On Aug. 22, Mercer Island School District (MISD) Superintendent Dr. Fred Rundle sent out a letter to the school community that discussed focusing on the year ahead and noting that “we will continue to confront the sexual misconduct of a former staff member and use it to improve.”
“Whether personal accounts come from students decades removed from MIHS or current students, I want to assure our students, staff, parents/guardians, and community that we have been and will continue taking each one seriously,” reads the letter, which is posted on the MISD site.
MISD officials met with Mercer Island police officials and three detectives last week to review the district’s practices for reporting issues in its schools, review any new information about current or past staff members and clarify their lines of communication.
Through the Youth Belong Committee — a group the district co-facilitates together with the police department and Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) — Rundle said, “We will be working in conjunction with one another to continue increasing training awareness around sexual misconduct, safety, and healthy relationships for students.”
Different ways the students, staff or parents can make reports about concerns for student safety are through the Say Something Anonymous Reporting App (365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week); MIYFS and its school-based counselors; and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.
Rundle shared some of the ways the district teaches students about sexual assault, misconduct and other topics to equip them with the knowledge and skills to identify unsafe situations, intervene if needed, report to others and protect themselves: First and third grade child protection units; summer school health; annual sexual assault awareness assembly; and middle and high school health classes.
The superintendent added that, “Training about maintaining staff/student boundaries, appropriate conduct, mandatory reporting, and other professional educator expectations continues throughout the time of employment in our school districts.”
Rundle said that each newly hired person in the district must go through an FBI fingerprinting background check; beginning this year, every employee will also be rechecked every five years. The district also requires staff and volunteers going on an overnight trip to go through the Washington State Patrol background check; staff goes through a series of reminders about the district’s policies, procedures and expectations; staff participates in a mandatory series of online training; and high school administrators started planning in July for a more robust training conducted by the local Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Family Services (DCYF).
“Our commitment to ongoing improvement to keep our students safe will continue,” Rundle said.
To view the full letter, visit: https://tinyurl.com/ms76ja3n
