School Board Directors Liza Rankin and Brandon Hersey will discuss the controversial practice of forcibly restraining and isolating students in Seattle Public Schools, responding to a letter sent by the Seattle Special Education PTSA. The letter, sent on July 2nd, and in response to a KUOW story about a 7 year old at Stevens Elementary being tackled by SPS security.
“Incidents like the one at Stevens are not uncommon in Seattle Schools. Families of children who receive special education services – and especially families of color – know that this has happened to our students for years. As President of the SSEPTSA, I can tell you that my son with autism was mishandled by a security guard when he was in second grade, the same age as “Renee.” He was injured and traumatized,” writes Janis White, who recently became president of the Seattle Special Education PTSA.
In response, Directors Hersey and Rankin agreed to host a meeting that was promised to parents who attended a District sponsored community meeting earlier this year on child restraint policies, before COVID-19 shuttered Seattle Schools.
Meeting information: Meeting will be held via zoom this Thurs., July 16 at 7:00 pm. The Zoom meeting information is listed below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88344454448?pwd=SFNmd1RwazlpdXkvVkZVQ1VXVkxqQT09
Meeting ID: 883 4445 4448 Password: 359795
