New Seattle schools safety, security director eyes changes

José Curiel Morelos, Seattle Public School’s new executive director of safety and security, has met with the principals of Garfield and Ingraham high schools and the police department to discuss ways to make the campuses safer.

The two schools were the sites of fatal shootings in recent years — this past June and in November 2022.

The district and the Seattle Police Department are also discussing the return of police officers to campuses, in some form, four years after the district suspended its school resource officers program.

The discussions between the district and the city come as they invest $14.55 million to upgrade security and support students.

Morelos, who started in the position last month, will spend the next few months reviewing the district’s security protocols, making recommendations and hiring and training staff.

The role is new for SPS, but some large urban school systems have a dedicated person to direct safety initiatives and manage the web of relationships — from police and fire departments to community organizations — that have a stake in keeping children safe.

Alicia Spanswick, the co-president of Garfield’s PTSA, said last week that the group had not yet met with Morelos but had been calling for a point person to manage safety initiatives, especially in light of the investments announced this summer. Nearly two months into the school year, parents still don’t know how the money is being spent or when all of the additional staff will show up, she said.

“There’s a lot of promises, but implementation is lacking across the board,” Spanswick said. “There’s a lack of follow-through and accountability.”

The recent shooting incidents at and near schools are forcing SPS to broaden its safety plans to include monitoring the schools’ perimeter. That’s one of the reasons the district created the job, said chief operations officer Fred Podesta. He said the district was looking for a specialist who could focus on security, manage a growing department, build partnerships in the community and work with the chief of police and other public safety agencies to mount a comprehensive safety response.

In August, the city and the district touted significant financial investments in physical security and student well-being.

Those measures included additional police patrols, paid security posted outside targeted schools and security specialists inside the buildings. Some parts of the plans — such as the care coordinators — may not be in place until the spring, and the violence interrupter programs were delayed at some schools.

At the time of the August announcement, Podesta said the security team would review the back-to-school safety measures and make recommendations to Superintendent Brent Jones.

The district also plans to make recommendations to the School Board by the end of the year or early next year about whether police officers will return to schools, Podesta said.

Morelos, who speaks English and Spanish, said he sees a role for police officers on school campuses but that officers should be “integrated within the school community.” He also understands the complex feelings on the topic and how a police presence on campus might make some students feel unsafe.

“I came to this country as a young boy that was undocumented, so for me, anybody in a uniform was scary,” he said.

But it was also an officer at his middle school in Oregon who inspired him to want to become a police officer.

“Police officers could build good relationships with students and district staff,” Morelos said. “But I also understand that that’s not always the case, depending on how you grew up and your background.”

According to the district, Morelos’ annual salary is about $194,700. He was most recently the executive director of campus safety and emergency management at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

He sees his job as “being an advocate” for keeping students and the school community safe. Relationships and partnerships are key to that, he said. He plans to include students who aren’t always consulted in safety discussions and whose needs may vary from school to school.

Leo Falit-Baiamonte, a spokesperson for the Seattle Student Union, said it was important for the new safety director to “consult the actual people who would be affected the most” by any safety decisions. He said it should be constant communication, not just a one-off to get ideas.

The group opposes school resource officers on campus and is pushing for a more holistic approach to safety that includes restorative justice practices and additional mental health staff in schools. He said those resources should be available all year, not just after an incident.

“Some people would say that security and mental health are two different buckets,” Falit-Baiamonte said. “But really they’re incredibly intertwined. … You have more mental health resources, you have safer schools.”

Spanswick also wants to know how Morelos plans to pull together the organizations that are part of the comprehensive safety response.

She said, ideally, she’d like an officer assigned to the school full time to build relationships with students and be a resource they can turn to.

Morelos said he’s open to speaking to all the PTAs and wants to visit every school to learn about their needs.

“A safe school to me is not just what I see, … but how do I feel?” he said. A school can be equipped with cameras and metal detectors, he said, “but if I don’t feel safe, then none of that matters.”