Friday Memo to the Board Superintendent's Office for the week of January 25-29, 2021 - Seattle Public ...
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Friday Memo to the Board
Superintendent’s Office
for the week of January 25-29, 2021
Happenings:
• Small cabinet continued to meet daily as we collaborate and work on continued
implementation of Seattle Excellence and in-person learning planning.
• Attended an event where Seattle businesses, non-profits, and other organizations heard
and learned from the brilliance of Oakland Kingmakers Founder Chris Chatmon and our
own Dr. Mia Williams about our work of Supporting Black Excellence in Seattle Public
Schools
• Met with Lisa Chick to get an update on the work the Alliance for Education is doing in
support of SPS students
• Held Virtual Townhall to discuss reopening schools in person and outdoor ed-Thank you
Benjamin Coulter, Dr. Scarlett and Interagency High School teacher Jay Connelly for
joining me
• Visited with SPS African American school leaders at our monthly check-in
• Attended local superintendent meeting
• Met with community leaders to share our work to date
• Hosted and all-staff JSCEE staff meeting to share budget updates
Black Lives Matter at School Week is next week, Feb. 1-5. This week is recognized as an
opportunity to promote racial justice and identity safety in classrooms, and I am grateful for our
schools that are participating in this important work.
Legislative Updates: This week in the legislature, a number of bills were heard in legislative
committees that staff are monitoring.
HB 1208 modifies the Learning Assistance Program by removing restrictions on the current use
of dollars so they may be used to accelerate learning and mitigate academic COVID-19 impacts.
The bill also removes the use of LAP funds on behavior supports and requires future alignment
with the Washington Integrated Student Supports Protocol. We worked with partner districts to
provide written testimony requesting that behavioral and social emotional supports be added
back in as an allowable use for LAP funds so we may support students through the non-academic
impacts of COVID and continue programming that has been effective in reducing barriers to
learning.
HB 1368 provides the requirements for the appropriation of ESSER II funds. The bill would
require that by March 1, 2021, districts update their reopening plans for the 2020-21 school year
in the OSPI provided template, including a schedule for expanding in-person instruction and the
student groups that will receive in-person instruction by group, grade, and school. By June 1,
2021, districts must submit an academic and student well-being recovery plan to OSPI that
addresses learning loss by student group, the identification of diagnostic assessment tools,identification of learning and well-being gaps, and how additional time and supports will be focused on students most impacted. Other bills of interest included: HB 1153 requiring language access improvements at the state and district level; HB 1266 convening a K-12 staff salary workgroup; HB 1214 relating to training for safety and security staff in K-12 schools; and SB 5249 relating to mastery based learning and creating a “profile of a graduate.” Another exciting development is the passage of SB 5044 through the Senate. SB 5044 requires training that addresses anti-racism, cultural competency, and diversity, equity, and inclusion for all school and district staff, as well as all school board directors. WSSDA will partner with the EOGOAC (Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee) on developing training for directors. This bill will now move onto the House. Discussions are ongoing regarding the distribution and balance of state and federal funding to address learning needs as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and impacts on district budgets due to declining enrollment and transportation ridership. Under the current OSPI proposal “any district that would receive more federal ESSER II funds than they would in state stabilization funds would receive federal funds only. Districts that would receive more in state stabilization funds would receive federal ESSER II funds and state funds in an amount so the combined state and federal funds would equal the total state stabilization funds.” Seattle would currently receive federal funds only under this proposal.
Friday Memo to the Board
Schools & Continuous Improvement
for the week of January 25-29, 2021
Phased-In Return to School Update:
District leadership is collaborating with school leaders to plan for the Phased-In Return to school. We have
designed two committees where we can operate in a feedback loop for the purpose of co-designing the
implementation of established guidelines and protocols.
Each committee is scheduled to meet every week. Below is a brief description of each committee.
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
The goal of the CAI committee will be to provide guidance and input on district procedures and protocols
related to the resumption of in-person instruction and the continuation of remote learning pathways. Topics
include equity, curriculum, assessment, scope and sequence, alignment and PD. This committee will be
tasked with considering all stakeholders in the design of the instructional day (SEA/ teachers, childcare,
central office, school leaders, directors of schools, etc.).
OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
The goal of the Operations Committee will be to provide guidance and input on district procedures and
protocols on the following topics: daily schedules, equitable access, recess, meals, health and safety,
transportation, school facilities and personnel schedules. Technical information will be exchanged, tabletop
exercise to explore the application of possible logistical and operational options and drafting or revisions to
current guidance and protocols. Communications and timelines will also be a part of the conversations.
