Parents demand clearer communication after staff misconduct lawsuit and teacher investigation disrupt classes

Several parents urged the Issaquah School District Board of Directors on Thursday to provide clearer, faster communication and procedural transparency after public comment revealed a lawsuit and a separate investigation have disrupted classrooms. Melissa Stefani, a parent of a sophomore and a senior at Issaquah High School, said about 150 students have been affected by a disruption in the high school Spanish program and that communication from the district “has been minimal and inadequate.” She said students have been without appropriate instruction for 18 school days and that AP-level students are particularly harmed. The public commenters did not ask the board for investigative details, but repeatedly requested a public outline of the district’s protocols and a timetable for communication. Jason Lane, a parent of a student at (transcript) Denver Elementary, said he and other parents had sent multiple calls and emails over three weeks with “almost no response.” Tyler Jones, an Endeavor Elementary parent and volunteer, asked the board to “communicate a projected time frame of communication to families and staff about your plan forward.” Lisa Hudson and other speakers referred to a public lawsuit filed Sept. 5 by a former Endeavor staff member that, they said, alleges misconduct and retaliation; parents said they had not been informed of the allegations and asked what protocols the district follows in such cases. Julie Carr, a parent of a senior in Spanish 4 at Issaquah High School, urged the district to “do all you can to get this teacher back to the classroom” because students were seeking to leave the class and private tutors were being hired as substitutes. Carr emphasized that she recognized the matters as allegations and said she was not asking for confidential details but for timely resolution and steps to limit instructional disruption. District officials did not provide an immediate substantive public response during the public-comment period other than noting that staff could not discuss personnel matters. The board accepted the public comments and later moved into executive session. No formal board action on the complaints was recorded on the public agenda. Why this matters: Parents said instruction for advanced-level students has been interrupted for weeks, potentially affecting credit and college-readiness outcomes, and they said the district’s lack of timely, clear communication is eroding trust. What was said in the meeting: “The quality of instruction you receive in school is important to us,” Stefani quoted a district reply to a student email; she said families need the district to demonstrate that sentiment through “transparency, communication, and decisive action.” What the board did: The board heard public comments and later approved an executive session (per the meeting agenda). No public vote or policy change on communication protocols was made that evening. Context and next steps: Speakers asked for a public description of the district’s protocols for responding to allegations and for a projected timetable for family communication. The board did not present a public timetable that night. The district’s human-resources and legal procedures for personnel investigations were referenced in questions but not described in detail on the public record. Ending: Parents asked the board to balance privacy/confidentiality rules with a clearer procedural statement that assures families their children’s safety and instructional continuity will be protected.