A King County Superior Court judge on Monday dismissed a petition filed by parents to recall the entire Seattle School Board for failing to plan adequately for students to return to in-person classes.
Judge Mafe Rajul dismissed the case after hearing from three petitioners and an attorney representing the school board on Friday. Rajul ruled that while she was “understanding and sympathetic” to parents’ concerns, the court was “limited in its role as a gatekeeper.”
The charges were filed in March by parents and community members who have accused six school board members of not coming up with a comprehensive and safe way to reopen schools. The six school board members named are Zachary DeWolf and Brandon Hersey (whose seats are on the August primary and November ballot), as well as Liza Rankin, Lisa Rivera-Smith, Leslie Harris, and School Board President Chandra Hampson (who are midway into four-year terms).
SEATTLE PARENTS WORRIED ABOUT SAFETY AFTER SCHOOL ALLOWS HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT TO STAY
“Our ability to affect change as parents is limited,” Emily Cherkin, a Seattle mother and one of the plaintiffs, said last week. “We don’t have control over the teachers union. We don’t have control over the superintendent. But we have control over the people we vote for.”
She added, “This felt like one of the few forms of recourse we had.”
Among other things, the plaintiffs also accused the board of failed oversight resulting in reduced outdoor play space, a lack of protection of student data and privacy during remote learning, the mishandling of several issues at an elementary school and a high school, as well as failing to consult with the Duwamish Tribe before voting on two projects, the Seattle Times reported.
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Separately, the Seattle School Board has been under fire for its decision to allow a homeless encampment to remain outside an elementary school. Parents have demanded the school remove the 50 tents near the playground. The school board has pushed back and said letting the homeless stay teaches children about compassion.
