesn't matter.

COVID site supervisor.

Your COVID site supervisor is the person you would go to.

If you are a central office staff member, you go to your supervisor.

So let's say you are, for example, a custodian, you saw something, you'd report it to your own supervisor.

And then that comes to a central team.

There's a whole email.

There's about 20 people or 25 people on that email.

We work through it.

The alert comes through.

We work through those issues whether it's a suspected case or in the case of a violation it just really stays with this COVID site supervisor at the like a staff member and then and then if it's like a custodian it would just go to their their supervisor.

Thank you for that.

And I just just want to make sure too before if I forget this is not a question for you Chief Jessee so you can hold tight for a second but I've been receiving a number of emails about Rosh Hashanah and I just want to make sure that folks if you are listening We have emailed the district about this twice.

This was not a decision within the board's purview and so working to rectify that and thank you for your emails and turn it back over to you President Hampson.

Okay thank you.

A couple of questions from me.

First I just want to note this is Part 1 or Part 1 and 2 of this document and I want to make sure that this is a clear request And when we submit this my assumption would be that that as we're as we put it up onto our site that it includes the documents that you're referencing.

There's as you're talking there are a lot of specifics that I can't see here.

They're not being presented here.

I'm just looking at the same checklist.

And we need to be able to provide those reference documents to transparently to community and to families.

And to that end my my primary question is that should be connected to something that I would think would be known as the Building Safety and Readiness Report that should be available centrally and on each building website so that any Whether you're looking at the school that your kids go to or you're looking centrally to look at a given school you can see the extent to which that building has been checked.

You know just like when you go to a restaurant and you see the little A-grade or the the good excellent.

My kids know how to read those things right.

And they they don't like going to restaurants that have just an okay face because they're afraid they're going to get sick.

So they're actually pretty easy to understand and I think if we can't provide that to families we're going to and to teachers and to other staff and community members we're going to continue to get the level of misunderstanding of readiness.

And I think that that would go for the dashboard of the information about cases and buildings and not that you would want to you know provide not to reveal any personal medical information but just in terms of numbers and that's been made available in other districts by building and is and can be seen centrally as well as on an individual building basis.

And I would expect that could be updated on the building site.

So where are we in terms of our likelihood of getting to that place with that level of clear communication.

Well we are in that place.

I really appreciate you teeing that up and we want to have something accessible to our families.

I did the key thing about those as I was referencing an in-person guide and I will probably get a little bit into that also at the board retreat coming up on March 6th.

We have these in-person guides.

They're really teed up.

They all reflect the 21 health and safety protocols plus other protocols you know and so it's really if you read those they're very technical the protocols themselves they're really built for technical information for staff and we want to make sure that things are accessible.

These in-person guides were really set up to show and demonstrate to our families and also our students and staff how does that look.

And so there's pictures.

How does it look.

Where do I drop off those those where do I drop off my student.

What does it look like for attestation.

What do the signs look like.

Storing PPE.

We are all ready for that.

We are waiting now for the final some details that come through our again labor negotiations because some of the finer details do need to be decided before we can outlay those plans.

So it's all teed up templated given it to principals got it.

We just need those last little details to usher in to scale out and individualize it at each of our sites.

You're saying there are details in that level that would that bargaining would determine that would go into this building safety what you're calling it in-person what.

In it's called it's just an in-person guide is what we're calling it.

It's just ability to template it.

But you'd want to really work with your staff to roll some of those things out.

There is still some decisions about where the flow goes into.

Where are you setting yourself up for recess so that families and staff and students have a good understanding about what is the minute by minute the day looks like.

Again anywhere from drop-off to where do I line up to where to where is my student going to go to the restroom.

Do I know they're on a path.

What does recess look like.

All those things because we have different layouts at different campuses.

We want to give that information that level of detail because just in general ways the feedback we've been receiving is I hear that but what about my student's school.

Okay.

So I hear what you're saying in terms of a pretty deep dive into that information.

I'm talking about a happy face and a few other details that says the error's been dealt with.

The PPE's been delivered.

We're ready to go.

That level of you know we had X number because we have things happening in buildings right now.

I see Chief Codd has her hand up and I wonder if she wants to address this question.

Yeah I think that it's I think it's two different issues President Hampson.

On the one hand what you're asking for is like a sign on the door that says check check check.

We've done all the health and safety checks.

Everything's ready to go smiley face.

What Wyeth is referring to is.

You know we have been asked by SEA to not have principals pull their staffs together to meet and talk about in-person learning or a return to in-person learning until after we have a negotiated agreement.

So there are a lot of details that we would be able to share whether it's on our website.

We've got the protocols.

But we're not really able to meet with staff right now and have that personal kind of connection walking them through things talking about site-based plans for reopening.

We've been asked to not have those conversations while we're in the middle of bargaining.

Two different conversations though.

You're right.

Yeah I'm talking about you know 30,000 feet.

You're talking about 10,000 feet.

And I want the 30,000 feet on the door and on the school site a month ago.

So.

So that was what I'm.

We are easy we can easily make signs and get them up.

And I love the idea of something like a face most certainly that we can mimic something that's really easy for folks to understand.

We can absolutely do that.

It's going to be your smiling face Chief Jessee.

I think we should use yours.

So I make a pretty boring bitmoji.

But so the last question I have is in terms of Reporting I'm sorry I forget which director I think it was Director DeWolf that asked this question.

In terms of reporting building violations I strongly encourage that we have a non-building based process.

So it's not true that families are not going to buildings.

They are actually going to buildings to pick up lunches and other supplies and to meet with teachers for things or to get support.

They're meeting with family support workers.

So.

So they they are experiencing staff.

They're experiencing the attestation.

They're seeing child care come in and out of buildings.

So I think we're already at a place where if you go in and you see somebody that's not wearing masks or something and you have a concern there ought to be some place where you could report that that is beyond the building if you don't get a response also because I don't think folks are necessarily there's not that relationship right now.

It's not necessarily that the principal is going to be there that the admin is going to be there because of the timing.

So if if we could have a if families could have a one of our many mechanisms that I know our communications department has set up to whether it's Let's Talk right that that would be that like if you see something you know it's I forget what that processes for you know if you see somebody violating a rule of the road who you can call kind of thing.

I think we need that to give folks a sense.

It's it's these are really emotionally fraught topics and people respond extremely differently to to different ways of dealing with and keeping safe in this disease despite the protocols that are established by the CDC and by the state and by the county people are following them in very different ways.

And so I think to the extent that we can provide those that see something and feel like they want to do the responsible thing and report it an opportunity that is neutral and not fraught with oh I'm going to get this person in trouble that I care about because they care for my kids then my request would be that we can provide that.

So and then I'm done.

Okay so you can take it back over and move on.

Thank you President Hampson.

At this point I'm going to turn it over to Chief Campbell to do the third section.

Good evening.

Carrie Campbell Chief Public Affairs Officer.

So I'll be going over our communication protocols and then at the end if there are questions because I'll be sharing information that's cross-divisional that I can't answer I'll turn it over to colleagues.

So we use the list of communication tactics and protocols that are listed here routinely and predictably.

For the public I'm going to just quickly summarize some of our tactics.

Every other Thursday communications has been and will continue to send direct e-mails and or phone calls to families of students enrolled in intensive service pathways and pre-K-1 students in six different languages.

These updates focus on health and safety and planning for in-person learning.

On the opposite Thursday we communicate with all staff all families and community partners via School Beat.

School Beat is distributed to over 100,000 subscribers and includes a staff-only section.

Staff receive the notice at 330 p.m.

and families receive at 6 p.m.

Prior to sending their staff Public Affairs also sends a summary of School Beat and key topics that we ask school leaders to relay in their newsletters and communication.

Topics related to health and safety include the recent attestation video handwashing the cohort model video planning for in-person which includes cleaning and HVAC systems vaccinations etc.

And then topics change depending on new information.

In partnership we've streamlined the school leader communicator and increased the SLC to twice a week so it's now going on Tuesdays and Fridays.

We've also created a process for approval of out-of-cycle emergency communications to school leaders.

It is delivered by Public Affairs and then it's archived on MySPS and it's searchable by different topics.

Every Friday a cross-divisional team meets to plan communication for the following week.

And then I actually meet with President Hampson on Mondays to review that communication.

The top questions families and staff have asked are addressed and those updates and answers answers are provided in the following week's communication if they're available.

Some of the questions that we get from our families are still being bargained or discussed.

In addition we have a standardized communication process and letter templates that are used when there is a COVID-suspected or confirmed case and Chief Jessee talked a little bit about that.

There's a distribution distribution list of key staff that need to be notified and take action and this is run by a coordinated health team.

Since moving to remote many more inquiries are coming in through Let's Talk.

Let's Talk provides language translation.

Unlike traditional email it has supported customer service staff and other central departments to provide information in home languages that families prefer.

While central office staff consistently provides information in at least six languages we have also adopted the use of talking points.

Talking Points is a two-way so from family to staff and then back texting service.

This is available to all schools and is being actively used in schools that there's a high EL population.

Talking Points translates into over 100 languages.

In addition as described in the other section of the template Public Affairs hosts monthly Facebook Live Town Halls that are broadcast on SPS-TV.

and also broadcasts through our YouTube channel.

