Articles about Seattle Public Schools

After lagging behind, Gov. Ferguson pushes for statewide school cellphone ban in Washington

After moving slowly on cellphone rules at schools, Washington’s leaders are now pushing for all-day bans on their use for K-12 students by fall 2027. Read More

Seattle schools’ new cellphone rules are in effect — what it means for different kids, and why now

For years, the rules around cellphones in Seattle Public Schools depended largely on which school — or even which classroom — a student walked into. That ended today. Read More

The right call? A year after school’s phone ban, educators and parents love it, but kids aren’t so sure

At a recent lunch period at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, kids scarfed down their spaghetti and sandwiches so they… Read More

Seattle Public Schools issues statement explaining its stance on grade-viewing app

Seattle Public Schools responded Monday night to GeekWire’s request for more information about the message it sent last week informing… Read More

Seattle Public Schools sends ‘urgent’ message about grade-viewing app — here’s the backstory

Seattle Public Schools sent an email Monday evening informing families and staff that a grade-viewing app for iOS called “The… Read More

A look inside a Seattle middle school that just banned cellphone use on campus

Many of the students arriving at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School on a sunny Thursday morning paused before entering the… Read More

Petition urges Seattle Public Schools leaders to restrict students’ use of smartphones

A group of parents of children enrolled in Seattle Public Schools has started a petition calling on administrators to take… Read More

Amazon keeps fueling philanthropic efforts under leadership of former nonprofit executive

Amazon on Monday announced a $1.7 million donation to Seattle Public Schools and Bellevue School District to assist families in… Read More

Seattle school cuts a bold new STEM program, showing challenges of reimagining education

As the school year winds down, Trish Millines Dziko is focused on helping students at Washington Middle School in Seattle… Read More

Seattle Public Schools bans ChatGPT; district ‘requires original thought and work from students’

Seattle Public Schools is joining a growing number of school districts banning ChatGPT, the natural language chatbot from OpenAI that… Read More

Podcast

Seattle Schools vs. Social Media: What’s at stake in the suit against TikTok, Instagram, and others

Scanning through a list of court filings last Friday evening, Jan. 6, one case jumped out immediately: “SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT… Read More

Are social media companies to blame for youth mental health crisis? It’s complicated

Lawsuits filed by two Washington state school districts allege that major social media companies including Meta, TikTok, YouTube and others… Read More

Second school district sues TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and others over youth mental health crisis

The Kent School District in Washington state has joined Seattle Public Schools in filing suit against TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram,… Read More

Seattle Public Schools sues TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others, seeking compensation for youth mental health crisis

A new lawsuit filed by Seattle Public Schools against TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snap, Instagram, and their parent companies alleges that… Read More

This tech-fueled service will provide bus transportation for Seattle Public Schools

When Seattle Public Schools students return to the classroom in September, many of their families will be along for the… Read More

Amazon donates $2.2M to fund helping students in Seattle and Bellevue afford basic needs

Amazon is donating $2.2 million to help students from underserved communities in Seattle and Bellevue, Wash., afford basic necessities, the… Read More

Seattle school district says no evidence of specific threat after ‘TikTok challenge’ spreads across U.S.

Seattle Public Schools issued an update to families in the district on Friday morning about a so-called “TikTok challenge” involving… Read More

Adventures in online learning: Microsoft Teams getting chat controls, and schools can hardly wait

A virtual school assembly! Great idea. That was my reaction when I heard what my daughter’s public school in Seattle… Read More

Seattle Public Schools’ return to remote learning gets off to rough start with technical problems

[See below for back-to-school pictures submitted by GeekWire readers.] The first lesson in remote learning is apparently, “have patience.” As… Read More

What the science says about reopening schools: Experts call for nuanced approach, based on data

As University of Washington epidemiologist Brandon Guthrie sifts through mounds of research in his Seattle home office, seeking to better… Read More

Seattle schools leader recommends remote-only classes when school resumes in September

The superintendent for Seattle Public Schools Wednesday announced that she supported continuing entirely remote instruction when school resumes in September.… Read More

Couple puts out a call for used laptops and other devices to donate to Seattle students in need

In his day job as the director of learning programs for Minecraft Education, Adam Tratt is out to inspire students… Read More

Seattle Public Schools closing for at least two weeks; district has said it won’t offer online learning

Seattle Public Schools will close for at least two weeks starting Thursday, the latest in a series of dramatic measures… Read More

How universities and schools are going online amid the COVID-19 outbreak — and the hurdles they face

K-12 schools and universities are moving to online instruction to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Seattle Public Schools announced… Read More

Amazon teams with Seattle schools to inspire underserved students to pursue STEM and robotics

It was already pajama day in Sae Kang’s third grade class at John Muir Elementary School in Seattle on Tuesday.… Read More