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Student safety and racial harassment top concerns as Selah School District presents climate and behavioral data
Summary
Board heard a district presentation showing high participation in fall climate surveys but mixed results: most students report staff care and belonging; however, meaningful shares report hurtful racial comments and rising physical aggression and referrals at several grade levels. Community members and student reps urged action on gang activity and on-campus safety.
The Selah School District Board heard detailed climate and behavioral-referral data on Dec. 12 showing both strengths and persistent safety concerns across grade levels.
Hunter, the district’s executive director for student and learning, told the board that nearly 2,700 students districtwide — roughly 90 percent of the grades surveyed — completed the fall climate survey. He said the results show strong ratings on some measures: about 93 percent of students said staff care about their learning, and high percentages reported a sense of belonging. "We have more positive perceptions of the climate in our schools than negative," Hunter said.
At the same time, Hunter flagged worrying indicators. He reported that about 78 percent of students said they feel safe in school, but that other items point to concern: an aggregate measure showed roughly one-third of students recorded that they "hear hurtful comments about race frequently or often" in some settings, a pattern he said is more visible at the high school. Hunter also described behavioral-referral trends pulled from the Swiss Schoolwide Information System: certain elementary cohorts (notably third grade at one site) and portions of middle and high school showed elevated referral counts, with physical aggression a top referral reason in elementary grades and skipping/leaving class and inappropriate language prominent at the high-school level.
Student representatives raised the issue directly during public remarks. "There has been quite an uptake in violence, especially gang violence," one student representative said, echoing concerns raised earlier by community member Fidel Pedraza, who told the board he found a firearm inside a bathroom stall at a middle school and said the incident made him consider homeschooling or transferring his children. "I see a gun falling the stall next to me — now what do I do?" Pedraza asked during public comment.
Board members pressed staff on sampling and follow-up. Hunter said the climate survey is administered districtwide to third grade and up, that the student sample met district-level validity thresholds, and that the staff screener used to identify students needing support is not anonymous so counselors can follow up for students who screen in. He explained the district’s MTSS thresholds and that parents should be contacted when a major referral occurs, though staff acknowledged logistical challenges on very busy days.
Hunter described next steps: buildings will filter and analyze their site-specific data, student leadership groups will review results at some schools, and the district will re-administer surveys in the spring to measure change. The superintendent and board scheduled a Jan. 9 study session focusing on safety and transportation, and the district said it will bring targeted building-level recommendations and interventions based on the data.
The presentation combined quantitative findings (survey percentages and referral counts) with recommended local responses; the board did not take formal action at this meeting but directed staff to continue building-level analysis and to bring safety-focused follow-up to the January study session.