Families can transcribe into the language that they prefer.

These are also supported by an ASL interpreter.

Town Hall guests have included coordinate coordinated health staff and King County Health.

We distribute health information directly to community partners to share.

Health and safety protocols are also posted on the in-person learning plan on the website.

And as Wyeth mentioned there is the school-based guide and it's been distributed to principals.

And then finally we use digital ads and social media to broaden our outreach and try to get to families as best as possible and to those who may not be getting information through our our robocalls and our emails.

So on can you scroll up please.

Thank you.

So this question is and it's unfortunate that this is just a fill-in.

We did it or we didn't do it and that's why I'm providing some additional information.

This is really about engagement.

I'll briefly describe how different departments have sought feedback from families since last March because we are currently providing in-person learning to those students who have in-person written into their IEPs.

Most feedback has been focused on remote learning and then in preparation for in-person learning.

The CAI team division implemented a Pulse Survey to gather feedback on remote learning and areas for improvement.

This survey was enhanced with in-person or not not in-person but teams additional outreach to Black families and students.

To support operational planning the January survey asked families if they would need transportation if they selected in-person learning.

The same question was asked for nutrition services and I think as you know nutrition services is always doing engagement to make sure that our meals are culturally responsive and really meeting the needs of our families.

We haven't asked families for feedback on the safety protocols.

The safety protocols are developed by our coordinated health team and facilities and they reflect CDC and public health recommendations and requirements.

In the other area special education has been hosting a number of community forums with families whose students are receiving special education services during this time to gather input.

And most recently the Office of African-American Male Achievement has been hosting feedback sessions with Black families and families of Black students.

They've been asking a couple key questions that are helping improve our practice.

What has been the best and what has been the most difficult part of remote learning.

And what must be in place for you to send your child back to school.

And then for question 11 this really is how do we follow up with families when maybe we haven't received a response to the initial engagement or a request for feedback.

So I'm going to use the return to in-person survey as an example of multifaceted outreach strategies.

The same approach was used when we did the tech rollout.

Three reminders were sent to families about the in-person survey through robocall email and text.

The survey was provided in six languages.

Additional communications included web alerts social media and then traditional press.

A new distribution distribution list was then created once we got the initial feedback so that the reminder was very targeted and we weren't over broadcasting to our families.

A list of families who hadn't responded was then provided to special education preschool and school leaders.

Secondary outreach included direct phone calls texts using talking points home visits and then staff are required to document outreach and an individual plan for individualized non-response was created.

And then if you can scroll up to 12 please.

Thank you.

So currently we don't have a data dashboard but it is in development and an initial dashboard will be launched next week.

We do have a COVID-19 response activities that include contact tracing and communication protocols as I described earlier and those are on our external websites in the in-person learning plan.

So at this time I'm ready to take questions about communication protocols.

Okay we're going to start at the bottom of the order this time.

Director DeWolf.

Can you come back to me.

Sure.

Director Rankin.

Thank you.

I I I don't have a question.

I have a comment which is I hope that anybody who's listening or looking at this understands the amount of communication that that has been done and that what am I trying to say.

Read your email people.

Read your email.

I mean I'm saying that tongue-in-cheek because it's not you know if it's not it's not if it's not being received by people it doesn't matter how much we send it if they don't see it.

But I guess I just want to reiterate for folks because I think The switch to School Beat may have been one that not everybody was clear on that School Beat is not just a you know it's not junk mail.

It's actually real information with links for both families and staff.

So there are a lot of things that people have asked questions about that actually were contained in some of those communications.

But you know if if if you didn't see it you didn't see it.

So I guess I'm just saying again And and if School Beat if in the broader scope of things if that's not the best way to deliver information if there is a better way that people have ideas on how to receive that information please let us know and we can try to work on it.

But also definitely open open open School Beat and scroll scroll down and click on stuff.

That's it.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Hi.

Thank you.

Thanks Carrie for all the information.

I'm excited to see this dashboard that you said is going to be ready in about a week.

Is that true.

Okay.

So and a lot of this so I really like this is a lot of this is obviously staff and parent-centered communications.

How are we reaching students because they're they're you know they're worried too they're scared they're concerned about getting back in the classrooms and they're nervous.

How are we reaching there to you know share the information with them to reassure them.

How's that being done.

Director Rivera-Smith I think that's a great that is a great question.

I think we can do a better job of using our student e-mails and communicating directly especially to our secondary students.

We have increased communication through Instagram.

So a lot of our students use our Instagram site and actually some of our students are helping to curate content especially around social emotional supports for Instagram.

But that is a great suggestion and something that I will note.

Director Rivera-Smith this is Chief Kokx.

I just want to pipe in here and let you know that Superintendent Juneau does send a monthly communication to high school students and That has focused a lot on mental health supports that we are providing.

Thank you.

It's really great to hear.

I still want to see the side of that because I know I've told a lot of you before I think that all of the world's ills are usually chalked up to poor communication and so much is hinging on our ability to be clear communicators with our families and children and staff.

So thank you for all the work.

I know it's never ending so appreciate it.

for the questions.

Okay.

Director Harris.

Thanks for this.

I appreciate it immensely.

I just my comment would be and I know everyone's working hard.

Nothing pejorative here.

Sometimes I think that we bombard folks with a great deal of information.

And again I like to keep it simple silly.

mentality.

I appreciated the top 10 last night.

And I would say that if communications are going out to students etc. from the superintendent or otherwise if you could include board directors in those communications it would be hugely helpful and will probably cut down on the number of questions we have in venues such as this.

Again deep thanks.

Director Hersey.

Hello.

Hi.

Could we go back to the portion on communication where we talked about the follow-up.

Yeah.

So individualized plan for non-responses.

Can we talk a little bit more about that and what that looked like.

Dr. Pedroza or Chief Jessee would like to talk about that what it looked like at the school level and the directives that were provided to school leaders.

Yeah I can talk for the special education families.

Hi everybody.

I'm Chief Pedroza Student Support Services.

I just wanted to let you know that immediately after those initial surveys went out We gathered all of the do not the ones who did not respond.

So we had a list of all of them by student ID and then we assigned all of our central office special education staff to contact all of the people who did not respond.

We did discover that we had some some phone numbers that weren't working and things like that just like we would as a principal would when we do robo-calls and call out families.

But it was basically a call.

direct cold calling.

It wasn't a robocall.

It was actually our staff picking up the phone and calling each of those families directly to get responses.

And I believe and I don't know where Chief Jessee is but he can respond but the same was done for all of the other.

So the Director of Early Learning also did that approach with all of the pre-K students.

And then I know principals were assigned then the kindergarten and first grade students.

We sort of did it combined of school house and also central office.

So central office took on all of the special ed students and the early learning students and then I mean at least preschool students and then the school principals and school teams took on kindergarten and first grade and just did cold calling of families.

Great.

That's really great to know.

Thank you.

I knew about the work that had been done about in special education I did not know.

So what I am hearing is that all of our students in our system who are in special education pathways or pre-K through 1 received who did not respond to the survey received an individual communication through the form of a phone call.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Is that all for you Director Hersey.

I guess so.

Okay so Director DeWolf.

Thanks.

Director DeWolf.

Yep yep yep yep.

I thank you President Hampson.

I just I'm really thinking about the families and the students who parents have multiple jobs or speak a different language or you know for whatever reason are the system we've set up potentially centers families and students who have a number of their needs met.

And so I guess I'm just thinking about the efficacy of what you just described to Vice President Hampson excuse me Vice President Hersey is is your data is do you have data that suggests or illustrates that every family has been communicated with.

And I don't mean just we called them or an email was sent to their inbox.

somebody has had contact with these families.

Dr. Pedroza do you want to answer that.

Yeah I will just answer that briefly.

And I will say that we have kept a data dashboard of all our respondents.

So we have an internal data dashboard that was created that we could track all of that.

So what happened was when all of the surveys were responded to.

Then everybody that wasn't called, we created a shared drive that was between all of us.

And then we went back into the system to double check.

So we have that list.

And I will say there have been some families, I will just say from the feedback that we received, there were some families that said, I got all the messages and I'm just too overwhelmed right now.

I'm not going to respond right now.

I'm just not in that place.

Those were some of the direct not all but some of the direct calls.

And then we had to work also really hard to get bilingual and language support to do that work as well.

But we have a central database with all of that information by student ID by school by everything.

So we have that internally.

Now where we are we probably have like some of those students that we couldn't find a phone number for or things like that.

Those are things that I can go back and find out where we are on that.

But for everybody everybody's been contacted and it's all being kept all that information up to date and we are updating as we go.

Thank you.

And there's MKV I just would throw in there that we keep contact also with our families that are experiencing homelessness.

And some of our state agencies that we work with through foster care as well so that we've been ongoing whatever their needs are and including information about possible re-entry on in-person services.

Are you good Director DeWolf.

Yes thank you and thank you Chief Jessee for reading my mind about MKB families.

Great.

Okay so I think my questions are glad to see that we'll have a data dashboard up that's been needed for a long time in terms of on the website.

I think I know we are in the middle of a wholesale reconfiguration of our web services as a whole.

