Tigard/Tualatin Schools Alliance for Safety and Education

December 13, 2023

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Students, Teachers and Parents Call for Action and TTSD Leadership Ignores Them 

 

Concerned students, teachers, and parents from the Tigard Tualatin School District (TTSD) have united in a call for action, as they raise their voices against the disturbing rise of violence and disruptive behavior in schools. During the TTSD School Board meeting on Monday, the School Board passed a violence “policy” without adopting meaningful feedback from teachers, students, and parents. Unfortunately, this document does not articulate consequences for violent or disruptive behavior. Rather, it perpetuates the status quo where actions have poorly defined consequences, or no consequences and teachers cannot run their classrooms in a manner conducive to learning. Even though the district is in crisis, as evidenced by teacher and student public comment, the Board refuses to act and only plans to take additional steps in the spring. 

During Monday’s School Board meeting, dozens of concerned community members attended and several gave public comment. Two students from a TTSD middle school spoke about their painful experiences and the Superintendent and Board refused to thank them for their forthright descriptions of abuses suffered at school.  Several TTSD teachers also spoke about how their classrooms have become unmanageable, during the Superintendent’s tenure as a result of her failed policies. Despite overwhelming evidence of failed disciplinary policies that make learning impossible for TTSD students, the Board unanimously passed a nonpolicy policy. This is a crisis that requires leadership instead of kicking the can down the road. 

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In recent years, TTSD students and teachers have experienced a disturbing increase in incidents of violence, bullying, and other forms of misconduct. This behavior puts our children's physical and mental well-being in jeopardy and is not conducive to a learning environment. Parents have reached out to the TTSD School Board and Superintendent Rieke-Smith and have been met with indifference, lack of action, and inadequate responses to valid concerns. On September 29th, a petition, signed by hundreds of parents, was sent to the TTSD School Board. The School Board has yet to directly respond. 

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The key demands of these concerned parents include:

1. TTSD to establish and enact a clear tiered response policy to physical violence by December 31, 2023.

2. TTSD to enable and encourage principals to take swift action to safeguard students against physical violence in alignment with new policies.

3. TTSD to prioritize the safety of all students against the learning needs of a few violent individuals (especially in the case of repeated acts of violence).

4. Denounce physical violence in our schools in a clear and concise email to all families in the district, and direct them to the new policies as noted above.
   RESPONSE: October 25th, 2023 Superintendent Riecke-Smith sent an email to all District families and employees outlining the plan and timeline for policy changes to be reviewed and adopted.  

5. An outside audit of all TTSD policies and procedures. Audit to include comparison to the policies and procedures of the West Linn, Lake Oswego, and Sherwood School Districts and analysis of implementation of policies within TTSD.

6. If these demands are not met with sustainable improvement to the safety of the school environment, we will pursue the following remedies:

• Resignation of Superintendent Rieke-Smith.

• TTSD School Board will be held responsible for the neglect of safety measures to protect our children and teachers.

• Transparency in the hiring process for a new Superintendent.

 

The mission of the Tigard/Tualatin Schools Alliance for Safety and Education is to create schools where every child can reach their full potential and where nonviolence and quality education are united. The safety of our children and teachers is not negotiable.  We are committed to working together to create a safer future for all students in TTSD. 

For media inquiries, please contact: 

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Dr. Benjamin Mangum at ben_mangum@hotmail.com

Victoria King at vking5464@gmail.com

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Tigard/Tualatin Schools Alliance for Safety and Education

www.ttsdalliance.com

ttsdalliance@gmail.com