Pandemic Fallout Continues: Seattle Plans DRASTIC School Closures

By Alan Hume | Friday, 10 May 2024 12:00 PM
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Pandemic Fallout Continues: Seattle Plans DRASTIC School Closures
Image Credit : Photo by ABC News

In an effort to address an annual budget deficit of $100 million, the Seattle School Board is considering the closure of nearly one-third of its elementary schools.

According to KOMO News, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) proposed the plan during a board meeting, indicating that 20 out of the district's 70 elementary schools could be shut down starting from the 2025-26 academic year.

The district has attributed the proposed closures to a significant drop in student enrollment, which has resulted in elementary schools operating at a mere 65 percent capacity. This decline is largely due to the prolonged closures caused by the pandemic. The connection between the enrollment decline and the budget deficit has been a topic of discussion within SPS for approximately two years.

Brent Jones, the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, is seeking the board's approval to commence the development of a school closure plan. The objective of this strategy is to increase the capacity of the remaining schools to 85 percent.

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Meanwhile, as public schooling continues to lose favor among families, some states have begun to impose restrictions on homeschooling. A new bill in Missouri, which aims to expand school choice initiatives, could potentially criminalize gun ownership for those who choose to homeschool their children.

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Senate Bill 727, if enacted, would redefine "home school" as a "school" within the context of state law. Missouri First reports that the previous definition of "home school" was limited to a few statutes. However, the proposed definition would apply to all state statutes, potentially putting gun owners at risk of violating laws that prohibit firearms in schools.

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A social media user issued a warning in a widely circulated video, urging Missouri residents to contact their senators. "Some far left-wing group has spent a lot of money in Jefferson City. Senate Bill 727 would redefine what a homeschool is, turn into a public school, but there has been a small catch clause added into it that if you homeschool your children under this catch clause and you have a firearm in the vicinity, it’s an automatic felony," the user cautioned.

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