Newly appointed principal at Seattle's Adams Elementary under fire
Adams Elementary parents rally against new principal
An embroiled Seattle Public Schools principal is under fire again after she was appointed to a new position at a Ballard Elementary School.
SEATTLE - A Seattle Public Schools principal is under fire again. This time, after she was appointed to a new position at a Ballard elementary school.
On Wednesday, parents and others demanded that the school board do something before Anitra Jones takes the helm at Adams Elementary.
Nearly 40 people expressed their concerns during the board meeting by either speaking for public comment or by holding protest signs.
They say they are worried about discrimination allegations made against Anitra Jones that surfaced while she was working at Rainier View Elementary in a prior role.
They are also concerned that she was appointed without any community input.
What they're saying:
"We were appointed with a principal that would give any community serious concern," said Christine Tryba, an Adams Elementary School parent who spoke at the meeting.
Protesters packed the Seattle Public Schools board meeting to speak out against the appointment of Anitra Jones.
"How can we have confidence in this appointment when trust has been broken," said Josh, a parent of students at Adam Elementary.
Principal Jones previously served as a principal at Rainier View Elementary. During that time, complaints surfaced regarding students and fellow employees, so the Seattle Educational Association filed unfair labor complaints against her.
"The examiner found that Jones unlawfully discriminated against employees and weaponized performance reviews against employees that exercised union rights. The union investigation reported 77% staff turnover at Rainier View in that school," said Tryba.
Parents and others protest the recent appointment of Anitra Jones as principal of Adams Elementary School. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Adams Elementary PTA Vice President Kerry Lynd says an administrator with a "track record of mistreatment should not be placed in any school."
"This is just a push to say we as a community are standing on behalf of all the children in Seattle," said Kerry Lynd. "There are substantiated complaints against the principal for labor violations, violations against teachers, violations against students with IEP’s with behavioral issues."
They weren't the only ones feeling concerned. Superintendent Ben Schuldiner says he was left disappointed after a recent community meeting regarding the appointment.
The other side:
Superintendent Schuldiner responded by saying he understands the passion surrounding these types of decisions, but argued that Jones was an award-winning educator.
"Her entire record in terms of her evaluations have been incredibly positive, in fact, four out of four on most of them," Schuldiner said.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Schuldiner speaks during a board meeting surround the topic of newly appointed Adams Elementary principal Anitra Jones.
He also said a recent community meeting left him feeling uneasy because Jones was frequently interrupted.
"Things were being shouted, to again, Anitra Jones, an award-winning principal, a Black woman, you are speaking too slowly. That feels really uneasy," said Superintendent Schuldiner. "It is uneasy when I look at that school. When you look at the equity. It was the 7th richest school in the district. The people in the audience presented were at least presented as almost all white and you had a Black principal saying these things and being interrupted."
The chief of staff also spoke out about the meeting.
"As a Black female, sitting in that space, watching another Black female being addressed in a way that was insulting, undignified, that was discouraging for the Seattle I had grown to know," said Bev Redmond, chief of staff.
Redmond asked the community to give Jones a chance in the role.
"To the Adams community, I’d like to say I’d love to come back to the table," said Redmond. "Give her the chance. Give her the conversation. Suspend the judgment that has already been delivered. Let her have the conversation."
However, parents weren't satisfied with the meeting's result.
"I’m disappointed in superintendent Schuldiner’s interpretation of the real issue," said Mike Lynd, Adams Elementary School parent.
"We would like an open hire at our school so that we have the input on who the principal is going to be, the teachers have an input on who the principal is supposed to be so that our community, the parents and students, feel safe and heard," said Kerry Lynd.
The school board said that members are paying close attention and will be making sure the community's concerns are being heard.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.