Fired Teachers Who Refused COVID Vaccine To Get Full Reinstatement And Back Pay

 Three Rhode Island teachers who were fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine have been offered their jobs back with full back pay after reaching a settlement with the school district.

Last week, their attorney, Greg Piccirilli, and the school district said they had reached a settlement, allowing the teachers to return to their jobs. They are also each entitled to $33,333 in damages along with their back pay. DiOrio will get $150,000, Thurber will get $128,000, and Hines will receive $65,000 under the agreement.

“The three teachers have the opportunity to return to teaching positions within the Barrington School District should they choose to do so, at the steps they would have been at had they worked continuously,” the Barrington Public Schools district said in a statement on May 11.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fired-teachers-who-refused-covid-vaccine-get-full-reinstatement-and-back-pay

 

Seattle Public Schools Fail To Provide Education For Many Weeks In 2020

 

Fewer than 150 of Seattle’s 50,000-plus students attended schools in person during the first week of March. District and union officials announced last week they were close to finalizing an in-person agreement for preschoolers and students with disabilities to start March 29, the first step of the reopening plan. 

“It blows everything up,” said Chandra Hampson, president of the Seattle School Board, of Inslee’s announcement, adding that she still wants to see the district and union meet the March 29 deadline. “It completely changes what we have to bargain … And that’s super frustrating. We weren’t happy about delays (to reopen)…  But we wanted to prioritize more in-person time to those less likely to succeed.”

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating Seattle Public Schools

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating Seattle Public Schools

The district was also slow to provide services to students who needed instruction or support in person. By the end of October this year, the district was serving only one special education student in person, while its neighbors served hundreds. 

Those parents said they were floored to learn their children wouldn’t receive makeup time. Other children sat for months on wait lists to get evaluated for services that are critical to keeping them engaged and on track.

 Concie Pedroza, who oversees special education as chief of student supports for Seattle Schools, declined an interview request. In a written statement she said that in the spring “staff were focused on providing resources and modifications to students so that they could make progress on their [Individualized Education Program] goals.”

Pedroza acknowledged that there were some issues, stating: “Throughout the first few weeks of school closure, we recognize that there was a slight disruption in services while we worked to get devices and technology to our staff and students to support remote learning.”

It was more than a “slight disruption in services,” said one district special education teacher, who asked to have her name withheld for fear of retaliation.

“We were told not to deliver specially-designed instruction,” she said, adding they were not allowed to adapt lessons to each child’s needs, as federal law requires. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

https://www.kuow.org/stories/families-of-seattle-special-education-students

State Report Finds WA Education Agency Hasn’t Tracked Federal Funds Effectively

 "Washington’s education department hasn’t adequately tracked how schools are spending hundreds of millions in federal aid earmarked for pandemic learning loss, according to an audit ordered by state lawmakers.

The report says the agency failed to collect sufficient data about interventions meant to help kids recover from learning loss, and has not monitored whether the investments are helping students improve academically "
 https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/state-report-finds-wa-education-agency-hasnt-tracked-federal-funds-effectively/

 

Safety Concerns Linger at Ingraham High

 

"On Nov. 8, 17-year-old Ebenezer Haile was shot by another student in a school hallway. The next day, Jones announced a new safety initiative: Seattle Public Schools would assemble a community action team of school, police, city and community leaders to assess how safety can be improved at schools and surrounding neighborhoods. 

To address mental health, a child wellness team made up of psychologists, counselors, pediatricians and social workers would be launched. Jones also said the district would conduct an audit of safety plans at Ingraham and safety reviews of the district’s 106 schools.

The district says it has accomplished all of those tasks. But Friends of Ingraham, a nonprofit group led by Ingraham High parents, has sent three letters to the district asking for more information.

The group asked for the outcome of the audit, what safety policies and procedures have been changed as a result, and whether policies and procedures leading up to the shooting and following the shooting were followed.

The parent group had a discussion with Jones set up in March, but it was delayed, said Kathleen Zagers, co-president of Friends of Ingraham. A meeting is set for this week."

 

https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/safety-concerns-linger-six-months-after-teen-killed-at-ingraham-high/

It's About Time To Pay Your Inflated Property Taxes

 

In case you were wondering just how much you pay for public education living in Seattle Its around 57% of you property tax bill. per King county.