At a School Board meeting Wednesday night, half a dozen Seattle teachers, parents and community members shared stories about how the prior day’s shelter-in-place orders, in response to unconfirmed reports of ICE activity, were disruptive and stressful.
Speakers painted a picture of anxiety rising around ICE activity for families and children, saying they still had little clarity about what actually occurred. The district also released a statement Wednesday evening confirming school officials “did not observe any ICE presence at or near SPS campuses yesterday. The district monitored conditions throughout the day and remains alert to community concerns.”
Mercer International Middle School, Aki Kurose Middle School, Cleveland STEM High School and Maple Elementary sheltered in place out of “an abundance of caution,” according to the district. Officials acknowledged that while other schools took precautions, they mistakenly reported Dearborn Park International and Beacon Hill International were sheltering in place…