District Information Fair

FASC was pleased to be invited to participate in the Annual District Information Fair this year. The fair was held on Saturday, January 12th at Lynnwood High School.

The district set up a bannered table for FASC, where members handed out business cards and spoke with interested families about our work with the district and how it impacts their students. In addition, we had the opportunity to see the district’s efforts to welcome families and help prepare parents and children for their educational journey. Families were able “to learn more about registration, meet individuals from their neighborhood school, and learn more about district wide programs and opportunities.”

FASC genuinely appreciated being a part of this event, and plans to participate again next year. We believe that our participation was another example of how the district can reach out to our diverse community with an informed perspective on the needs and well being of our students.

The Work Begins

The presentation to the district went well, followed by a very constructive meeting. The response from the district was positive, and we're pleased to report we are now officially working with the district. Since that time, we have met several times, and as a result, have formed 3 subgroups, in order to address each area most effectively. The subgroups meet to work on their particular issues, and report back to the larger group. The 3 work groups are:

1. Personnel
2. Discipline
3. Expectations & Programs

Each work group includes an assistant superintendent from the district, parent members, and community members from organizations such as the Lynnwood Diversity Commission and C3 (Communities of Color Coalition). The Expectations and Programs work group includes a student representative, and some groups have recently added other representatives from the district. We are working to increase student, parent, and community involvement.

Each of the work groups has met now independently. The first order of business was to discuss statistics provided by the district, showing trends in each of the 3 areas. The groups are now working to clarify and interpret the data.

We also went, in teams of 2, to various high schools and middle schools in the district. Each team had a parent and an assistant superintendent. We met with the principal at each school to discuss adding staff representatives to the work groups, and to brainstorm about student and staff involvement. At one high school, the team will return to meet with counselors and involve them in the work. We're especially interested in counselors' input, given the nature of their connection to students.

We're very encouraged and excited about the progress made so far, and are looking forward to continuing the work.

Upcoming Meeting With the District

Eureka! We have a meeting date. After reviewing our document, the district has agreed to meet with us, which is very positive news.

For those of you just tuning in, the group has been working very hard toward the goal of meeting with the Edmonds School District to present our concerns. Here is the basic timeline up to this point:

1. Share our stories
2. Identify the issues
3. Prioritize pinpoint the three most critical issues
4. Determine the root causes behind those three issues
5. Create a document outlining our concerns to the district
6. Ask for a meeting with the district

That's where we are now. The next steps are:

1. Create a presentation
2. Meet with the district

According to the Lynnwood Diversity Commission, the district is very much looking forward to meeting with our group, and is very interested in hearing our concerns.

Meeting Info:

Date: August 23, 2007
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Edmonds School District building, 68th Ave., between Edmonds Community College and the courthouse.