School Board votes against SEO Pilot Program for Garfield

Garfield PTSA Members,

On Wednesday, October 8th, the Seattle School Board officially voted against the SEO Pilot Program at Garfield.

This is a policy that our membership voted to support last year and we’ve done extensive work to advocate on behalf of all students, staff, and administrators. Unfortunately, the District shared a proposed Memorandum of Understanding that contradicted our advocacy and the engagement with our community.

The substantial changes to the MOU left the Board feeling like they could not trust the District to implement this program safely and aligned with their vision. While this feels disappointing at this moment, the decision reflects our overall position, that campus safety measures cannot create its own unsafe environment for students.

This is not the end of the conversation. A lot of good work has been done by the school administration and district regarding keeping students safe on campus. There is also a planned upgrade to the camera system and PA system coming very soon. And we can continue to work with the Board and the District to see if there is a path forward for the SEO program.

There will also likely continue to be increased patrols by SPD around the neighborhood surrounding campus. Community Passageways will also continue to show up for our students every day!

Thank you to the community for coming out to support student safety!