San Juan Island High School Eco club creating island emergency response plan
LWVSJ Observer Corps* Notes for the February 15, 2023 San Juan Island School Board meeting.
One citizen praised the elementary school’s special education program and complained about smoke from fires near the fairgrounds impacting children on the playground. The district’s has 160 special needs students and a successful structural literacy program.
A new Board Meeting feature called Student Showcase highlighted two student projects:
Two bilingual students are assisting students and parents with paperwork and English/Spanish translation, and providing teaching assistant help in classrooms and with sports teams. They hope to expand the program.
The high school Eco Club is using technology to help create a disaster response plan for our island. They were awarded $2500 from Samsung for the project. They visited Olympia and met with legislators to lobby for bills on regionalization and levy lids One student reported on accompanying Rotary members on a volunteer trip to Honduras.
A social and emotional climate survey administered at all levels twice annually. This survey measures whether students feel safe and supported and have a trusted adult at school. The elementary school held a Kindness Week and features peer mediation for children as young as kindergarten.
Several bills under consideration in Olympia would affect the district, including one which would limit special education funding, another which would mandate free meals and another regarding pre-judgment interest in legal settlements.
The Board is considering providing audio recordings of future meetings.
*The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.