[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6562811,"mediaKeyId","3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581","parentId",3242660,"title","Board reviews life-management monitoring report as members flag finances, sleep and student risk-taking","audioSeconds",2799,"startMs",7723000,"endMs",10522000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581&start=7723&end=10522","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581/thumbnail_7723000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6562811/Washington/Board-reviews-life-management-monitoring-report-as-members-flag-finances-sleep-and-student-risk-taking","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562811-1898110542e045eda44e4b6b877bc75e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770809001&Signature=ay0D49AgEs0C~6Xb4Yz4yJsz8tfeutEn7ooNwhwlkq~iUDIFglyv5HyNtQJy~-RZBDAHHtGJGsHZllXyp0ZkbpjEzyuXWf4Xr2I3MMWWX4Rk1iIywmU1hZF2w87Pq6AiVojTcdyZbsgk1KblKimVxycHtYU4rKfNN4waz10sY7jJV6SI5XfyIDhwhdNHWxZjhkTSVDWvyu~pTr1vd4TKoKPFBc8pE0qSBDmLVc0Lj~sOlcBngWPDAegaCLLYLSQVNSc8N7xNzTcYbIpjUfcJzBkOdpvOuHpvW4DYLJeiIFDlaWwZUCMHbZ5jn44-Vyx9wdeRcpp-N3fAbZlolVRqag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Issaquah School District, Washington","date","2025-05-09T17:45:08Z","article","The Issaquah School District board reviewed its monitoring report on “life management and personal awareness” Wednesday and engaged in wide-ranging discussion about career planning, financial literacy, student well-being and survey-response rates.

District presentation: Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dana Bailey and staff presented data showing consistent course completion in health and physical education and expanded personal finance offerings (the district said it has reorganized personal finance into two semester-long classes to create more student access and scheduling flexibility). Staff noted strong use of credit recovery options and said college-matriculation statistics (from the National Student Clearinghouse) show many district students continue into and persist in postsecondary education.

Board and student concerns: Board members asked for more detail on course-taking patterns and asked for school-level breakdowns of several indicators (for example, physical-education grade distributions and engagement in electives). Directors pressed for better metrics about who is not participating in extracurriculars and whether schedules allow students to access desired courses. A director asked staff to capture senior exit questions that would better test financial readiness instead of general numeracy questions.

Students and staff also raised specific well-being concerns. Student representative Milo cited the 2023 Healthy Youth Survey results discussed at the meeting, saying that a large share of students report getting fewer than eight hours of sleep on school nights. Board members highlighted responses to a senior-exit question that asked whether students felt they could risk being wrong in class without ridicule; several directors said the proportion answering negatively was disturbing and said they want more qualitative follow-up to understand why students reported feeling marginalized.

Data quality and survey response rates: Staff told the board that several district surveys had low response rates in the last cycle (for example, one district soft-skills survey had a markedly lower response rate than prior years). Leaders said they will push for higher participation this fall and will consider alternative methods for getting alumni feedback rather than solely relying on low-response postgraduate surveys.

Next steps and requests: Board members asked staff to provide additional breakdowns (by building and by grade) of key indicators, to revise senior-exit and postgraduate survey wording to better capture financial readiness and to set up listening sessions with students to probe low-scoring items such as feeling safe to risk being wrong in class.

Why it matters: The monitoring report feeds the board’s governance-by-results work and helps measure whether district programs are leading to student outcomes in health, career readiness, and life skills. Directors said the data raised a mix of encouraging signals (credit recovery use, course provision) and areas that need deeper study (sleep patterns, financial readiness and student sense of belonging).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Issaquah School District Board Meeting 5/08/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Issaquah School District board reviewed a monitoring report on life-management outcomes and asked staff to provide more school-level detail after hearing concerns about students’ financial literacy, sleep, and whether students feel safe to take academic risks without ridicule.","taxTitle","Issaquah School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",14813,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6562813,"District continues 'off-and-away' cell-phone pilot; students and staff report mixed roll-out",308,6416000,6724000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581&start=6416&end=6724","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581/thumbnail_6416000.jpg","/articles/6562813/Washington/District-continues-off-and-away-cell-phone-pilot-students-and-staff-report-mixed-roll-out","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562813-973269b4e88e3f16cc58474307a894f1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770809001&Signature=cYXHLTRtcjW5SI2fC3HprRFm8YY7eDwJgLG0s0dxzqskZ0mPXMMDv57Up8Hm8BlgND8XLh7~PAv4RGt0jy19FIG3OVHJkfcpc9I7SSx74ZBlw48FEmRwMcI0otfvk3kCCxa6mdm7g2dlmNsAvGQrVTNDnRb79y4ignvjgibJCRYyanp0TgQRMK~YU6Y~ctLYMshRobHAfjvMjRDNbMIBSJqxmdfxjgeCwKyG75cm5bqgRnfPrSvOyMK113erkQijfSgWZ4upcKxsW6ufy6WFlFc4qT~IbLSl~poJuy2Fu2qFSpEzQ2NQ4qMW296MQ3mTooIubMk4i5PJ50tn~mZ~5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Issaquah School District reported progress on a pilot that discourages phone use during instructional time at the secondary level, but students and staff told the board the pilot’s rollout produced uneven experiences across schools.