Principal Hiring Update:
Following up on the request of Director Harris to provide a written description of the hiring process for
principals that we send to the community, she requested some additional information. The process in which
we have hired principals has remained the same for the last three years. While the process had some
differences during Dr. Larry Nyland’s tenure, it had many of the same elements we are using now. We don’t
have the three-year record of correspondence on open principal positions readily available but will work with
the central office teams to see what, if any records, we have to provide details over the last three years.
Currently we are anticipating the following schools to have an opening for a principal position for the 2021-
22 school year:
• Coe
• Thornton Creek
• Garfield
• View Ridge
• Highland Park
• McDonald
There are still some school leaders on leave, and we anticipate more openings coming later this spring. We
will provide an update in a couple of months as more information is secured and we are able to post
additional principal openings.Friday Memo to the Board
Equity, Partnerships & Engagement (EPE)
For the Week of January 25-29, 2021
EPE Division
• Chief James Bush will participate on a panel with Dr. Keisha Scarlett, Chief Academic
Officer, and Dr. Mia Williams, Chief of African American Male Achievement, during the
January 30 All-District Convening Racial Equity Team (RET) Virtual Institute. They will
share their vision, mission and philosophy for drawing a through-line between the work of
RETs and the impact on Black students across all points of our system.
Department of Racial Equity Advancement (DREA)
• DREA will be hosting an All-District Convening Racial Equity Teams Institute on
Saturday, January 30, 2021.
• DREA supported the development and distribution of the Black Lives Matter at School
Resource Guide, sending the guide to Racial Equity Teams, EPE staff, and the Center for
Racial Equity during the week of January 25, 2021. This was executed through a cross-
organizational collaboration between Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Education
Association, including educators and staff from Department of Racial Equity
Advancement, Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction, Student Support Services,
Department of African American Male Achievement, the Center for Racial Equity, and
more.
• On January 29, 2021, DREA is meeting with the Center for Racial Equity to discuss next
steps in providing 1:1 coaching to Racial Equity Team co-leads.
School & Community Partnerships
• The Director of Strategic Partnerships position was posted and will remain open until
February 3, 2021. The department plans to hold interviews mid-February.
Stakeholder Engagement (SE)
• Stakeholder Engagement Tour of the Schools | The SE team has introduced our growing
body of work and learning about school leadership's joys and challenges throughout the
District's 104 schools. This week the SE team met with Emerson K5 Learning Support
Team.
• January Convening of Equity and Race Advisory Committee (ERAC) | The current
group is refamiliarizing themselves with their current charge while exploring possible
ongoing focus and desired leadership structure. January's session concluded with
establishing an ERAC steering committee to organize and coordinate the ongoing work of
the Advisory Council.
• Goals 4 & 5 Workgroup | Ongoing development of 9th Grade Success Tracker and Family
Engagement strategy. Current goal work is focusing on integrating more African American
parent-/community-informed programmatic approaches.
• Kindergarten Enrollment | Ongoing development of postcard outreach to SHA families
of 4-year-olds; identifying an Early Education Department liaison for Housing and
Education to assist with the registration process; Collaborating with Mary Fickes, EarlyLearning Coordinator, in the creation of a targeted outreach plan supporting ELL families
needing enrollment assistance.
• Digital Equity | The Education & Housing Manager and Department of Technology
Services (DoTS) staff met with Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) staff and families to
address concerns and challenges accessing and navigating SPS digital resources; ongoing
resource planning related to communications material and transitional housing families.
• Principal Family Engagement Coaching | The Family Engagement team completed our
2nd group session on "Welcoming Environment" with school leaders. Topical format
centering on a discussion of ongoing school best-practices and problems of practice.
Groups enhance existing, individualized coaching and support of school leaders.
• Family Connectors University & Early Literacy | Continued Family Engagement
consultations supporting Early Learning's development of a Professional Learning Liaison
monthly learning plan and coaching protocols for the individual sessions.
• Family Connectors University (FCU) | Concluded the 3rd FCU session focused on Social
Emotional Learning, recruitment and priorities for next quarter's program. The sessions
were held at 7PM every Thursday from January 14-27.
• Family Engagement Professional Development | Attended training on the practical
support of English Language Learning families.