I think that once we get to that point and the sooner we get to that point the better.

And the extent to which we can provide things on the website there's always going to be families that are only going to go through that mechanism to to get data.

And so I think that's going to make a big a big difference.

I think they're probably the elephant in the room and that we get questions about all the time.

And I don't know that we've really had an update as to survey given the efficacy or lack thereof with respect to surveys and there are surveys and their ability to reach our our families that are most marginalized where are we with respect to more broadly surveying families.

I mean I think we're kind of We've sought we're able to answer the question here but we also know that we haven't surveyed all families since last spring.

That's a good question and I'll let the team answer but I'll just speak.

We are in discussions with that right now and we are we're having talks about what that looks like.

We are I'm actually actually in the process of getting I just met with the D7 families this week and I'm returning back next week to get some information and some from them.

We've gotten some feedback from SEA as well.

in terms of some surveying.

So we're in the process of having those discussions right now.

I'm also very interested in student surveys for this process as well.

That's something I really want us to think through how we can get certain student surveys and not just in the elementary but all of our students.

So that's something we're we're processing as well.

But we have some technical things and some feedback loops to work through.

But it is a conversation we're having currently.

Dr. Scarlett do you want to add anything to that.

Yeah sorry I'm muting myself.

Yeah.

So I mean I was going to save for some talking points on the next one.

I think one of the things that even we you know recently met and just sort of did a timeline of the different surveys that we've done over time and how have those surveys helped to inform our our practices and just to refresh our memory that Back in April and May we did a remote learning in partnership with Attune survey out to families to find out how remote learning was working for them.

And then July the intent to enroll that Dr. Pedroza and Chief Berge and through enrollment as well as October our research and evaluation team gave the remote learning Pulse surveys on the remote learning experience And then January again the enrollment surveys.

So I mean what we do know and we can even move that back to the first remote learning survey.

Our board was very perceptive to question us about us really targeting students and families furthest from educational justice.

The EPE team that I had the pleasure of leading then did work with our university partners and with SEA to do some deeper dives particularly with Black families.

both to take just to utilize information that was in forums that Black communities were having.

Hosting focus groups in partnership with community organizations as well in order to be able to bring more data into the into decision-making about the impact of learning on families and what they were experiencing.

So as Dr. Pedroza shared speaking forth I know there's been a lot of emails that have come in from community asking for more surveys.

I think that they are often conflated between some of the enrollment ones and then the remote learning ones but we are absolutely I was part of the D7 meeting.

That was my first time being there.

I think there was some really great insights from data work that they were doing within that.

And just to Dr. Pedroza's point us really doing ground-up approaches that we know that surveys are not the very best way to not the ways that we do them to to really find out the families most impacted by inequality in schools.

And so we are doing more work to develop more ground-up approaches.

How do we start with families and students furthest from educational justice.

And then just the opportunities for us really to get feedback from our students at this point.

So families have spoken and shared some information but we really do need to to connect with students about their experiences.

Many and much of the way that Dr. Williams is modeling through the interview the interviews that she's doing with African-American males and also through the Black Family Forum.

So we have multiple data sources that are coming in.

Dynamically even tonight there is a meeting for Southeast with African-American families about their hopes and dreams and their values and interests and priorities for their students that are absolutely in context to what's happening right now for their students and as they we move into the future.

Thank you.

Both for that feedback and thank you Dr. Pedroza for bringing up the notions of students and that was the second piece of this.

This particular checklist which is what we're making our way through doesn't ask about students it says families.

But there's a there's definitely an intersection I mean it's an intersection and there is some divergence in terms of how students experience things.

And we're I think still Well I know we're waiting in terms of the remote learning task force.

We don't have any solid data out of that yet to know how our students are doing.

And I think student survey data is absolutely critical.

I believe we have some good mechanisms to to get that data.

I have trust in our staff to be able to work with our student leadership teams as Dr. Scarlett has just described.

with Dr. Williams's department and Gail Morris and other community leaders that can help us make sure that we get centered appropriately centered student voice and also more more broad student voice as we look to complete planning for this year as well as planning for next year.

I think that these are going to be pretty critical things.

I think we're feeling pretty pretty data naked right now.

And and and also feeling the crush of those loud voices who are in fact some of the ones asking for these surveys.

And we need to be responsive in a way that is thorough and yet equitable.

And and and and know that we're you know we're directionally aligned.

So so please keep us as up-to-date on any data that that we can get our hands on.

Obviously we have March 6th retreat coming up but I know that we're all hungry to hear how our students and our families are receiving all of this again in a racially equitable and ability equitable manner.

Okay so I'm the last one and I will pass it back over to you all for the next section.

I'm going to take the next section.

It's the Data Collection and Participation and Implementation.

The first question number 13 here is asking us to continue to report to OSPI the weekly survey related to in-person learning opportunities for students to continue to utilize the CEDARS data and additional data.

We've been doing that and we will continue to do to report that to OSPI.

In question number 14 for each grade level please provide information about when your district offered or plans to offer in-person instruction for all students in that grade level.

This we checked yes here and if you could please scroll down Julia you can see that we noted per our most recent communications that our hopes is that students would start in the hybrid model in grades pre-K through first grade on March 8th.

As well as in the comments section was added that students who receive special education in the service special education services in an intensive service pathway are also prioritized to begin in-person instruction 4 days per week on March 8th as well.

And then the last question in this section is have you secured a MOU with or local labor agreement.

And to date we have not secured an MOU or local labor agreement to start on March 8th.

And that concludes this section.

Director Hampson and I'm not sure if you want to ask questions here or if you want to continue forward in the interest of time to the next section.

Let me just do an all-call.

Do any directors have questions on this section.

President Hampson I just have one clarifying question.

Okay go ahead Director DeWolf and then Director Rivera-Smith.

Can you Sherri or President Hampson can you clarify the impact of question number 15 being a no.

Is that I would imagine the state would want to hear that we have a yes but what does a no decision do for for us.

I'm not aware and I'm going to.

I asked Chief Berge if she's aware but at this point I'm not aware of.

This is one of the very few questions Director DeWolf that we could put no to.

The others didn't even have an option of a no.

But it is the it is where we sit and it is likely where we sit will sit on March 1st.

I mean I can remain hopeful that we could possibly check that box yes between now and March 1st.

But I'm not.

I don't think we we don't have an idea yet about.

Right now it is simply a question.

We haven't heard anything official.

Thank you.

And then my other clarifying question was I I heard the state needed to see a fifth grade.

Can you confirm if that's true or.

Director DeWolf you.

I couldn't hear what you said.

I was asking I heard that the 5th grade is what we need to aim for.

So again can you just confirm if us only having up through 1st grade is is how that affects this decision today in this work.

JoLynn do you want to talk about what you have heard regarding us having not much data in this.

Yeah nothing nothing official to date.

They did not say we had to respond at least to any certain grade.

So nothing official yet.

Those are great questions Director DeWolf that we will need to seek answers to.

Okay.

Thank you for that Director Rivera-Smith.

Thanks.

Quick question just to clarify.

On question 13 where it says that these data collections include the mandatory OSPI survey related to in-person learning opportunities for students.

I'm wondering what exactly does that does that comprise though.

And I have never seen what that survey looks like that you're turning in apparently weekly.

Sure.

So it's varied over the time that we've been in remote learning.

So they started sending out these surveys back last spring where they asked a variety of different questions including questions about child care, meal service, transportation, in-person, etc.

Currently the survey is simply asking for the number of students that we are serving in an in-person model.

So there's a box that gets checked that says we are primarily in a remote learning stance.

And then there's a second question that asks how many students are we currently serving in an in-person model.

And that is the number I report out is the number that I get from Dr. Pedroza's team around our students receiving special education services in person.

Okay I would love for board members to receive that weekly when it's sent out.

I don't know if that's possible.

It's just the it's a drop-down form Director Rivera-Smith that they send me and so I don't I'm not sure how I would send that back to you.

I can tell you the answers that I put on those surveys weekly, but it's an autofill form that is directly sent to them.

Gotcha.

Now that makes sense.

So maybe a Friday memo, if you could notate in there what that weekly report has been somewhere.

Director Rivera-Smith I believe it's reflected in the OSPI's actual reporting out of every district.

So everything that she inputs is then reflected on OSPI's page and you can look up every single school district and then you can sort all of the data and all of the different factors.

So it's that data is represented on their site.

Okay.

Well that's one way I guess.

If Sherri can do it and write a memo that would be appreciated.

If not I guess obviously you can dig for it too.

My next question is regarding at the end of number 14 the comment about students who receive special education services in an intensive service pathway report.

Prioritize the beginning person instruction.

It says it's very specific 4 days a week.

Our resolution just says up to 5 so I'm wondering if that is a problem that we are very specific here but our resolution just says up to 5. It just is a little bit inconsistent so I'm wondering if you're ready on that.

The last document that I saw from Dr. Codd and Dr. Pedroza in the bargaining group was that this was looking at a four days per week.

So Dr. Pedroza do you is that inaccurate what is written here.

No that's correct.

And I we've I think leaving it up to I think on the other form it says up to five days.

It says up to five.