District presenters said the pilot’s core expectation for secondary schools is that phones be “off and away” during instructional time (including time spent in hallways while class is in session). Elementary schools are using an “away for the day” approach suited to younger students.

Student trustees said early compliance complaints faded as the school year progressed, but implementation differences remain. At some schools teachers require students to place phones in classroom “cubbies”; others ask phones kept out of sight in backpacks. “At the beginning of the year, it’s definitely very shaky... but I just feel like it’s that, like, kind of fear aspect, which is why a lot of students... comply,” said student representative Krish during the meeting.

District staff said the change was intentionally structured as a developmental approach and that they expected higher numbers of recorded technology violations immediately after implementation. Superintendent remarks and staff follow-up said they will decide whether to embed the rule into the district’s acceptable-use policy (part of the EVP that parents see annually) or to place it in a separate regulation such as a WSSDA model policy.

Board members urged clearer, uniform implementation across secondary schools. “I was really hoping and expecting by May… that we wanted to end this year and walk into next school year with whatever we needed to explain to everyone because I think we’ve been given pretty clear feedback,” a board director said, noting teachers’ frustration at being left to enforce inconsistent building-level approaches.

Why it matters: District leaders presented the policy as an effort to protect student well-being and classroom engagement. Students and teachers told the board that, while some classes and schools have made the change routine, variability across buildings undermines clarity for students and staff.

Next steps: District leaders said they will (a) determine whether the policy will be an acceptable-use regulation or a separate WSSDA-style regulation, (b) publish clear guidance to parents and staff during the summer, and (c) monitor infractions data year-over-year to measure implementation effect. The superintendent suggested comparing counts of device-related disciplinary infractions this year with next year as a metric of implementation success.","Issaquah School District officials said a pilot to have secondary students keep phones “off and away” during instructional time has become more common but remains inconsistently enforced across schools.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6562815,"Board hears technology update: bandwidth upgrades, AI pilots and search for chief IT officer",858,4443000,5301000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581&start=4443&end=5301","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581/thumbnail_4443000.jpg","/articles/6562815/Washington/Board-hears-technology-update-bandwidth-upgrades-AI-pilots-and-search-for-chief-IT-officer","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562815-c42f8a6c81b672b296887ed1aa478419/orig.mp4?Expires=1770809001&Signature=i9uKhTIWztzqoqvY7mikRNt1KT6JyCs0iBCUn4IoFhb0uYRqStPi2~jqhM5EbcZmycgsV-3LzS2jNpNSB~IRlwKjZ1LoBmCErMnJviGLR7RtcR556BMeuT8brn0ZV-P4L270yxAcB2SJtZUngxBAb0WZjHL91orSTsFF3IfmY6uDBoX3GK44NtOOKBX7TEiWQ-RjqIXSjWxeLQPJRuH5h~I0Z87NPw3-0OnJvANjJjoa856o9Daij1LYSk4xbdyUyF1R6BhrglYYarIGlQAUg4bJ165QlfQySn2w2pgQXj6veeA~gII2eNtYFaxnT9xpowvnmFFnof6ZJjacogt3FQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District technology leaders updated the Issaquah School District board Wednesday on a bundle of technical priorities that staff say are intended to support classroom learning, district operations and an anticipated technology levy.

Presenters — including Rich Melish (technology), Diana Eggers (director of educational technology) and Martin Turney (district leadership) — said the district has recently increased Internet bandwidth at all three comprehensive high schools and is prepared to double the district’s main Internet feed once the K-20 network resolves a configuration issue. The team said that work is meant to improve reliability for testing and high-demand activities.

Security and staffing: A district penetration test identified a server that was isolated and decommissioned; the district said its internal security team detected and responded quickly. The district also announced the planned departure of the director of IT infrastructure, Kathy Cropp, and that it has launched interviews for a combined chief information and technology officer (CITO) role to centralize technology leadership.

AI pilots and classroom use: The district is piloting teacher-facing AI tools and exploring student-facing systems. Presenters described a limited Colleague AI student beta at the high-school level and said an expanded student-facing release could be available in the fall; the district said it is also working on lesson plans to teach students what AI is, how to craft prompts and how to use tools ethically and safely.

1:1 program and devices: Staff said ongoing monitoring of the district’s 1:1 laptop program shows improved reliability and fewer quality complaints recently, though they acknowledged increased incidents of accidental damage and the need for clear replacement processes. Leaders told the board that tech specialists at each school triage devices and replace machines when repair is not feasible.