• Upcoming Events
o SPS Kindergarten Registration and Choice Info Session Seattle Public Schools
and Southeast Seattle Education Coalition info session on Kindergarten Enrollment
1PM Friday, February. Registration form is available here:
bit.ly/SESECSPSRegistrationInfoSession;
o All-District Convening of Racial Equity Teams "Time for Action is Now:
Creating Synergy at all Points of our System for Black Students" Saturday, January
30. Workshop session “Success for Student Graduation and Beyond: Creating
Change Through Student Voice” will be facilitated by SE team member Nichelle
Page, High School Transition Success Manager.Friday Memo to the Board
Student Support Services
for the week of January 25 – 29, 2020
Chief Concie Pedroza:
This entire division has been working tirelessly on building their work with a focus on students to uplift
returning students to the classroom while focusing on the social emotional and academic services to support the
whole child. This has been challenging work; the Enrollment Planning department has been supporting the
process for the Intent to Enroll survey and data collection while managing the boundaries and enrollment
numbers for the budget arena. Admissions has been developing the In-Person Appeal form while managing the
Open Enrollment processes. Special Education has been adding students to In-Person services while planning
for the Intensive Service Pathways, hosting family engagement and supporting remote learning. These are just
a few examples what each department is doing to uplift new work while continuing to improve their current
workstreams all this while prioritizing racial equity.
Thank you for school board members for your engagement with community and families. I appreciate you
showing up to the events, you are listening to our families concerns and coordinate with our departments to
provide supports. My favorite moment this week was a scholar from Aki Kurose Middle School who shared
how awesome his school was and how kind the other staff and students were to the Hawthorne families. It
warmed my heart. This week I continued to prioritize engagement with:
• Monday, January 25th – Hawthorne Elementary School re: Boundaries
• Tuesday, January 26th – Special Education Community Forum – All Families
• Friday, January 29th – NAACP Youth Council – Advanced Learning
Admissions:
In preparation for the March 1st re-opening of schools for preschool through first grade, the Admissions Office
will oversee the new appeals procedures for all learning model change requests. Policy and procedures are
being drafted and will be made available to families once more information around the in person learning model
is approved. The appeal process includes a review panel made up of district leadership for a determination.
Considerations to grant a change is subject to space available in addition to criterions of an extreme or
extenuating circumstance or the selection of learning model was a district error.
The Open Enrollment period has been extended an additional week to February 26. The Admission Center
hours of operations at the John Stanford Center will remain two days a week Monday and Wednesday, 8:30 –
4pm in February with flexibility to increase this schedule up contingent on the volume of families requiring in-
person services during open enrollment.
Special Education:
The Special Education Community Forums are concluding with our last one for winter concluding next week
for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) families. Each forum was co-led with a leader in their
community who has a child with a disability in our system. Our agenda for this winter session was to have a
mid-year check in with families with the following information:
• Share August feedback and district next steps
• Resources and supports
• Quick Poll mid-year check in
• Recovery Services and Compensatory Education Services
• In Person Services Update and Data
• Questions & Answers
Our last session for winter will be next week on Tuesday, February 2nd with BIPOC families.Friday Memo to the Board
Operations for Jan. 25-29, 2021
Facilities
• COVID-19 Mitigation by Maintenance: The glazing shop continues to provide new plexiglass shields for
COVID-19 mitigation and adjust and repair the hundreds they produced during the summer. Glaziers have
designed and fabricated more than 300 counter guards, 100 four-section table top dividers, 40 u-shaped individual
desk dividers, and 100 rolling standing height guards. They continue to produce more, as well as specialized
components at the request of school principals. Quick thinking and efficient production have allowed SPS to
rapidly develop these components even with delays and other procurement issues with the national supply chain.
• Self Help Projects Hire: Gretchen DeDecker retired in December. Colleen Weinstein is the new Facilities
Operations Self Help project manager. Previously, Weinstein was a volunteer for more than 10 years with various
self-help projects and was the Self Help program coordinator for the past year. Also, she owned her own
horticulture and design business for more than 10 years prior to her employment with district in 2020.
• Custodial Evaluations: Custodial Supervisors are beginning the process of conducting employee annual
evaluations for the custodial team. During this process, principals will be contacted to provide input and feedback
for the evaluations.
Nutrition Services (NS)
• Chinese New Year is Feb. 12. NS will be celebrating Chinese New Year by serving lemongrass chicken
potstickers with stir fry veggies and rice, as well as fortune cookies from a local company, Tsue Chong.