Yeah up to five.

That fifth day is usually a day for.

Yeah.

Right.

But right now since we're in remote learning and we do need time between and teachers need time to kind of plan and get some things we're recommending four days at this time.

Okay.

I mean like I said I was just trying to rectify the two there.

So as long as I guess if we're comfortable having having it be different in the resolution that's

It's not different.

It's not different.

It says up to five.

Yeah I know.

Okay.

Maybe then this should this part take five also.

I mean that's just I'm trying to be consistent in both of our documents.

Director Rivera-Smith this is the most accurate information and that's what I believe we should report to OSPI in order for us to get credit for what the work that we are doing.

All right.

Well I will trust in your opinion.

So thank you.

No questions.

And Director Harris had a question.

I I was going to apologize because I don't think we're to 15 yet and I have a question there.

But but I would suggest that having to go to OSPI to get SPI SPS data is a little bizzantine.

And if you could have that in the Friday memo or when you send the information in a pull-down email template just print it to PDF and stick it on to us.

You know how hungry we are.

Data and info.

Yeah I will do my best directors to get that information in Friday memos.

I'll be honest I don't always fill it out until after like Friday afternoon or in the evenings and so I'll do my best to get you the information that I provide in those in that form weekly.

And then we did.

And Director Harris and Rivera-Smith I strongly encourage you to go look at the data as it's represented on the OSPI site so that you can see not just how what we submit shows up but how it compares to other districts.

And I think you'll see that it's a relatively limited amount of information such that the link itself might be more informative.

But so please do check it out because it is a good source of information.

And Director Harris we have done number 15 so if you have a question about number 15 you could do that now.

Oh fabulous.

Sorry I'm getting lost in this.

The data here and the new data naked is my new favorite term.

Beyond.

My question is do we talk about and do we know I read in the newspaper that SBA declined the assistance of PERC.

What's that status please.

To my knowledge and Director Codd correct me if I'm incorrect but we are still in the same stance that we were with PERC and SEA.

That is correct.

We have asked PERC to come in and help facilitate and mediate getting us closer to a joint agreement and SEA has declined that support at this time.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Thank you.

All right.

Director Hampson are you okay if we move forward into the next section.

Yes please.

Thank you.

Great.

I'm going to at this point I'm going to hand it over to Dr. Scarlett who's going to take questions 16-18.

So one of the things that really resonates with me in this conversation and looking at this document is just the limitations.

You know you get to a part about student learning and well-being and there's a bunch of boxes to check that don't really give you really the opportunities to really illustrate all the work that's happening.

In some ways I wish it had just been open-ended boxes for us to be able to detail the information as you're hearing so many talking points from our colleagues.

So within the limitations of this and question 16 there are just a few areas I want to illuminate.

One of the things about question 16 is they ask you a whole lot of questions about reviewing data examining data data data data.

You see the word over and over in there.

One of the areas that we've been really working on is our data literacy specifically culturally responsive data literacy.

And what does that look like for us as central office leaders and also at schools.

And so how do we have good data on our students becomes a challenge that we have that's always been a challenge I think to have the right type of data.

on our students and amid pandemic and our students not being able to be located in school the limitations of being able to look at data.

But also how do we take good data and employ thoughtful analysis and also compassionate understanding during this time of the human conditions that are having happening with students.

So in citing one of my favorite researchers Ivory Tolson everything that we collect in every number needs to be associated with the people that we serve the students.

Each one of the people that we serve when you see all of this data they all have dreams and hopes and aspirations and fears and needs.

And so as we look at the work in this cross-division work I just want to highlight for a few moments about different people across different I'm sorry staff across different divisions who are working together across multiple these multiple different areas as far as in student services our ELL students in order to help to identify students who are most impacted by by what's happening right now in our education system.

So for instance in DOTS we have a digital equity program manager who meets with our housing education manager that works in our equity partnerships and engagement team who works with our student support services staff.

our IEP supports and also our family support workers and MKV team in order to really review data on students that they can collect.

Some of this happens at the ground level by calling Seattle Housing Authority or making connections with Mary's Place or making connections across different housing providers to find you know what are the supports that families most need and students as well.

And so I already spoke before about some of the work that we're doing to really support gathering information from families and students most impacted furthest from educational justice.

But I do want to highlight one box that we didn't click before that oh it is clicked.

It's not clicked on mine and I want to make sure we're on ELL Learner Program.

So as you may know the ELPA window would be right now in March.

So we'd be able to take the proficiency assessment for our EL students which would need to be an in-person so we're not able to do that.

But we do have achievement level descriptors which actually support progress monitoring and OSPI has given guidance for how school teams can can really work at a school site in order to look at these achievement-level descriptors in order to progress monitor how students are doing.

The challenge we're having at the district level is like how do we monitor that across the multiple different school sites that we're serving.

So there are some challenges that we're still experiencing even though we're finding other ways to be able to collect data.

Also in thinking about our data on our English language learner students our EL students At the 21 at 21 schools with the highest EL populations over 90 percent of those students are are connecting or they're they are the attendance level is high.

They are getting online and being connected.

Families just as a piggyback on School Beat from what Kara shared before families are opening the translated School Beat at a higher rate than the English version actually.

And phone interpretation if you look at last year this time is up 420 percent to date compared to this time last year.

So it's really how do we look at the different data sources that we have and how do we leverage the data that we have and get creative about the entry points into what's happening for our students within that.

So as we look at number 17 and describe the what the district is planning to provide for opportunities for students who need learning recovery.

A few thoughts I'd like to share just about learning loss and sort of where we are with thinking about learning loss.

And you know our students have lost schooling and without schools they've lost access to you know sometimes the different tools of schooling that we use pacing guides and the assessments.

And as well but I do want to be careful about how we narrate learning loss for our students and make sure that we're thinking about learning loss in terms of what students are experiencing at home that some families of color in particular share as some additional wellness.

Along with we know that academic learning has not improved while students are at home within that.

But we also need to make sure that we're paying attention to the social policies that have created the educational inequities to sustain the conditions in which these things persist for our students.

So in thinking about what we are doing there are a few things like we know that we have family conferences at the beginning of the year.

We're doing work with our we issued excuse me the elementary progress reports to our families that are connected to the priority standards We had priority standards for every grade in every course in the district and those were given out to staff to really help their planning there and to us to help their school-based their school-based assessment practices as well.

You may remember that we had a little bit of press about incompletes at Garfield High School and we've been doing a lot of work around incompletes honestly within this.

Students who are receiving incompletes We've been working with staff to create the individualized learning plans.

I want to send a really strong shout out to our directors of school directors of schools particularly those at secondary and the work that they're doing with their school principals to really lead the system and really rethink new conversations about grading and grading practices.

We're pushing conversations that we really haven't had before en masse that I think is improving our system.

and will lead to future improvement as well.

And so with these learning plans there we're making plans for additional tutoring support for students.

Additional supports for second semester in order to lower the number of incompletes.

I want to say eliminate them if possible but also to keep our students supported as they're transitioning through particularly in high school as well their credit bearing classes.

Another area to highlight as we move into question 18 asked about the summer plan for that.

And Sorry excuse me the summer plan.

Sorry the grading established.

So we you know click yes for that box.

So there's a few areas.

We've issued elementary progress reports like I shared before for those priority standards in trimester 1 and 2. At the middle level we continue to refine the grading policy in the high school.

We keep looking at the grading policy and hearing from educators on the ground and our school leaders on the ground and our school directors who are really leading this conversation.

about what are the refinements that need to happen within this work in providing support for them around that area.

We're also really thinking rethinking the evidence of learning for our students as sort of a broad umbrella for our district that we kind of separate our grading approaches which are sort of that last domain which is within a teacher's a body of work that is sort of hitting this we call it like a black box.

But this this opportunity in COVID has helped us to really illuminate what's happening with grading practices.

And how do we really focus on how we rethink grading as evidence of learning.

Not just grading but also assessment practices together.

So how do we in CAI really couple those two together in order to focus on competency-based grading.

competency-based pathways and also the assessments that go with that as well.

So in looking at question 19 they asked us to look at the transitions for social-emotional supports.

And we of course started the beginning of the year with with I'm sorry I just blanked on it.

I want to say a safe start but it's not somebody.

Strong start.

Thank you.

Strong start.

Thank you.

with Strong Start really focused on SEL supports and helping the our students to transition with our remote playbook into remote learning and really adding the additional professional learning as well for staff to be able to support that work.

You know different students of course we have for for kindergarten Jump Start.

I saw our staff really school leaders transition into online open houses.

and curriculum nights in order to further reinforce new routines really early on in the year.

And as far as child care needs for staff we have convened a a return to in-person learning workgroup of school leaders and we started with bringing six child care executive directors into the very first meeting that we had on February 3rd to talk about instruction and what are the instructional and scheduling models The level of wisdom and I guess subsequent appreciation of those school leaders and how those the education directors from our child care communicated because they never close and I often say that they're the heroes and sheroes of this movement.

in in all the ways that they took care of the children of first responders and took care of our children as well.

And so we are starting in a place we're working with our child care staff.

Chief Bush they have bi-weekly meetings with child care staff and give updates.

And we are in strong communication with them as well.

