Bloglander

After a months-long process, Spokane Public Schools inserted an item into this week's meeting agenda to finish changes to sexual education curriculum for grades 6 through 9. But at the last minute yesterday, the district decided to pull the item out.

Last week, the district put an item on its agenda for Wednesday night's meeting to approve a sexual education curriculum called “Get Real,” developed by Planned Parenthood and published by a nonprofit called Education, Training and Research (ETR) that provides science-based health and education programs. Yesterday, however, district administration decided to remove the curriculum adoption from the agenda, says SPS spokesman Kevin Morrison.

“I’m glad that they pulled it and appear to be open to taking a little bit more time,” says Stephanie Cates, chairwoman of the Spokane County Republican Party. “We hope that they reach out more broadly to the community to get public input.”

Cates says that the Republican Party feels that adopting the curriculum would be an endorsement of Planned Parenthood.

A Human Growth and Development citizens advisory committee, composed of at least 15 members and representing various local agencies, spent months starting at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year to narrow down curricula that would align with state standards. The committee settled on the “Get Real” curriculum for grades 6 through 9. The curriculum, according to the ETR website, focuses on abstinence from sex being the healthiest choice to avoid sexually transmitted disease or pregnancy, promotes relationship skills, and highlights the importance of parents in educating kids.

The current curriculum for middle-schoolers focuses on "human development, the reproductive system, rules and responsibilities of individuals, and aspects of healthy interpersonal relationships," says the district website.

"We went into this process very transparent," Morrison says. "With a normal curriculum adoption for other subject matters, they don't usually raise to this level of concern by citizens, and the board knows that and has a separate committee."

He says the idea is to get as wide a constituency together in support the educational materials since it's a more sensitive subject matter.

When the item was originally added to the agenda to consider the "Get Real" program, it was “widely supported,” Morrison says. But now discussions on adopting a new sex-ed program won't start until fall.

“Nobody was aware of any issues until yesterday afternoon,” he says. On Monday, one member of the committee that recommended the curriculum decided to withdraw support for it. The district administration decided to pull the item from the agenda because there was no reason to rush the process, Morrison says.

On Facebook, the Spokane County Republican Party had urged people to attend the meeting Wednesday and voice opposition to the sex-ed curriculum, saying it would “confuse countless children in our city” and “alienate many people of faith in our district.”

Cates refused to cite any specific part of the curriculum that Republicans objected to, but said the main problem is Planned Parenthood’s influence on it. Even though the curriculum adoption was removed from the agenda, she says some people may show up Wednesday night to speak out anyway.

“We believe that Planned Parenthood really has no place in our schools,” she says.

Of late, it's been easy to split Spokane City Council into two groups: The six left-leaning councilmembers on one side, and lonely conservative Mike Fagan on the other. So while the office is technically nonpartisan, it's generally been easy to categorize the councilmembers ideologically.

When City Council candidate Brian Burrow, a project manager contracting with Avista Utilities, launched his campaign earlier this month to run against City Councilwoman Candace Mumm in District 3, his Facebook kickoff page said he wants to move the city in a "conservative direction."

But as we sit down to talk about his run, Burrow is reticent to explicitly categorize his political philosophy, though many of his views — like his skepticism over minimum wage hikes — lean conservative.

"I don't believe we can accomplish very much when we take a polarized view," Burrow says. "I can't recall any time out there in the workforce when that polarized opposing view has led me to success. I've always found ways to work with people."

Instead, Burrow pushes people to look deeper than pure politics.

"To look at the values that candidates that come in with, and their experience and background and education, is perhaps more important in this race than identifying which camp they fall under," Burrow says. "Running as an economist, rather than a Democrat or Republican, I think is very important to consider, because I understand what it's like to run a business and to recruit businesses."

Beyond his business experience, Burrow knows the struggles of the West Central neighborhood both personally and academically. He grew up in the low-income neighborhood, attending Holmes Elementary, Glover Middle School and North Central High School.

