Community steps in as investigation of sick-out at Tacoma school continues
Faith leaders and Tacoma City Council candidates are stepping in as investigations into widespread staff absences at Jennie Reed Elementary School appear to be escalating.
Thirty-eight teachers and education-support professionals at the school in Tacoma’s South End called in sick on Sept. 12. An unsigned letter that circulated online last month said that they did so to “send the message” to district leaders that the community “will not accept fewer supports for our students.” The absences came on the heels of widespread cuts to staff positions at the district while it contended with a budget deficit.
District spokesperson Kathryn McCarthy said this week the district is “still investigating” allegations that certain staff members violated district policies and said the district expects to conclude its investigation around late November.
“We are working with both the Tacoma Education Association and the Tacoma Federation of Education Support Professionals to ensure that all staff members receive appropriate due process,” McCarthy told The News Tribune in an email. “No discipline decisions will be made until investigations and due process are complete.”
Two members of the Jennie Reed community, who wanted to remain anonymous due to concerns about retribution from the district, confirmed to The News Tribune that the district is scheduling disciplinary hearings with Jennie Reed staff who called in sick that day.
Angel Morton, president of the union that represents teachers in the district, the Tacoma Education Association, declined to comment. Kari Madden, president of the union that supports education-support professionals in the district, the Tacoma Federation of Education Support Professionals, also declined to comment.
As a result of the ongoing investigation and growing possibility of disciplinary action, a group of 14 of Tacoma’s faith leaders signed a letter to district Superintendent Josh Garcia on Oct. 24 urging him to decide against firing the teachers and education support-professionals who called in sick.
“Our single point is that all school districts have their issues,” The Rev. Mike Roberts, a signatory of the letter, told The News Tribune. “These teachers may be trying to shine a light on some issues, and whatever the solutions might be, it doesn’t include firing teachers and para-educators.”
Another group of eight people, which consisted of labor leaders, city council candidates and parents at the school, sent a separate letter to Garcia and other district leaders on Oct. 27 criticizing them for their approach to discussions about the investigation.
Shalom Agtarap, a pastor at Tacoma’s First United Methodist Church who signed onto the letter, said the group met with Garcia earlier this month to discuss its concerns about potential discipline among staff at Jennie Reed. But the group was disappointed by how “disingenuous” district leadership appeared to be at the meeting, Agtarap told The News Tribune.
“Our Tacoma schools on the Eastside and South End need institutional support, and when they cannot get it, educators become their mouthpiece,” the letter states. “As a community, we’re concerned that negative attention and District resources are steered toward an investigation instead of addressing the much needed health/safety conditions and staff turnover at Reed.”
Anders Ibsen, who is running against John Hines to be Tacoma’s next mayor, also issued a letter to Garcia in defense of Jennie Reed staff – one that referenced “the recent developments involving paraeducators and teachers who called in sick.”
“As you continue to navigate this situation, I trust that you and your team will approach it with the same fairness, empathy, and thoughtfulness that have characterized your tenure,” Ibsen wrote to the superintendent.
