At our last board meeting many families came to share their comments and concerns regarding a situation at Timbercrest Junior High School involving racially insensitive statements and threats made by a student and their personal experiences regarding race, harassment, intimidation and bullying in Northshore schools. Superintendent Francois will outline in a separate letter action being taken by the district, some of which began prior to the incident at Timbercrest and some as an outgrowth of events of the past few weeks.
Northshore demographics reflect our community and continue to become more diverse. Concerns shared by families reflect a need and urgency for greater understanding and attention to meeting the changing needs of our students and families, and importantly, creating a more inclusive environment for all Northshore students.
The school board is responsible for district governance and we have recently been examining our policies to determine where we have sufficiently strong ones and where they can be improved. We are examining the effects of current policies and reviewing policies from other districts. The experiences and stories of those who spoke to us at our board meeting are important input for the board to consider as we discuss the need to come together as a community to effect change. The school board will be discussing next steps at our board meeting on June 9 at 4 p.m.
The school board and district are committed to student safety and providing an environment free of discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying for everyone in Northshore, and we realize we can’t do it alone. We are resolved to address these issues head-on and view them asopportunities for our district to listen, learn and work collaboratively with our students, families and staff to strengthen our school communities for the betterment of all Northshore students.
We look forward to working together to continue to build a stronger, more inclusive school district.
Northshore School District Board President Janet Quinn