• Black History Month Gumbo: February is Black History Month, and NS will celebrate by serving gumbo at all
sites. Although all sites will have the opportunity to serve this dish, it will be served at 10 sites at a time, with the
first round of sites kicking off the soup service on Feb. 3. The Central Kitchen will be preparing the dish in-house
from scratch.
• Black History Month Celebration: In addition to gumbo, NS will celebrate Black History Month by featuring
recipes from local black chefs on the NS webpage along with a Q&A.
Transportation
• ORCA Cards for Middle School Students: Beginning Feb. 1, Transportation staff will be providing ORCA
cards to all middle school students who live outside the school walk zone and previously received yellow bus
transportation prior to the pandemic. These ORCA cards will be available at any of the eight Technology
Resource Centers’ attestation tables. A student ID and student name is required to receive them.Friday Memo to the Board
Teaching and Learning Division
Essential Information for the week of January 25-29, 2021
CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENT, & INSTRUCTION (CAI)
Black Lives Matter at School Week Educator Resource Guide
Black Lives Matter at School Week is next week, February 1-5. In order to support educators and schools, a Black
Lives Matter at School Week Educator Resource Guide has been developed by a cross departmental team between
SPS and SEA and shared with school leaders and educators. The resources in this document have been collected from
national Black Lives Matter curriculum and lessons, including curriculum and lessons developed by the Seattle
Education Association, and other resources that have been developed across the country. Further, we have committed
to create SPS-specific Black Lives Matter at School Week curriculum and lessons moving forward. By this time next
year, we will provide new, streamlined resources for our school leaders and educators.
Integrated Curriculum
• CAI concluded interviews for the Ethnic Studies Curriculum Specialist and has contracted community partners to
support the development of the Black Studies course.
• CAI presented to the Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) on the upcoming Black Studies course.
• CAI posted a Black Education Manager position.
• 45 students registered for the Black Studies course.
Microsoft Teams for Education Rollout
We are making progress toward the successful implementation of Microsoft Teams for Education. This new platform
has features, including breakout rooms and better comment controls, that educators and families have been requesting
that they can’t currently use in Teams. This new platform will be fully implemented and required for all schools in
the 2021-22 school year. We have recommended that schools begin the transition to this new platform during the
second semester. On Tuesday, Feb. 9, there will be a training that teaches schools how to use and successfully
transition to Teams for Education. Asynchronous training resources for additional learning of Teams for Education
will also be available and the Digital Learning Team will also be available to address questions during optional office
hours in order to ensure a smooth transition.
Middle School Science Alignment to Next Generation Science Standards
As shared in February 2020, we are aligning course offerings for middle schools and K-8 schools across the district
to bring predictability to all our families and create common pathways to college and career. Part of this effort
involves closely aligning all our middle school and K-8 science classes to the Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS) to offer foundational science learning and skill development vital to succeeding in later middle and high
school science coursework. We are confident this will move us toward more rigorous, consistent, and equitable
science learning for all students while supporting our students of color furthest from educational justice. Starting in
the 2021-22 school year, every SPS sixth and seventh grade student will be taught using the Board-approved
Amplify Science curriculum, regardless of Highly Capable (HC) eligibility. Washington Middle School will also
continue to use the Board-approved Amplify science curriculum in all sixth grade and seventh-grade science
courses, in collaboration with Technology Access Foundation (TAF) staff using a project-based learning model.
Students receiving Highly Capable services who will be in eighth grade in the 2021-22 school year will be the final
group of students to take biology in middle school. In 2022-23, all eighth-grade students will take eighth grade
science. Highly Capable services will continue according to student need and the state’s Revised Code of
Washington, however this may mean in some schools, students receiving Highly Capable services learn science in a
classroom with their general education peers. Similar alignment work has been done with our social studies courses
and have seen this shift lead to more successful learning experiences for all students.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Keisha Scarlett at kdscarlett@seattleschools.org.Friday Memo to the Board
Office of Public Affairs
Essential Information for the week of 01/22/21 - 01/29/2021
Goal 1: Media Relations
• Seattle Times – 1/28/21 “SPS board approves contract negotiations with interim superintendent
nominee Brent Jones” https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/seattle-school-board-
approves-contract-negotiations-with-interim-superintendent-nominee-brent-jones/
• New York Times -- 1/26/21 “How America’s food system could change under Biden”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/dining/usda-food-policy-biden.html?