And so I think lastly number 20 I think that's I guess I'll stop right there and I'm going to pass that over to Chief Jessee.

Actually Dr. Scarlett Chief Jessee was number 19 and you did a great job.

But you are number 20 and 21 so just roll with it and then we'll answer any questions.

I'll keep on going.

Okay so number 20. One thing that I'd love to be able to share about with number 20 is some of the work that we've done really focused on getting started with the idea of how do we co-design assessments.

So one area that we've been working on in our joint SEA and SPS assessment committee we've just convened them.

And we do have like even a straw proposal that we've just gotten started.

using an interest-based process to see how can we really co-design assessments that help us to better understand what's happening for our students particularly at key transition years you know at 3rd grade 5th grade and 7th grade but also across K-12.

And so just how do we leverage the priority standards that we've already worked on particularly in EOA and mathematics that we want to assess.

And then work with teacher leaders and our CAI staff in order to co-construct classroom-based assessments.

So when we hear CBA we often think of collective bargaining agreement but in this case it's it's classroom-based assessment.

And so and these would be smaller tasks that are dipstick sort of data probe tasks across what we have made consideration as the highest priority standards.

So what would it look like for all of the 3rd graders to have an assessment across this sort of handful of really important essential standards across the different trimesters or across different time periods.

and thus do an entire district effort around that even in remote learning.

So I'm really excited about the innovation that's coming out of this joint SEA and SPS assessment committee.

So I will I think I'm stopping there.

And and the other question is about statewide assessments and I guess that remains to be seen depending on what happens at the state level.

on that if there was a waiver or not.

But I will stop right there and you can ask us questions.

And sorry Chief Jessee that I just kept talking.

I got excited.

Okay.

Any other senior staff adding anything before we go to questions.

No Director Hampson I think we're good.

Okay.

I'm hearing an echo for here and there so if you're not muted please please go ahead and mute.

And we'll stop again for from the top of the order with Director Hersey.

Could you loop back to me please.

You got it.

Director Harris.

All fabulous information hugely appreciated.

But as is so often the case it's not been communicated to us until on the fly in the middle of a work session.

Just convened a workgroup.

Working with childcare folks.

I I appreciate everyone is working very very hard but if we don't keep our board directors informed of these new workgroups of these new collaboration then then A we're not doing our job and B we can't fan out to the community and let folks know how hard we're working.

And I wonder whether there is a better way to keep folks learned up and fed on real-time basis than finding out things in the middle of work sessions that are very very dense.

And again I appreciate it.

I think it's a systemic issue and a bandwidth issue but there's got to be a better way.

Much appreciate.

Gratitude.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Thank you.

Thank you Dr. Scarlett for the information.

I was wondering for question 17 if you could give a little more clarity.

The question is please briefly describe how your district is planning to provide opportunities for students who need learning recovery and acceleration support.

And then but for elementary we kind of only say how We talk about the conferences and the progress reporting.

It doesn't really say how we're providing opportunities for students who need learning recovery.

Can you explain more in the upper levels for the individual learning plans and the second semester time to make up the incompletes.

But for the elementary students can you say more about how we are providing these opportunities.

Thanks.

Oh sorry.

Thank you.

I'm going to ask Executive Director Cashel Toner to Cashel would you mind elaborating on that one.

Sure.

Good evening.

Hi I'm Cashel Toner Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction.

Director Rivera-Smith thanks for asking that question.

So at the elementary level we do have a challenge because we don't have at this time uniform consistent assessments across all of our Great, so that's a challenge where we do have a strength is the work that the curriculum assessment and instruction department did, you know, in the summer months developing the priority standards and then that narrowed the focus of each one of the grade level content areas and scope of what we were going to be focus on our focus on instruction around.

We then.

updated the elementary progress report tool to match those priority standards and scope and sequence that we have been developing for our teachers.

Teachers then used the elementary progress report to indicate a 1 2 3 or 4 in relationship to meeting or exceeding or approaching standard.

I think I said those out of order but it's essentially a 1 2 3 or 4 like that.

And that's the way we've been communicating.

At the same time we also built a comment bank to share the load of that work with our teachers.

So the comment bank was built by the Curriculum Assessment and Instruction Department to then also match back to the priority standards.

So educators then when they were writing their what we once called robust comments but student-centered specific comments they could select from those centrally developed comment banks right for content areas.

And then we guided folks to write student-specific comments.

So that's really the student level of feedback that we can give to families coupled of course with communication that can happen inside of the remote learning schedule.

You see every day there's time for family connections.

And that was really intentional to have that hold space on the calendar or on a daily instructional schedule because we need partnership with families.

So that really signaled our whole system that the expectation is for you know that communication loop to be happening more frequently than we may have done in the past.

So that's a long way around the specificity but we do have a challenge in that you know common assessments you know to be given and then to be able to be reported on.

So I hope that gets there.

And then at the same time we are planning for summer learning.

You know that that will be another mechanism to be able to accelerate and you know support students with additional learning opportunities.

But we could talk more about that a little bit later.

Okay.

No thank you.

I so I was just trying to see where the hell was in there.

So family connection time summer learning are a few.

Okay.

Thank you for that.

My other question is regarding number 19. for the key components for the district's planning for in-person transitions.

They're all checked except for transitional family teacher conferences focusing on social and emotional needs of students.

I'm wondering why can't we check that one.

Is that something we could do because I think having those conferences especially on social emotional needs of students would be very helpful.

Go ahead.

Yeah I'll go ahead and take that.

That that box wasn't checked because just we're we're facing down to about three months left at school.

That the scheduling of that and the awareness not that it wouldn't happen but to coordinate that as a you know significant time to check in.

We already built in the connections on our remote learning model for families at the elementary level so it would continue.

I mean you could check it but I just would be a little resident about when we looked at that box you know is that specific to the transition itself to in-person or is that just the ongoing conversations which to me in my professional opinion would be you should be having ongoing conversations.

That's what we've been doing all year with families and then just instead of just a singular event.

Okay.

And that makes sense.

I mean definitely ongoing communication is vital.

That was the only of all the lists here that actually specified focusing on social-emotional needs.

I know the question is that but all the box-checking.

Anyways I just I saw that stuck out to me as kind of being an empty one there.

But just knowing that that is something that is ongoing communication specifically for that I think is great to know and I don't know where else we can have that delineated but anyhow I appreciate your information.

Those were all the questions I had for now.

Thank you.

Director Rankin.

Thank you.

I mean I could could and have talked about a lot of these things in various other settings.

So I'll try to just hit the big ones which is the I can't remember which number it was but the various You know our is it before this or after this about the data different data points of a student how students are are doing key component.

No not that.

Oh here we go above that.

Yeah.

I would love to see all of these things like I'm like desperate to see this the data that goes with the the X's here in these boxes in particular the where where we are with regards to graduation requirements especially for juniors and seniors and data on student progress on IEP's.

I'm I'm just like desperate to see to have something tangible to to look at and and and talk about with you know as a leadership team and as a broader community about what's actually going on and what we can or should be doing to address those things.

Just absolutely desperate.

And then the other thing I'll just note the conversation on grading and assessment is you know one that we had somewhat going into this knowing that you know we had to do some change on grading policies to you know reflect the situation of being in a pandemic and I'm just going to voice my support for being really excited to continue that conversation and grateful for staff support of of keeping that going.

And it'll show up on the SSC&I work plan at some point.

Okay so there was no response needed correct Director Rankin.

Unless someone wants to give me a date of when I can expect the data but no basically those were comments.

Well I had suggested that supporting documents and should be provided a lot when this gets posted when it's sent to the OSPI on March 1st.

Director Rankin this is Chief Kokx.

Per your request for the retreat on March 6th and the data in outlined in the Remote Learning Task Force work the team is working on pulling that data request together and our hopes is to have that to directors prior to the meeting on the 6th.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

It's a big it's a big lift and so it will probably not come until the Thursday before.

And there will be.

Sure it's not like you can press a button and generate a thing that's you know that makes sense to somebody holding it but.

And it will also highlight gaps in where while that is outlined in the charter we don't collect some of those data points and so that is a whole different conversation probably for a later date.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Director DeWolf.

Yeah thank you.

My first question is why I appreciate thank you Dr. Scarlett for your really comprehensive overview of this.

I want to go back to the first section number question number 16. Talks about reviewing data on and it obviously talks about a ton of students likely who are furthest from educational justice.

One of those students is the students experiencing homelessness.

So I just wanted to.

clarify for our audience what that actually looks like in Seattle Public Schools.

So as of February 2nd 2021 we had 2,148 students enrolled in the MKV program.

1,161 are part of doubled-up families.

364 of our MKV students so students experiencing homelessness live in transitional housing.

221 students live in shelters for families including DV shelters.

232 students are unaccompanied youth doubled-up or in group homes or youth shelters.

56 are living in hotels motels.

46 are unsheltered so they're living either on the streets or in vehicles.

And 68 have no or blank housing status.

So I think just the magnitude of what our students experiencing homelessness are going through just before they even hit the proverbial door of school is really critical.

