Help the Tukwila Teachers and Anti-War students

Overturn antiwar student’s unfair suspension! Let her stay at Foster High School!
Hold the Tukwila School Board accountable at Tuesday's meeting!
Keep the Teachers Hired Next Semester and Next Year!

Come to the Tukwila School Board Meeting:
This Tuesday, December 11, 6:30 p.m.
Come early at 6 PM for a brief planning meeting if you can.
Tukwila School District Headquarters
4640 S. 144th Street
(A couple blocks east of Highway 99 / International Blvd / Pacific Highway S between Seattle and the Airport. Easy, free parking. Bus #174 )

Last Friday, December 7 one of the students at Foster High School in Tukwila, WA involved in Foster Student Action was given 9 days suspension supposedly for “having an Ipod out in class.” However, the REAL reason she was suspended was because she and other Foster Student Action activists dared to collect petition signatures at lunch period the day before requesting that teachers who allowed the Nov. 16th antiwar student walkout to happen get to keep their jobs.

Who ever heard of someone being suspended for 9 days for having an Ipod out in class? None of the consequences listed in the Foster Student Handbook for having electronics out in class even mentions suspension--only confiscation of the device (See link: http://www.tukwila.wednet.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=328&Itemid=592 ) And this is the first time this student Bailey Davidson has ever been punished for having electronics at school. So school administrators have blatantly violated their own school rules.

Many students were using Ipods and cell phone text messaging in the class at the same time as Bailey because the class had a substitute teacher with no lesson plan and students were told simply to do their homework, but many had finished their homework. Yet none of the other students got in trouble. Only this antiwar activist was singled out.

Not only does Vice Principal Wright’s 9-day suspension keep Bailey out of Foster until winter break, but school administrators are also trying to drive her out of the school altogether. They claim that since she moved residences, she now lives “out of district.” However, she recently moved CLOSER to school, not FARTHER from school. She now only walks only 1 mile to school every day. How could this be “out of district”? There are around 150 other students who live outside the school district, so why is the administration singling out this one student?

If the administrators get away with this abuse of power, there is nothing to stop them from targeting other students and teachers. This is not just an attack on one student or some teachers, but all of students and workers -- and our Constitutional right to petition local government officials.

Bailey has done better educationally and socially at Foster than at any other school, and she really wants to stay at Foster because Mr. Rogers and a few teachers here have really helped her focus on her studies.

Let’s pack Tuesday’s School Board meeting and insist they sign our petition agreeing to all our demands:

1. Overturn Bailey's suspension, and let her stay at Foster!
2. Keep the teachers who allowed or supported students in the walkout hired – not only next semester but also next year!
3. Drop the investigations against teachers now!
4. Remove military recruiters from our school or at least allow us to set up a literature table next to them when they are present!

Community outcry, including the 100 students and parents packing the last Tukwila School Board meeting, succeeded in winning the reinstatement of the teacher Mr. Rogers and getting the investigation against one of the teachers dropped. However, school administrators are still conducting disciplinary investigations against Mr. Rogers and 4 other teachers, even though none of the teachers imposed their political views on students or promoted the student walkout. On the contrary, some organized homework and class discussions about the Iraq war -- lesson plans approved by school administrators -- simply allowing students to make up their own informed decision about whether to participate in the student walkout or not.

Administrators claim it was unsafe for Mr. Rogers to leave his post and walk out of class with students. However, Mr. Rogers made arrangements for students in his class who did not participate in the walkout to be safely supervised by another teacher in their class.


On November 28th, school administrators also completely over-reacted to student efforts to keep their teachers hired by bringing in 8 tall policemen in vehicles and black, intimidating uniforms to break up and disperse a peaceful student gathering! Principal Ilgenfritz tore down students' posters announcing the student gathering and brought one student into his office to lecture him and intimidate him about hanging up the posters! The Principal also threatened to suspend one student simply for discussing the disciplinary process pending against her teachers!

These are blatant violations of students' Constitutional rights to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly!

PLEASE COME AND BRING PEOPLE TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING THIS TUESDAY AND INSIST THEY SIGN THE PETITION AGREEING TO ALL OUR DEMANDS!

ALSO, PLEASE KEEP FLOODING THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS WITH PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS!

And please forward this email widely!

Please send emails to Tukwila School Board members:
mfertakis@comcast.net
pmaltsberger2000@yahoo.com
jasminkakujundzic@yahoo.com
wahlsea@yahoo.com

Please send copies to Interim Superintendent Ethelda Burke: (206) 901-8000, (206) 901-8006, burkee@tukwila.wednet.edu

and Foster HS Principal George Ilgenfritz: (206) 901-7905 ilgenfritzg@tukwila.wednetedu

Please also send a copy of protest emails to us at tukwila.teachers.solidarity@hotmail.com so we can count how many protest emails have been sent in.

If they don't answer your call, call Foster HS Vice Principal Daryl Wright (206) 901-7902 and Foster HS Office Manager Darlene Aguiluz (206) 901-7915.

Thanks for your support,

Angie Jobe Cuba, Foster Student Action, Foster High School
Ramy Khalil, Youth Against War and Racism