Administrator, board show little consideration

I’m writing to express concern regarding how little consideration the Sequim School Board and superintendent have given to the huge number of families and school staff who expressed concerns about the elementary school reconfiguration. I’ve spoken at board meetings and sent numerous emails to the board about these concerns.

There would have been no harm in spending the next two to three years building a transition plan with community input from parents, teachers, and other stakeholders, working out the kinks and also allowing students who were heavily impacted by pandemic disruptions to move on to middle school without another disruption to their education.

A few people have said parents and teachers are being “whiney” because “change is hard.” As adults we all know that change is a natural part of life and can be very rewarding, but as a parent of two amazing children with special needs I’m keenly aware that change for neuro-divergent students is not like change for neuro-typical students.

The platitude that “children are resilient” is sometimes used to gloss over actual harm to children’s mental health and developmental progress. All children need a level of stability, and special needs students in particular must have consistency and familiarity. Special needs students will suffer the greatest setbacks with this reconfiguration.

School boards are responsible for the success of every student, but I haven’t heard our current board members give proper attention to the concerns for special needs students despite parents and educators of special needs kids being one of most vocal groups against the reconfiguration.

Alyssum Purkey

Sequim

Vote out this ‘out of touch’ board

As the social emotional learning teacher at Helen Haller Elementary School, I teach our students how to work, play and live well with others. I’m trained in trauma-informed care. To heal properly, trauma requires predictability, consistency, routine, stability and unwavering focus on the needs of each individual. When change is unavoidable, it should be made slowly with as much predictability as possible.

Superintendent Nickels went on a “Listening Tour” when she joined our district last summer. She seemed to realize we’ve all been traumatized by COVID and the need slow, considerate leadership was evident.

Unfortunately, her attitude changed when she introduced the reconfiguration. Her budget rationale was at first dubious and then obsolete when the state provided more funding. She ignored experts, parents and educators who expressed opposition to the idea, and the timeline was rushed with parents notified just three weeks before the plan was approved with only two months to plan the restructuring.

There’s more to lose than gain from the reconfiguration. Staying in one school for many years gives children all the benefits and opportunities to heal and grow within a deep sense of community.

Children and their families need familiarity, not structural change. The most troubling thing about the reconfiguration, though, is how it was decided.

The board’s indifference to parents’ and teachers’ feelings, the lack of clarity as to what it’s supposed to accomplish, and the rushed timeline are the opposite of trauma-informed practices. Our board is alarmingly out of touch with the needs of our community and should be voted out.

Marie Bernards

Sequim

Re-elect school board’s directors

One of the subjects taught in school is civic engagement. Volunteering, supporting, and voting for school board members is everyone’s responsibility. Educated students become better citizens, have higher self esteem, and get better jobs. They grow up and raise their families, just like our parents did.

That is why it is so important to re-elect Maren Halvorsen, Larry Jeffryes, and Michael Rocha.Their track records prove they have the students best interest at heart. Thank you

Kathy Downer

Sequim

Check out ‘9 to 5’

Earlier I had written a glowing review of Ghostlight’s production of “Anastasia.” Its musical “9 to 5” has opened at the high school. If “Anastasia” was very good, this was even better. It felt like a Seattle theater production, professional in all ways. Do yourself a favor and let this show entertain you before it’s sent to the dead letter theatre file.

Roger Briggs

Sequim

Editor’s note: Remaining “9 to 5” shows are 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3-5, and 2 p.m. Aug. 5. — MD

Watch ‘The Game’

Hope you’re all watching the Women’s World Cup. Soccer (as we call it) is not just a game, it is The Game. No instant replays, no time outs, The refs are very good. You just keep playing. No millimeter (and questionable) line calls. That is absurd. Rules are not complicated. The complexities of what we call “football” and “baseball” are way too absurd. Just play the game.

Stop the vulgarities. This is about human sports, not AI.

George Marshall

Sequim