Levy planning and business intelligence: Technology staff said they have completed a pro bono technology audit with recommendations that include the penetration testing already done and organizational changes. The district plans to use an already budgeted position to build a business-intelligence function and said that these staffing changes will inform the next technology levy proposal and how the district will support teachers and students in classroom technology adoption.

Why it matters: Board members raised training and change-management concerns — particularly around artificial intelligence and how to ensure teachers have the training and voice to adopt new tools. Directors said the district needs to partner with teacher leaders to pilot classroom uses of AI and document how AI can reduce staff workload while improving student outcomes.

Next steps: Leaders said the district will continue the CITO hiring process, complete the network-bandwidth upgrade when the K-20 connection is cleared, expand cyber-security training (especially around personally identifiable information), and return to the board with details for a technology levy proposal.","Issaquah district technology leaders reported increased high‑school bandwidth, results of a penetration test, progress on 1:1 laptop monitoring and AI pilots, and said the district is recruiting a chief information and technology officer ahead of levy planning.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6562816,"Issaquah board adopts new sustainability policy after students help craft vision",1278,3036000,4314000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581&start=3036&end=4314","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581/thumbnail_3036000.jpg","/articles/6562816/Washington/Issaquah-board-adopts-new-sustainability-policy-after-students-help-craft-vision","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562816-86b31269146fae1dafe2e8f682080b60/orig.mp4?Expires=1770809001&Signature=M5nqkCYe3XSgwwsezVPLicQpLvhpgTLJzXqAR2nyGo-4~NSxkTAMbISAAKbKGX6RK5EdvdU66wzXwMXpjaOjvoz9DNaPVlAwkkHvDUxwVS4iSbLsqB-T5zb2nmv6lRcP6ur2vTZyIK9RJlRo24jAY-qVywR3E8-ZADfucw0H~npjk4VvxxYAbYYU3QYK7EqDM7H1ZU7cf8oHz7w8reQMrkR63kKLCWXexxKazgllniQI48wdNKp0Hu0rGboCjUqNWv5l24-4iQYHMYDDGr-hfFkAHjUwHlHISRtr9LfNZxMD85zLDxOazavu5wJ74MO-vCDztpceCUBKBvqEfroQEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Issaquah School District Board of Directors on Wednesday adopted a new sustainability policy (Operational Expectation 17), approving an amended vision statement that commits the district to embed sustainability across operations and calls those efforts essential to being a “future‑ready district.”

The board’s action followed a second reading and discussion that included presentations from student representatives who co-wrote early drafts and staff who revised the language after prior feedback. Director Mullings proposed an amended two-sentence vision that the board adopted after a minor wording change: the board will “embed sustainability into every aspect of our work” and “aim to reduce our environmental impact and model responsible stewardship” as part of being a “future‑ready district.” The board also agreed to credit student contributors in the policy’s initial authorship notes.

Student involvement: Student representatives Matthew and Zoe — who led much of the district’s student work drafting the policy — addressed the board before the vote. “We initially didn’t even think we were being able to get a meeting with you guys, but it was just, like, open doors of being able to directly communicate with board members,” one student said, describing the yearlong drafting and revision process. Board members repeatedly thanked the students for their persistence and said their work should be noted in the policy record.

Why it matters: The policy creates a district-wide expectation to incorporate sustainability in building operations, capital projects and programs, and directs staff to pursue practices that reduce environmental impact and model stewardship for students.

Key details:
- Amended vision statement approved: “The board believes that integrating sustainable practices and fostering environmental responsibility in all district and building operations, capital projects, and programs are essential for a future-ready district. We aim to reduce our environmental impact and model responsible stewardship by embedding sustainability into every aspect of our work.”
- Board process: The board moved adoption as presented, then amended the vision with the revised language; the amendment and the final policy passed without recorded opposition.
- Student authorship: Board members proposed recognizing the student authors in initial implementation notes for the policy.

Board action: Directors adopted Operational Expectation 17 as amended; the board’s vote was recorded as unanimous in the meeting discussion (no named roll-call votes were recorded in the public discussion).

Next steps and implementation: Staff will treat the policy as an operational expectation to be monitored, and the board instructed staff to return with monitoring plans. Board members discussed linking the policy to future facility decisions and capital projects and monitoring district sustainability outcomes.

Provenance: The board opened the second-reading discussion at the May 13 meeting and then voted on the amended policy later in the meeting. Students and staff who participated in drafting and revising the policy spoke during the discussion.

