Editor’s note: I apologize for the wonkiness of the look of this story. In the time I stepped away from blogging, I think Blogger changed some formatting and I’m struggling to understand it.
As most of you know, the district reopened schools and three schools had homeless encampments on or nearby their campuses.
The district had this to say on the subject back in April 2021 (partial):
Most importantly, we are working with school principals, the schools' Parent Teacher Associations, outreach organizations, and the city to address this issue with the sensitivity that defines Seattle.
Homelessness has been a crisis in our city for years, and it has only been exacerbated by COVID-19. We support the city's efforts to find long-term solutions for community members who are experiencing homelessness. We take this issue seriously and are actively working with the city to compassionately address encampments of unhoused people near our schools, while keeping the safety of our students and staff at the forefront.
Yes, Seattle can have a level of sensitivity that other cities don’t but that is parallel to the fact that Seattle has a loooong process to deal with many issues. Homelessness is currently the most apparent one.
Lowell Elementary’s encampment got moved fairly quickly and it was the one CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Broadview-Thomson K-8 School Encampment: Hubris and Inaction May Mean Trouble