SEATTLE — A dozen protesters confronted the Seattle Public Schools board Wednesday, as the U.S. Department of Education continues to investigate a possible Title IX violation involving the district and issues of sexual violence.
“It really upsets me to think that there are so many people who won’t even come forward about it because they know that this is the way they’ll be treated,” Nameth said.
In response to the public comments, board members said they agreed there should be improved policies.
Commissioner Sue Peters said, “If we follow the policies and laws that are put before us, we will find ourselves facing very few circumstances like the one we’re talking about tonight.”
Before the meeting, Superintendent Larry Nyland sent a letter to Garfield High School parents. It read in part:
“The incident reported after a 2012 Garfield High School field trip is of concern to us all. We would each be deeply shaken if our child was involved in such an incident. While we cannot undo that event, we can learn from it and take steps to increase the safety for our students.”
Nyland said that while the district’s investigation found the facts to be inconclusive, he said the following has been done as a result of this incident:
- Established a critical incident response plan and trained administrators in how to respond to issues such as this
- Reviewed and improved training, field trip and chaperoning practices
- Trained administrators in appropriate responses to critical incidents such as this
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