Schools not ready to remove handcuffs

By Jessica Blanchard
Seattle Times staff reporter

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School Board President Michael Jensen said Friday that the board planned to meet with administrators sometime during the next few weeks to further review the panel's report and its recommendations.

Carl Mack, president of the Seattle branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), denounced board members for not making immediate changes to security and discipline policies.

"Everybody with an ounce of sense knows that this makes no sense, except them. This is exactly why we're going to court," he said, referring to NAACP plans to sue the district.

The four-member review panel was appointed in April by Kent Superintendent Barbara Grohe to examine the district's security and discipline policies after the NAACP alleged that black students had been treated harshly.

The organization has filed claims seeking nearly $50 million on behalf of 15 students. The district's insurance company rejected 12 of the complaints "for lack of merit."

While praising the independent review panel for its work, Jensen warned that its report, presented to the board last week, may have wrongly conveyed a perception that pistol-packing officers patrol the halls of Kent schools.

"I think that the report gave that impression — but I don't think it reflects reality at all," he said. "I thought some of the statements they'd used were a little inflammatory, and I'm a bit concerned about the overuse of some of those terms."

For example, the panel recommended that the district should no longer authorize security officers to carry or use firearms, batons, Tasers or pepper spray, and that the district should no longer authorize the use of "deadly force."

But Grohe said only the security staff supervisor carries a firearm and that just five of the officers, who are not stationed in schools, carry batons. While most of the 21 security-staff members carry handcuffs and pepper spray, Grohe said they're rarely used.

Jensen said board members will carefully weigh the panel's recommendations, which included no longer using metal handcuffs to restrain students and offering more training for security officers in cultural awareness and conflict resolution.
 
Panel members also criticized the district for not clearly defining the authority of the schools' security department and for fostering a culture that emphasizes enforcement over security and safety.

The report warned that district security officers may be on shaky legal ground in authorizing restraints — for example, in using force to deal with a student not following instructions or defying officers over a dress-code violation.

Problems acknowledged

Grohe last week acknowledged some flaws in the district's security procedures. She agreed that security officers could benefit from more training, and conceded that the district needs to do a better job of explaining its policies to staff members and the community.

But she defended the security practices overall, and echoed Jensen's concerns that the report created confusion. "One of the problems I have with the report is that in some instances, it gives the impression that the level of security is much more intensive than it actually is," she said. "It leaves people with some serious misperceptions."

If the board plans to make policy changes regarding security officers' training, timing will be important, Grohe said, because officers are primarily trained during the summer months.

Jensen said that while the board did not act immediately on the review panel's suggestions, "obviously we do feel a sense of urgency and want to take care of this as quickly as possible," adding that one of his top priorities would be to clarify chain-of-command questions. The panel said school principals' directives have sometimes been overruled by security personnel.

Backing for superintendent

Jensen reiterated his support for Grohe, who Mack has said should resign over what he sees as discrimination in disciplining black students.

Mack last week renewed calls for Grohe's resignation, saying she has become a "distraction" and an "embarrassment" to the district.

"Really, the report overall clearly speaks to a lack of institutional control," he said. "It's a sign of extremely poor leadership." He said the NAACP will proceed with its threatened lawsuit.

"There ain't a snowball's chance in hell that will stop," he said. "And if the district decides that they want to use handcuffs (again), you can believe they'll be looking at more claims."

Grohe said the few incidents that prompted the claims and the investigation are not representative of most students' experiences.

"While I understand that what happens to that 1½ percent is of high interest, the reality is that 98 ½ percent of our kids never have any of this happen to them," she said. "Our security officers spend most of their time building relationships with students, and somehow that's gotten lost. ... I think we need to get some balance on this."

Jessica Blanchard: 206-464-3896 or jblanchard@seattletimes.com