SEATTLE — A Seattle elementary school set to receive the nation’s most prestigious education honor had that recognition suddenly revoked when the federal government shut down the Blue Ribbon Schools program last month.
Cascadia Elementary learned in August it had won the Blue Ribbon Award, but before the school could publicly announce the achievement, the U.S. Department of Education terminated the program on Aug. 29, citing efforts to “return education to the states.”
“It’s just badly unfair,” said Steve Allwine, president of Cascadia Elementary’s Parent-Teacher Association and father of third-grader Austin Allwine. “It would’ve been really something special for everybody here.”…