On the eve of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Brent Jones addressed the aftermath of violence plaguing three city high schools and called for communitywide support in addressing the incidents.
On Friday, Jones issued updates on a districtwide safety review, which mentioned recent shootings near Garfield and Nova high schools, as well as a safety audit of Ingraham High School. The reviews were prompted by the Nov. 8 shooting death of 17-year-old Ingraham senior Ebenezer Haile, which took place in one of the school’s hallways.
And the reports were issued as the principals at Garfield and Nova, two high schools in Seattle’s Central District, shifted all classes to remote learning on Friday, responding to unspecified threats of violence.
It isn’t clear yet if these students will be back in person Monday. The schools will provide updates via their respective websites and text-messaging systems over the weekend. On Monday night, Garfield will host a gathering with school, district and city officials to address the concerns of students, staff and parents.
The threat to the Garfield campus came Thursday after three recent shootings in the area. This prompted the school principal and the city to close Garfield High, and the city-owned Garfield Teen Life Center, Garfield Community Center and Medgar Evers Pool early on Thursday. Seattle Parks and Recreation reopened the centers and pool Friday. The schools canceled all events on Friday and through the weekend, including the opening performance of Garfield’s spring musical.
Over the past three weeks, one shooting near the schools left a man with life-threatening injuries. The other incidents involved a 19-year-old and a juvenile. None of the shootings involved Garfield or Nova students, but they did prompt increased security on campus, according to the Seattle Police Department and statements from Garfield Principal Tarance Hart and Nova Principal Eyva Winet. The shootings remain under investigation.
“Community violence and these community threats are new and we need folks to figure out ways to be part of the solution,” Jones told The Seattle Times in an interview Friday. He said these incidents not only take time and staff away from teaching and learning, but responding to them takes a significant financial toll.
Fred Podesta, the district’s chief operations officer, said he authorized $100,000 on Friday alone in emergency expenses. The district has also authorized more overtime for safety and security staff as more violent incidents and threats near schools are happening outside of the normal school and school event hours.
“The world our young people are growing up in today is very different than when I attended Garfield High School,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell in a written statement Friday. “As the threat and incidence of gun violence continues to increase nationwide, we know that too often the lasting scars on our young people aren’t only physical.”
Incidents take heavy toll
Jones also said he worries about the toll community violence takes on students, staff and families mentally, physically and academically.
He said the district is being “proactive and reactive” in reaching out to city departments for assistance with campus safety and providing mental health support.
“But it’s a very complex, complex situation and I think folks need to know that we are seeking help or seeking partnership to really curb this gun violence,” Jones said. “It’s something that is a citywide issue that impacts our students.”
Responding to students’ demands, the city and district are funding a $4.5 million mental health pilot in five city schools that includes Ingraham, but not Garfield or Nova. Harrell said the city is investing over $9 million in mental health resources and school-based health centers this year.
Regarding school building security, Jones said that in addition to increased police patrols, the district will send added private security to Garfield and Nova over the next week.
New recommendations
In his Friday posts regarding the district’s safety initiative and the long-awaited update on the review of Ingraham, Jones detailed the struggles to rebound from these incidents. “The violence we are seeing in and around our schools is heartbreaking and unacceptable. While I am proud of the progress made since launching our safety initiative last fall, I acknowledge this update took more time than anticipated,” he said.
In addition to upgrading door locks and signs, SPS has rolled out a new anonymous safety reporting app for high schools. The School Info App can be found in a phone’s app store by searching the name of a Seattle high school.
While districtwide safety reviews of all 106 schools are ongoing, Jones said he’d only release summaries “to protect sensitive safety information that could be used by someone intending to cause harm at our schools.”
The Ingraham review has led to recommendations for adding communication tools beyond the public address system and upgrading the school’s security camera systems, which are under consideration. Jones said the district is increasing the presence of security personnel on campus.
The Ingraham review also led to the hiring of a new school social worker and a half-dozen community contracts to provide therapeutic and safety services to students and families.
In addition to the new high school safety app, the district urges school and community members to report incidents or safety concerns directly to schools, through the 24/7 Safe Schools Hotline at 206-252-0510 or by calling 911 during an emergency.