• Seattle Times – 1/25/21 “SPS board to consider appointing former administrator as interim
superintendent” https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/seattle-school-board-to-consider-
appointing-former-administrator-as-interim-superintendent/
• The Seattle Medium – 1/25/21 “School board to vote on Dr. Brent Jones”
https://seattlemedium.com/school-board-to-vote-on-dr-brent-jones/
• KNKX – 1/20/21 “Bellevue district will bring 2nd graders back even after teachers union votes against
it” https://www.knkx.org/post/bellevue-district-will-bring-2nd-graders-back-even-after-teachers-union-
votes-against-it
• The Seattle Medium– 1/20/21 “Many schools face budget problems as pandemic continues”
https://seattlemedium.com/many-schools-face-budget-problems-as-covid-19-pandemic-continues/
Goal 2&3: District Messaging – Outbound Communications, Customer Service
• This Tuesday, the communications and SPSTV teams supported a Virtual Town Hall meeting with
Superintendent Juneau, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Keisha Scarlett, Emergency Management Specialist
Benjamin Coulter, and Interagency High School teacher Jay Connelly to share updates and answer
questions around outdoor and community learning. There were around 200 peak viewers during the
event and almost 3,000 total views since then.
• Feature story: Weather Response
https://www.seattleschools.org/district/calendars/news/what_s_new/weather_response
• Feature story: COVID-19 Vaccine
https://www.seattleschools.org/district/calendars/news/what_s_new/covid-19_vaccine
• Feature story: Superintendent Search
https://www.seattleschools.org/district/calendars/news/what_s_new/superintendent_search
• Feature story: Middle School Science Alignment
https://www.seattleschools.org/district/calendars/news/what_s_new/middle_school_science_alignment
• Direct communications to staff and families of PreK-1 and students enrolled in intensive service
pathways on Thursday outlining update on bargaining and planning. Included video of school/classroom
preparation https://vimeo.com/505039365
• Developed and coordinated updated vaccine communications to all staff, volunteers, and community.
Feature story and direct communication.
• Hosted a JSCEE meeting for central staff to go over the 2021-22 budget, update on Supt. Interim
Process, and share appreciation.
• At 5 p.m. today launching the “Return to In-Person Learning” webpage – required collection of content
across multiple divisions, development of revised information, graphics, and layout. These pages will be
updated as new information becomes available.
• Updated the Bargaining Webpage with the newest SEA proposal; transitioned “Return to In-Person
Learning” timeline to a stand alone page.
• The web team:
o Continues work with our web designer Domain7 to implement bug fixes and improve content
o Backing up district (17,000 files) and schools files in preparation for migration to the
WordPress platform.
o Our website redesign project is guided by the district strategic plan, Seattle Excellence, and
prioritizes engagement to be sure our website can better meet the needs of our students andfamilies. Throughout this project, we are elevating the voices from communities who are
furthest from educational justice. While we ran a traditional online survey, we also held a series
of small group interviews to hear the perspectives from African American families, Native
families, youth leaders, and families who speak Amharic, Cantonese, Somali, Spanish, and
Vietnamese.
o Engagement findings and report:
http://www.seattleschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_543/File/District/Departments/School
Board/Friday Memos/2020-21/SPSDistrictandSchoolSitesRRDocFinalADA.pdf
o Some of the feedback we heard from these engagements include:
Navigation: focus on improving navigation to make information easier to find.
Content and Design: develop a design that highlights important resources for students
and families.
Visuals and icons: use more imagery and video to help readers find information.
Lack of translation or accurate translation of key content created confusion among users
and put them in a position where they felt unsupported and at a disadvantage. (See page
13 and page 27 for more information)
With an aim to increase participation in the online survey from families/students
furthest from educational justice, from November 25 through December 7, the SPS web
team visited seven schools. The team visited each school for three hour blocks during
the student meal distribution hours. The team also raised awareness about the website
redesign project and how the community can participate with the survey from home.