And I continue to just be so worried and concerned for these students and really hope the work that has been done here and will continue over the course of the next few months of this school year really focus on those students and all of our students furthest from educational justice because my my my hunch is that many of these students are not being served and or are just have it's just really difficult to to provide a stability in education if there's so many issues in their in their home.

The other thing I wanted to ask about Dr. Scarlett I know we had done a strong start at the beginning of this year for Sorry not the beginning of this year.

My brain's clearly melding the two years.

In 2019 when we were in-person we had a strong start.

It was kind of this week before to get people comfortable and you could kind of go meet your teachers and it was kind of a like a gradual or phased start.

Is there any do you do you see any value in us doing some sort of a strong start or like a phased start to get people comfortable back coming into buildings and being into schools.

Yeah I mean absolutely.

I think that that will be absolutely necessary depending on what is decided about in-person learning or hybrid learning.

If our students don't have experiences this spring with even navigating with each other physically that's going to be really really important.

It is not lost on us that our children will forever be changed by pandemic by COVID-19.

Our children and families will forever be changed.

We're all changed by this.

And so one of the great things about working with our child care providers is just hearing from them about how children show up in that space.

And so it'll be really important for us to have transition plans between our child care providers and our and our teachers and students as well.

They are poised to give insight about each of their students based upon what their professional you know sort of knowledge and understanding is.

And we need to be ready to respond to that as well within that transition.

So Director DeWolf I you and I are on the same page.

I think we are on the same page about how important just the the day our students step out of the door and you know and transport themselves how important it's going to be for us to just really think about every aspect of what does it mean to belong now.

You know versus before and everything that we're dealing with.

So yeah my my heart goes out and I appreciate you reifying for us and just making it really concrete the numbers that each like I said before each one of the numbers that we have are humans are little people and families and communities with dreams and hopes and aspirations and fears and needs as well.

So thank you for that.

And then I just wanted to clarify.

Thank you Dr. Scarlett.

I just wanted to clarify I think maybe Sherri but last year when we approved this first resolution in August one of the things I really thought to include was a task force a remote learning task force.

So Sherri can can you just provide some clarity because it sounds like The the the way we constituted that task force was that they were supposed to be doing some monthly data information to the board so we could over time assess how we're doing and kind of make adjustments as needed.

What I'm hearing you say is we have not gotten those updates from the remote learning task force and we're only going to get them on March 6th the retreat.

No that that is not what I said Director DeWolf.

What we did you outlined a quarterly report to the what's now called the SSCAI Committee and that report was given in February.

And then at that point Director Rankin has asked that she meet with the leaders of the team and so she held her first meeting with them a week prior to the latest task force meeting which was this past Tuesday.

And then Director Rankin and I have Director Rankin has asked for that data to be shared with the board.

It's not that remember the Remote Learning Task Force is not a data collector.

It's it's really taking data that we have as a system and analyzing the data to make recommendations to enhance remote learning.

They have started.

Yes, they have started to look at some of the data.

For example, they spent some time in smaller groups reviewing the first semester grading data so.

The team right now is putting together a memo for me and then I'll share it with Director Rankin as the person who is overseeing this work for the board.

A memo about what data the team has looked at to date and then what is next to come.

And the other thing is that report from the task force the quarterly report was shared at the meeting and I believe that information was also posted And I do provide you with the link in every Friday memo that goes directly to the Remote Learning Task Force website that has the minutes about what that group does every month.

Okay so just for clarity you're saying we had one update in February but between the opening of school and February we did not get a report with recommendations from that task force.

That is correct because they had only met a very few times they have met in October November and December and then the report was generated and presented at the beginning of the February CSSCAI meeting.

Yeah I appreciate that.

Thank you for your background.

I know everybody's working hard but I just want to be really clear that I believe that really missed the mark of what we laid out in the in the August resolution because it was supposed to be iterative.

It was supposed to be give us information recommendations and what you're describing is the first First it's coming to us in February and that to me is already six months into the school year so it doesn't seem like there's a lot of opportunity to be iterative or adjust.

And so I just want just from my personal perspective it seems like we missed the mark there.

I understand everybody's working hard but that that did not necessarily fulfill I think the mission of that task force as we had originally designed.

And I just want to call out Dr. Scarlett I for all those listening I mentioned Rosh Hashanah before and thank you Dr. Speller for responding.

It sounds like we'll get some information back next week so I appreciate you being responsive to that and we'll look forward to that next week.

So one question for me that doesn't isn't duplicative from what other directors asked.

In terms of incompletes that was something that was specifically noted with respect to progress and I'm wondering if We are looking if we have there's any specific differences between incompletes as they're being reported or utilized in middle school versus high school that we're aware of.

I'm going to ask Executive Director Perkins to respond to this.

I do.

know I mean the difference between credit bearing opportunities in middle school.

Not saying that there are middle schoolers that do have credit bearing coursework and then high school.

So I know there are some differences between incompletes within that.

But Caleb could you please share a little bit for Director or President Hampson about this.

Absolutely.

Thanks for the question.

Overall the approach is quite similar in the sense that the requirement in giving a student an incomplete is to also give the student and their family a learning plan for how to address that incomplete and to to change the grade to an A through a C-minus.

And so those things are happening but we have had separate conversations with middle school staff particularly middle school AP's and they have pushed for an approach to develop a a cross-course learning plan so that that students and families can get a more concise sort of set of guidance if they had more than one incomplete.

So that's something that's an innovation that the middle schools developed.

But overall they they are approaching it in the same way.

We're requiring based on the policy that was passed in the summer that the communication be with families every other week at the middle and high school level and that incompletes be accompanied by an individual learning plan.

I think the last piece is just the priority is around the credit bearing particularly for our graduating seniors.

So in terms of our efforts to figure out how to help schools address those incompletes that's where there will also be a difference.

We'll really prioritize the credit bearing and the seniors that are trying to graduate.

I hope that helps.

I mean I guess it's unfortunately confirms one of my concerns because I I I'm particularly concerned about that age group being less adaptive just like meant you know just they're at an age where there's literally in-between.

And and because it's not credit-bearing because it's not the weight isn't there from the standpoint of making that critical progress towards graduation.

And yet for example we had had stated a prioritization for 6th graders who would be the most vulnerable making this transition this year and being able to adapt to that work.

And so if there are any trends that we can look at in terms of you know kids that have nothing but C-minuses because they're not getting incompletes because there's not necessarily the prioritization to invest in additional you know time with those kids and we're not going to you know I appreciated the the the comments from Dr. Scarlett about you know how we look at learning loss that we're not going to you know dump just this enormous amount of catch-up on them but that we need to at least in real time be you know that that they're they're support systems in middle school or have a pretty good awareness of what they are and aren't getting as opposed to just seeing a whole list of you know.

I know we've got some students that are that are have just got a whole big line of C-minuses which means that they're not engaged.

And so I'm worried about the extent to which that's then going to have an impact particularly if they're 8th graders that then become 9th graders right.

And that they're going to really struggle when they when they get into 9th grade.

At least if you know with 6th graders who probably had a harder time adapting they've got a couple of years to catch up or to get to where they need to be.

I have to check my own language.

But anyway so I just want to note that that is my concern that because it doesn't have that credit weight that I would like to see us pay some attention to that.

And I don't know who put their hand up first but I see Director Rankin you have your hand up.

You have a question.

Yes I do.

Thanks.

I just wanted to ask if part of what you were asking was about not just right now in the moment in complaints but also what we do when we get to the end of the semester.

And for before you know going into next year if that was part of your question and if it wasn't that I was going to add that as well.

Like you know how are those things being addressed right now.

And then you know when we get to the end of the semester or the end of the year a credit bearing course is going to need to be completed.

So there'll be I you know certain opportunities to do that.

And then for for middle school are we just going to go oh well it doesn't go it doesn't stay on your transcript.

So you know.

We'll catch you in the fall.

Or is there going to be opportunity to I guess that's something we have to think about how we want to provide support to middle school students who may still at the end of the semester have you know as as our not as punitive to the student but as our obligation to educate students to the best that we can at this point the students who are who are really you know not engaging.

We don't want them to not have the things being provided to their you know with their peers and put them at a disadvantage going into next year.

But I wonder actually this may be something we could talk about on March 6th but the you know I've been thinking about in terms of like I want incomplete data and I want to see you know this and that but We probably should look at C-minuses as well and and see if we can determine where they might be standing in for incompletes and try to make sure that the students get the support that they need as well.

I think that's well said.

I'll just briefly share that that there have been a number of conversations about how to differentiate our supports at the middle school level to to both your points particularly yours Director Hampson in terms of For those who get a string of C-minuses or a string of incompletes how to make it as useful and user-friendly.

So there's been talk about could we add better comments to be included.

Could we revisit how the learning plan is structured so it comes across as more supportive and less punitive if it's coming across that way.

So those are excellent points and I look forward to continuing to share with the SSC&I committee so that we can get their input on how to address those concerns for second semester.

Well and I will say anecdotally as the parent of a student who's missing stuff a lot I've really appreciated the proactive positive comments that have come from our middle school teachers about just checking in and making sure you know you didn't you know.

So that that I don't know if that came from here or from there but it's working somewhere.

Well so and my just to be clear.

