Most every school official is wondering what will be the impact on levy elections from the first use of all mail-in ballots. It doesn't ease anyone's nerves that the Tacoma School District watched as voters rejected a $300 million levy in February.
Tag, you're it. No, you're out. But not completely out. Adams Elementary School in Spokane drew national attention earlier this month for telling parents and children that tag as they know it was no longer acceptable at recess.
Moran Prairie Elementary Principal Matthew Handelman stands outside his school in rain, sun, sleet and snow to watch parents drive through the congested parking lot. He is one of several area educators who believe that cell phones and driving don't mix, at least not in school parking lots, which can be full of fast-moving children.
Some schools harnessed the inevitable Super Bowl spirit Friday by holding their own competitions and rallies. Northwood Middle School awarded points to the most dressed-up students in each homeroom. The winning room receives a pizza party.
Davenport School District has been cleared of any official wrongdoing in a federal racial discrimination complaint filed in the spring. Kitara McClure reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights that her 10-year-old son had been called a racial slur five times at Davenport Elementary. She also claimed the Lincoln County school retaliated against her and her son after they began contesting the treatment. The student and his mother are black.
Partly to avoid the fiasco that happened at Spokane Public Schools last fall over providing student information to military recruiters, state lawmakers are considering a measure that would require all districts to establish clearer procedures. In the fall, a new policy by Spokane Public Schools led to confusion and concern. Parents were told that if they didn't want military recruiters to receive their children's names and numbers, the students would also be left off all other listings – such as school honor listings and sports rosters. Eventually, district officials dropped the policy.
A 16-year-old Rogers High School student is in juvenile detention for allegedly making threats to students and staff during an online chat with a friend Monday, during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The student's name has not been released by school, court or police officials.
In 2003, a Lewis and Clark High School production of "The Laramie Project" was stopped by administrators, due to rough language and a shortage of time to prepare students and parents. Well, get ready again.
The push of a button changed her world. High school teacher Michelle Klein-Coles' life has not been the same since 14-year-old Jacob Carr clicked the "send" button on a threatening e-mail to her. That was just more than a year ago.