Schools visited included: Aki Kurose Middle School, Bailey Gatzert Elementary,
Broadview Thomson K-8, Chief Sealth International High School, Nathan Hale High
School, Rainier View Elementary, and Seattle World School. The team also held a
focus group with District7 PTAs and met with Somali families with students receiving
special education services.Friday Memo to the Board
Office of African American Male Achievement
for the week of January 25–29, 2020
An American African proverb expresses that 3 things are imminent in life; 1.) Death, 2.) taxes,
and 3.) change. Within the confines of our district, change is on display, however, our office
remains focused and centered on our mission to elevate the voices of students and experiences of
African American boys and teens more specifically. Examples of this can be found in AAMA
support and engagement of Nathan Hale’s Black Student Union Forum this week, additionally at
least 4 members of the Student Leadership Council can say they have a.) participated in a live
studio video recording session, and b.) have contributed to the professional development of
practitioners and administrators committed to building a more equitable school system.
Additionally, we are excited to report that next week marks the 1st of a series of Black Families
Listening and Learning forums within the varying regions in Seattle. Lastly as an office we
continue to be a systems leader in reality-based pedagogy and Professional Development
throughout the district. This weekend we will present, and we will be engaged at the Race and
Equity Teams virtual Saturday Institute. Dr. Williams was on a panel with Chris Chatmon and
Tom Dee about Supporting Black Excellence in Seattle Public Schools and the story and data of
AAMA in Oakland with the Community Development Roundtable. Also Dr. Williams and Dr.
Scarlett shared the Seattle story of the OAAMA at the Washington Association of School
Administrators conference.
Student Leadership Council has a lot of opinions circling the topic of Black History month. One
of the statements that resonated most with the group was, “We shouldn’t need a Black History
Month, Black history should be present in literally everything we do in school, Black people
have contributed to damn near everything you can think of when it comes to civilization and
society.” If we are going to celebrate black history, we must stop watering it down, and
sanitizing it. We need to tell the whole story and magnify the truth. We must recognize the unjust
murders, and racial oppressions, as well as celebrate the heroes. When we don’t acknowledge
their trial, it gives a false perspective of their lives and all they had to endure to reach their
triumph.
What I loved most this week was the collective genius and students’ ability to find a solution to
Black history and education. “A wonderful substitute for Black History Month would be the
implementation of Black History in all our classes both on a local and global level, therefore
Black students see themselves in the curriculum and others acknowledge and internalize the fact
that we’re here too.”, exclaimed a young King! Since our students represent the voice of the
change, we want to see in the school system, I say we implement these changes, and implement
them quickly. Immerse the curriculum in culturally competent content. Were excited to see that
Black Studies course has been added this semester and Black Studies and Ethnic Studies
Mangers are being hired.As we have approached the halfway point of the school year, KOSE is proudly wrapping up its’ 2nd cohorts of our MS/HS King-centered affinity groups. Families be on the lookout for upcoming KOSE registration opportunities. Below are the remaining 3rd and 4th cohort dates for secondary education groups. • Cohort 3: February 23 – March 25, 2021 • Cohort 4: April 20 – May 20, 2021 As we continue to celebrate Black Excellence, AAMA will be reaching out to the families of our Kings, inviting them to participate in a Black History Trivia night. The date is still to be determined but will be finalized by next week. Lastly, additional culturally responsive mentoring will begin in the 4 existing Kingmaker school sites at the start of 2nd semester via community-based organization partnerships. These partnerships will extend access to African-centered affinity spaces to additional Kings attending those schools.
Friday Memo to the Board
Department of Technology Services
for the week of January 25 – 28, 2021
Outage of SPS Internet Services Jan 27
At approximately 10am on Wednesday, January 27, the vendor that translates our domain name,
seattleschools.org, to IP addresses on the web moved our services to a different hosting site in error.
When we discovered it and had them restore our previous service, they accidentally deleted all our
records. We restored most of the records by 1pm. However, it can take up to 4 hours for such changes to propagate
to all the carriers and providers of internet services. This outage included, but was not limited to incoming
email, Schoology, the Source, PowerSchool, and our websites.
• Because of disruption to learning, Principals were asked to have teachers check in if a student was absent
from class. Per OSPI and SPS Attendance guidance, students experiencing challenges with internet
connectivity attendance should be recorded in PowerSchool as EA an “excused absence”. Please continue
to provide supportive outreach directly to students who are affected by internet outage. Please provide at
minimum an additional day to submit late assignments.
• It has been determined that it is important and in the best interest of our students to extend the deadline
for submission of Semester 1 work until Friday, January 29, 2021. This assignment submission extension
will push back the delivery date for performance reports to be posted on the Source. The new date that
performance reports will be available in the Source for students and families to view is February 19,
2021.You can also read