I want to you know we need to get into the discipline of this board being focused trying to learn how to be focused on student outcomes and this isn't so that we can then get in there and decide with you but so that we're actually setting the appropriate student outcomes as metrics right for for leadership for the district as a whole.

And we don't know what those are right now so that's what we're looking to is you know what do we need to be to be looking at because we just have this overwhelming sense of of those flaws.

Director DeWolf you had a question as a follow-up to that and then we'll move on.

Not follow-up not follow-up let me.

Go ahead.

So I just wanted to also offer I know this might be a little bit I should have said earlier but we got a really really helpful document today that I think also dispels some of the myths that we have not done anything to prepare our schools physically operationally and so I just wanted to thank our operations team for sending the data.

It's a it's called the SPS re-entry prep status and it lists all of our schools all of the tons of work that have gone into preparing them for this and so I think It also helps to create a better picture of the work that is taking place not only just captured here in this document but also behind the scenes to prepare our buildings our facilities our you know our buses and our nutrition services.

So I just want to thank the operations team.

And as far as what I'm reading a ton of work has taken place to prepare our our facilities in our district for a return to in-person.

Okay so I think we're at the end of this document are we not.

Madam President.

Director Harris here.

I've had a turn.

Yes.

Go ahead.

Thank you so much.

With respect to so many of these great comments and updates that we're hearing from staff which are hugely appreciated.

With respect to Dr. Scarlett.

I appreciate that we're talking a lot about our grading system.

Are we also talking to higher education.

So Director Harris.

Yes.

Do you I'm just do you mean that in terms of whether or not we're providing what students need so that they can get to those places of higher ed.

Well as we're having the conversations I recall very specifically late spring early summer changing our grading and hearing from a number of my higher education friends that were distressed that it was always for everyone.

I'm wondering whether those conversations include higher ed folks.

especially for seniors with respect to grading strategy.

I can just offer a very brief response which per your hospital response.

Yes please make it brief because I think that gets us a bit off topic and we need to kind of move on to the next order.

Noted.

I think there's been helpful feedback from the board around the need to make sure we stay connected.

And so we have regular conversations with the admissions office.

at UW as well as the coalition that represents all of the Washington State Universities.

So in on this very topic how how are they interpreting the grading that's happening during the pandemic.

So thank you for the comment.

Thank you for that.

I have a couple more questions if I could please.

Thank you.

Okay.

So just Director Harris I just want to be sure because we I'm sorry.

I didn't appreciate I was being cut off while I'm asking my questions.

Okay I'm just trying to because we already went through the full order and because that was the last one and then we had a couple of follow-up questions.

So is this additional follow-up questions to the reopening progress report.

I would skip during that round.

Thank you.

Okay.

Go ahead.

I don't think so but go ahead.

My pleasure.

Thank you.

Executive Director Toner suggested that we would have a conversation about summer school at a later date.

What would that date be please.

Director Harris this is Chief Kokx.

We don't have a date set.

at this time to discuss summer school but it's certainly worthy of conversation and we're happy to work with the board office and President Hampson and I think with the CA or SSCAI Chair Director Rankin to talk more about when that could be.

I just got a text from wife Jessie that says perhaps March 6th is already set up.

Thank you so much for that.

My last question.

Thank you.

Is with respect to the task force updates.

I would echo and emphasize Director DeWolf's comments about the promises that were made to the board last August about the task force and being kept in the loop on an interdict basis.

And I would suggest that once you get the memo from the task force that you send it out Lord knows Chair Rankin is on top of it.

But if we could cut down some of the bureaucracy and the macrame this director would appreciate it immensely.

Thank you.

Okay.

So I'm going to we're going to move on to the next section.

which is the only to the action item on today's agenda which is the approval of Resolution Number 2020-21-4.2 again restating and amending the Reopening Plan and Remote Learning Model previously adopted for the 2020-2021 school year and approval of the Washington State Schools 2020-21 Reopening Progress Report Submission.

Let's see there are two alternative motions stated in today's Board Action Report just as an FYI.

May I have a motion for approving this item as before we go into discussion using the original motion.

Okay.

So I move that school board approve or excuse me I move that the school board approve Resolution Number 2020-21 dash 4.2 as attached to this board action report superseding the previously adopted resolution number 2020-21-4.1 and amending the previously adopted resolution number 2020-21-4 and approving the Washington Schools 2020-21 Reopening Progress Report as also attached to the board action report.

Immediate action is in the best interest of the district.

Second.

This item has been moved by Vice President Hersey and seconded by Director Rivera-Smith.

Today's action item would approve and an updated reopening resolution and would also approve the Washington Schools 2020-21 Reopening Progress Report.

We have already discussed the Reopening Progress Report so we will move now into discussion of the Board Action Report and the updated reopening resolution that would also be approved.

As the sponsor I'll be providing that briefing and and then we'll go to comments and questions.

I don't have a whole lot to talk about.

I appreciate the enormous amount of input in its now this is now its third iteration of this resolution.

that have come from all directors over that period of time.

Everyone has has definitely played a distinct role.

And this particular version I hope reflects the priorities that we've all discussed at length over many many many many meetings with respect to the very difficult position that we find ourselves in selves in of this pandemic that forces us to operate to provide education right now in a primarily remote model but also do our absolute ethical moral and legal best to ensure that the students that are not being met in that model which is the for from the standpoint of the COVID pandemic itself the quote unquote safest option that we are need to provide other means and strategies and structures to serve students that are particularly centering our students that are furthest from educational justice.

Those that are of highest needs.

Those that are not being served by the current model.

And so this iteration intends to represent how we approach serving those students and putting them at the at the very center of our decision making and doing everything we can to move resources towards making sure that they are receiving educational support and resources.

But moreover that they're also receiving social-emotional connection support and resources.

And I know that we are not where we want to be as a district yet and so we offer this up as a means to get to to support us getting to that that next step with our district and our the services that we're providing.

So some of this is a re-emphasis and a reiteration of things that the board has previously agreed to that are not where they need to be yet.

And some of them are additional pieces.

that have come to into place due to slight changes in circumstances.

The one thing that I will just say very openly that that we cannot yet say I wish we could but we cannot yet say that we have a prioritization of vaccines for our educators and I will continue to personally to say that that is a priority.

And we'll advocate to the to the governor personally for that.

But many other things are in place as we've just heard in terms of our ability to safely with risk mitigation provide in-person services to students that are highest needs.

And I will now go to directors for comments questions and concerns.

as we move before we move to vote on the item.

So I'm going to start at the top of the order and go first to Director Hersey.

I do not have any questions or comments at this time on this measure.

Okay thank you.

Director Harris.

Thank you so much.

I want to clarify something and I don't know whether I should direct this to Chief Pedroza Chief Codd or Chief Narver.

What I'm voting for tonight is our students that need special education in buildings and to call those teachers I think the number that I heard before was 600 essential workers.

Is that a fair consolidation of this.

Please.

Director Harris maybe maybe this is Chief Cloracod.

Let me see if I can help.

The number of students that fall into special intensive education path service pathways who have said whose families have said they would like for their students to be in-person is around 600. That's the number of students.

The number of educators that serve students in those intensive service pathways is much less than that.

Chief Concie Pedroza would need to tell you that number.

But this resolution would indeed deem that work to be considered essential.

as outlined in the current memorandum of understanding that we have with the Seattle Education Association as outlined on say page 13 of the MOU and then would basically direct us to direct that staff to report to work.

That is what this resolution would do.

Is there a way to move the staff number uncertain and I misunderstood.

I thought we were talking about 600 educators.

Is there a way to move them to a higher priority vaccine given the fact that they are hands-on literally toileting feeding physical therapy etc. based on the high needs of those students.

Director Harris this is Chief Kokx and I don't know Superintendent Juneau if you want to weigh in here but that that is not for the district to decide.

We have asked and we will continue to ask and advocate with our Governor and with our Department of Health but we don't make the prioritization of people across the state of Washington.

Yeah I would just say the same thing as Superintendent Juneau.

It's like we will continue to advocate for that to happen and we all know that that should be happening but we don't control that prioritization.

And can we hear from Chief Pedroza how many children we're talking excuse me not how many children how many educators that will be working with these approximately 600 children students.

Director Harris this is Concie Pedroza.

How are you.

At this time we're still reviewing that list.

I can get that to you but I don't have those exact numbers with me here.

But we do know that not all of our schools have intensive service pathways.

It's just in the some of our elementary schools and some of our middle and high schools our comprehensive schools have those services.

And so it wouldn't be touch all of our schools at this time but I can get you the numbers.

Would you distribute them to the entire board please.

Yes.

Actually it's about 350 staff.

I just got confirmation.

It's about 350 staff members that we're talking about in terms of because what that would be is all instructional assistants and teachers.

So it's about currently about 350 staff.

And do we have any sense of how many bus drivers.

Hello.

This is Fred Podesta Chief Operations Officer.

About 167. Thanks so much.

I'll pass to that.

Thank you Director Harris.

Director Rivera-Smith.

Thank you.

I I don't know that I have questions to say about this.

I appreciate I appreciate all the work that went into this resolution and iteration of the 4.2.

Thank you to everybody who had a part in that.