Board quote: Board President (name not used in the transcript) said of the students’ work, “You are now policymakers… you have made policy that is resume building,” thanking them for their research and contributions.","The Issaquah School District board voted to adopt Operational Expectation 17 on sustainability, approving amended vision language that calls the district \"future-ready\" and commits to embedding sustainability across operations; student representatives who helped draft the policy were recognized at the meeting.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6562817,"Issaquah students tell school board graduation regalia policy reduced recognition, ask for committee",445,633000,1078000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581&start=633&end=1078","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242660-f052161fee2419279d6b6c1505afc581/thumbnail_633000.jpg","/articles/6562817/Washington/Issaquah-students-tell-school-board-graduation-regalia-policy-reduced-recognition-ask-for-committee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6562817-95e6681b8661fe84ad1d8fbc213c8c6b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770809001&Signature=AxMVQGPBlBeG7L18XOU5iZ8Ky9V6-FIKk6u-oViEh37BaYbs~mVFZ4zBO5woOaFelR0jkM6XLQcYhcn~hANkg8HMoyYPEFQWOX4pYA2g5Jb9Qn0a4BDA4~ZNqUT5Exy6eepj~KDIGZoC8rGt3UmZJgRWStLb47c-mcF7foouDwERF6Q-FWHPJVLYvxvXEsMkkYej57R3JL8SQBPGzKEc0BecSvpC5jFEVzZt4246X6j5pJHfM4zymsSuomxFpDIQE3I-kh5R~5hfa63lRj9LO9r7B1eFt~ouNoEUDn9RWX6v7vsFXCWss87~rJFvPaPfhgUjjLzF04S9rtigLmMxxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple Issaquah School District students urged the board Wednesday to reconsider recent changes that limit which stoles and cords students may wear at graduation and to create a student-inclusive committee to guide future decisions.

During the public-comment portion of the May 13 meeting, four students — including Skyline High School ASB president Archita Chopra and other ASB leaders — said the district’s new guidance removed longstanding forms of recognition. “Wearing these items at graduation is a symbol to our families, to our community, and most importantly to ourselves of the commitment we've shown throughout high school,” Archita Chopra said.

The students said the district now limits regalia largely to a student’s GPA medallion, Thespian Society recognition and small patches for IB and student government, and replaces other cords or stoles with a small patch. “By limiting regalia only to the GPA, the Thespian Society, and small patches for IB students and student government, we have significantly reduced the recognition given and unintentionally devalued the accomplishments of many of us who have gone above and beyond,” Risha Adomalu, identified at the meeting as senior class president at Skyline High School, told the board.

Student speakers said they and other ASB presidents reached out to school principals and district staff before learning of the change, and described a lack of earlier communication. “The hardest part about this decision is the lack of communication we have received,” said Elsa Huber, who said she was speaking on behalf of seniors who were surprised by the new limits.

The students asked the board to restore recognition for this year’s graduates and to create a standing graduation committee next fall that includes a range of student voices, ASB leaders and staff. “We request that this process be thoroughly conducted next year with a well-rounded panel with a variety of perspectives,” Chopra told the board.

District staff did not make a formal policy announcement during public comment; students said some administrators had called the change an effort to “ensure a common experience for all of the district's graduating seniors in alignment with the operational expectations of the district.” At the meeting students said they have drafted possible solutions and offered to share them with district leaders.

Why it matters: Graduation regalia is a visible acknowledgement of students' work in academics, leadership, athletics and extracurricular service. Student leaders told the board that removing recognizable cords and stoles can undermine the value those students and families place on extracurricular achievement.

What the students asked for: Restore recognition for this year’s graduating students and establish a fall committee — with students, principals and district staff — to develop a transparent process for future regalia decisions.

What happened next: The board did not vote on regalia policy at the meeting; the item was raised during public comment only. Several board members acknowledged the student speakers and said they wanted to see clearer, earlier communication on such decisions.

Details and context: At least four students spoke to the board during the public-comment portion on the regalia rules: Elsa Huber; Risha Adomalu, identified as senior class president at Skyline High School; Odin Harper, identified as an ASB student representative; and Archita Chopra, identified as ASB president at Skyline High School. They said ASB presidents across the district had attempted to get an explanation from principals and district staff before the enforcement of the new guidance.

Board response: Board members thanked the students for speaking and several said they supported creating a more formal, inclusive process for next year. The district’s communications and the operational basis for the regalia change were discussed informally, and board members asked staff to follow up.","Multiple high school student leaders told the Issaquah School District board they were surprised and disappointed after the district tightened rules about what items students may wear at graduation, and asked for clearer communication and a student-inclusive committee to advise policy next year.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board reviews life-management monitoring report as members flag finances, sleep and student risk-taking

District continues 'off-and-away' cell-phone pilot; students and staff report mixed roll-out

Board hears technology update: bandwidth upgrades, AI pilots and search for chief IT officer

Issaquah board adopts new sustainability policy after students help craft vision

Issaquah students tell school board graduation regalia policy reduced recognition, ask for committee