Seattle School Board: ‘Anti-racist, anti-ableist’ system long overdue

Re: “Seattle School board’s virtual public meetings deserve a failing grade” [Feb. 4, Opinion]:

Yes, the School Board meetings are lousy; ableist by any definition. This, however, is not Seattle Public Schools’ biggest problem in 2021. It’s not even close. It’s also not a new complaint on the editorial page of The Seattle Times:

“Rookies are the majority on the board. Once they have built expertise and an institutional memory, they are voted out of office or choose not to run again,” from “Seattle School Board can’t hide from U.S. Chamber’s slap” [May 24, 2012, Opinion]. And “someone should propose paying the School Board real money because it is hard to find good people to serve in what increasingly is a thankless job,” from “Wanted: a functioning school board” [Oct. 12, 2006].

Credit to The Times’ Education Lab for breaking stories on an ableist education system: “Only 1 Seattle Public Schools student is receiving special-education services in person right now” [Oct. 29] and “ ‘Disturbing reports’ about Seattle schools spark civil-rights probe by U.S. Department of Education” [Jan. 14].

An editorial complaining, again, that an unpaid, unstaffed, volunteer School Board should work better is myopic. Instead, recognize that decades of district leadership, elected and hired, have failed. It’s now time to create an anti-racist, anti-ableist education system.

Cherylynne Crowther, Seattle