I'm I'm really as we talk tonight about our priorities as students and as There's mostly mute and even as.

Sorry Director Rivera-Smith I can't hear you.

Director Harris can you make sure you're okay I think.

Are you muted Director Harris.

I hope.

Can you start over.

I'm sorry because I don't I couldn't hear you.

Can you hear me now.

Yes that's better.

Sorry about that.

I think I had paper on my laptop.

Anyway I was just looking at this priority stand in the order that we're listing the students.

Number one is the intensive service pathways.

Two students to IEP's.

Three is the students K- through first pre-K-1 and then we get to the ELL or EL McKinney-Vento foster students.

Part of me is is really torn on that their number four when we just you know we went over just how much we want to prioritize those students who are most most in need there.

I'm just one I guess I'm just hopeful.

Not that I want to shake this up too much because I know we've already talked to our pre-K-1 and they're gearing up to go.

I'm just really hopeful that we can move forward to get in get moved into those students that we we desperately need to prioritize the English learners we can even to foster students because as we follow you know our our moral obligation to those students and just our our overall strategic plan and pathways that we want to prioritize I hope that we do our best there.

I'm thankful to I know our bargainers Dr. Codd and Dr. Pintrosa and I think JoLynn too yeah JoLynn Berge.

I thank you guys for all the work you're doing there.

It's a big pull a big push.

So I don't think I have any other questions right now regarding this.

Maybe come back to me because there was something else I'm trying to remember but that's all for right now.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you Director Rankin.

And maybe you could speak to if you'd like to speak to the addendum as it pertains to some of that support.

that's included.

Sure I can.

I I just want to say I guess you know there are a lot of people I'm sure are not fully aware of what vote we're taking right now.

So I hope that we can get information out to families and community as quickly as possible so that there's full understanding of what this actually means.

Because part of the reason that we are The the template is required by OSPI.

The resolution we're sort of reiterating and in the hopes of clarifying what it is we're really directing as a board to the district.

And so I will also say that the priority groups that are that are highlighted here are Not brand new.

They're this we have been discussing you know how how to provide services any kind of services equitably since June with with stakeholders from you know labor partners families community organizations.

The conversation around you know back in June when we didn't we didn't know anything about anything.

We had no idea what was going to happen come fall.

What we as a as a broader SPS leadership and community settled on together was that if if resources were limited and by resources that could mean staffing space in-person services whatever it may be if there were limits whatever those limits were that there were certain groups of students that we would target first to receive whatever that is that we're able to provide.

So I just want to be really clear.

I feel like there's a lot of very binary thinking and very kind of you know digging down on all sides by all parties of we have to reopen.

We can't reopen.

How dare you reopen.

Why aren't we back in school.

Very very very antagonistic and binary and we cannot keep thinking that way.

We have to center equity.

We have to center our legal and moral obligations to students and that means that some students need more from us right now.

And so in order to keep numbers down which is one of the best you know social distancing is one of the best ways one of the best mitigation strategies.

That means fewer people in buildings.

So in order to you know maximize the the options that we do have which are not great just in general.

It's not like we have a wide variety of wonderful choices.

But as as board directors I just want to be I just want to kind of restate that the the 6 of us as a board are ultimately responsible for making this decision and for being accountable for it.

But that does not mean that it has come just from us.

And a lot of us as candidates and as electeds are are here because community trusted us to make these decisions and wanted us to be the ones in this position to have to consider these things and make hard choices.

So I say that to say that you know I know that there are lots and lots of families and lots of students that are desperate to be in-person.

And I just want to I guess acknowledge that and acknowledge that there is that a lot of folks are facing a lot of challenges and that within the context of us as board directors who represent you know the broader interests of the district we we don't advocate just for students.

We don't advocate just for teachers.

We don't advocate just for administration.

We are responsible for the system.

and and everybody in it.

And within that we have to make these hard choices where you know not everybody gets exactly what they want.

So in light of the fact that there are challenges for everyone at this point in light of the fact that in this state educators are not being prioritized by the governor for vaccinations but that CDC guidelines don't require it.

We have a lot of.

really good strong mitigation strategies in place.

In light of all that the the best that we can do is is identify the students who need our in-person support face-to-face services the most and start there.

So I'm just kind of want to I guess say that and that is we you know we've got pretty heartbreaking desperate emails from families whose children would normally be supportive supported by a wide range of various professionals and staff for different learning and behavior and accessibility needs who have been without all of that for a long time.

And it's it's really really really something has to give for these families.

So with the addendum also reflecting back to the greeting conversation and identifying students that are having again while secondary students most I feel fairly confident saying most would prefer to be in-person and getting instruction that way.

Within that there is still some students that we can identify as having even more extreme challenges engaging for whatever reason.

And so the kind of addendum that I put in there is to highlight the fact that the data that we're looking at and when we're seeing how students are doing that I believe it's our obligation to and we have prioritized you know students who are struggling before and especially 6th and 9th grade students again since June.

But we need to identify those secondary students that we can offer opportunities to get some support in-person back in buildings and small groups.

Not necessarily instruction but support.

And you know I don't know what that that you know our job as the board is to say this is what we need to see.

We don't dictate how or who provides that.

But we have students that I know we all know are having an extraordinarily difficult time in a very challenging time for everyone.

And we need to do everything we can to see if we can offer something else to them.

in small cohorts still keeping numbers as low as possible in buildings.

And so that is the addendum.

And that's probably more than enough.

Yes.

Okay.

So now we go to Director DeWolf.

Thank you President Hampson.

First question for you President Hampson.

Do you see this resolution as student-centered.

I do.

Okay.

That's not to say that we can't continue to.

I mean I I think it is a shift that an important shift that we as a board and that we as a district need to make.

And so I try to be as conscientious of that as possible when.

given that this is an iteration of a prior resolution.

And you know I think all things considered we tried very hard in our original resolution with so much input from so many so many people throughout our communities and staff and leadership to put together something that was in fact student-focused and gave as much flexibility as possible to to provide staff different ways in which to meet the needs of students.

But ultimately yes I that was the the goal is to have I the image that I have is is scooping up the children that we're missing by the model that we currently have as as we remain in this in this pandemic.

And so now that we are we do have a vaccine and we do have low numbers and we are still very much in between place because of the kind of rollout and coming out of all of that and still lots of unknowns.

And so I believe that in in balancing the absolute duty to serve students to serve children that this is the best way to thread that that needle and still keep them at the center.

Thank you for that.

And then Director Rankin I just wanted to share my just reflection that I really appreciate the kind of the adjustment we made to that language around the cohorting.

I think it really makes us stronger.

So thank you for doing that.

Also want to just be really explicit here that on page 4 of this resolution as it is in this document the very last be it further resolved which is an original I think from our from the one in August says that the board directs the superintendent report monthly as the recommendations and concerns is this correct President Hampson.

I'm sorry.

What's that.

This language here where it says that the board directs the superintendent report monthly as to the recommendations and concerns and status of the remote learning task force for as long as the district remains in a substantially remote learning modality therefore reporting back quarterly.

Is that from the original in August.

It's slightly updated with the quarterly to.

when it's only partially when it's hybrid.

That's awesome.

Okay because it's pretty clear here that this says that the board directs the superintendent report monthly and I don't necessarily know that we've received those so I just encourage us to really follow through on our what's outlined here in this resolution.

And I just want to draw attention to the fact that again I think we provided another opportunity for us to gather safely with our students and outdoor learning and I hope that we we revive that with some new energy in the district.

and really prioritize getting creative with our outdoor learning and those opportunities that are available to us.

I know when we introduced that in August there was a ton of attention on it because it was a really great idea and I really hope we can follow through on that.

We've got some we've got some going strong.

Pictures on the website.

That's right.

I think we have about five.

Yes.

It's exciting.

Thank you.

It's very great.

I know the Skills Center is doing outdoor learning and it's pretty pretty pretty exciting.

So those are all my questions.

Thank you President Hampson.

Thank you.

And I don't have anything to to add I think at this time.

So oh wait Director Rivera-Smith you said you might have an additional question.

Did you come up with that.

Thank you.

Yes it was regarding page 5 the top of the Be it for the resolve of the superintendent continue to staff and support the board task force on community and outdoor education.

I'm just wondering what the status of that was.

I haven't heard anything in a while about that task force.

We meet tomorrow to finalize the the members and everyone will be notified next week.

Okay.

Thank you.

No other questions.

Okay so Ms. Wilson-Jones I think we're good to go.

As we have discussed the Washington Schools 2020-21 Reopening Progress Report must be submitted to OSPI by March 1st.

May I have I'm sorry I'm sorry I just got Okay sorry no I just need to ask you to call for the vote.

I'm sorry.

I am happy to jump in and do that.

And per your request I would be calling the roll call order by reverse reverse first name order.

So Director DeWolf aye Director Rankin aye

Director Rivera-Smith aye Director Harris aye Director Hersey nay Director Hampson aye.

This motion has passed by a vote of 5 yes to 1 no.

Thank you all so very very much.

Thank you staff.

So very very much for your presentations and answering of our questions.

As there is no further business on the agenda this meeting stands adjourned at 631 p.m.

Pįnagigi be safe.

Take care.