While he was pursuing a master's degree, Burrow returned to examine what happened to his sixth-grade classmates. While he never finished that degree, he saw how many of them became pregnant as teenagers, committed felonies, died before the age of 25 or never graduated college.

"I actually developed an economic formula that helps predict what your lifetime earnings are going to be based on the choices you made," Burrow says.

ON INLANDER.COM

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HOOPFEST: Check out these photos of NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant coming to Hoopfest on Sunday.

FOR FUN! Twenty-five unproven rumors about Spokane's potholes.

SPORTS: Just when we thought the Mariners were toast, a good month of June has fans' hopes up once again.


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Lighting strikes twice (and twice more)
Last night's storm was fun, and beautiful, but the lightning sparked fires in central Washington, burning an estimated 4,400 acres. Together, the fires in Douglas and Chelan counties are being called the Spartan Fire. (KHQ)

You've got mail, if you work for it
Mail delivery to one neighborhood in the Shadle area has been cut off due to safety concerns to the mail carriers. Now, those residents are being asked to go to the post office, something many have trouble with. (KHQ)

Say hello to the future
Washington can now say it has the first electric-vehicle-friendly scenic byway in the entire country, U.S. Highway 2 from Spokane to Everett. (Spokesman-Review)

Travel ban partially reinstated
In a small victory for the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court has permitted a limited version of President Trump's travel ban on those coming from six mostly Muslim countries. The justices will hear the the case in the fall. (Washington Post)

ON INLANDER.COM

NEWS: Washington state lawmakers will likely let thousands of high schoolers who failed a "make-or-break" biology test get their diplomas anyway, by passing a bipartisan bill that Sen. Andy Billig (D-Spokane) praised.

NEWS: Less than a week after the Inlander published a cover story about Dr. Suzan Marshall and others who question decisions made by Spokane County medical examiners regarding their loved ones' deaths, Marshall received a letter alerting her that someone had filed a complaint with the state Department of Health, claiming she was "practicing beyond scope of practice."

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Less for more?
A UW study found that as Seattle's minimum wage is increasing in phases toward $15 an hour, workers are getting fewer hours and losing money, and the researchers estimate the city is losing out on low-paid jobs that it would otherwise have, the Seattle Times reports.

Supreme schedule
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review President Donald Trump's travel ban, reinstating it in part until the case is heard this fall. The court also agreed to hear a case involving a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. (Washington Post)

With thousands of high school seniors in jeopardy of not graduating because of one failed test, the state legislature has taken action to make sure those students get their diplomas.

Thursday, legislators announced they had come to an agreement on a bill that would allow high school students to graduate even if they failed an end-of-course biology test that was required for graduation. The full legislature is expected to pass the bill next week.

In a statement, Sen. Andy Billig (D-Spokane) praised the bipartisan bill.

"Our schools today perform at high standards and no one should become a dropout at the end of their senior year simply because they do not perform well on a single, make-or-break test," Billig said. "This bill offers a path to a better future for thousands of hard-working students in our state and I am glad lawmakers were able to come together and find common ground."

Dr. Suzan Marshall still doesn't know for sure what happened to her husband, John, whose body was found in the Spokane River in January 2016. Marshall, who is a surgeon, has been highly critical of the Spokane County medical examiners' work on her husband's case, as well as in several other death investigations.

John Marshall's death was ultimately ruled an accidental drowning by Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. John Howard — a conclusion that Marshall disagrees with.

In the year and a half since her husband's death, Marshall has led an effort to identify other cases where families question the medical examiners' official rulings. Earlier this year, she filed a complaint against Howard and Dr. Sally Aiken, the county's other medical examiner, with the state Department of Health, citing her husband's case and three others. A Department of Health spokesman says a total of about 10 complaints have been filed against Spokane's pathologists. Marshall has also been vocal in her criticisms of law enforcement.

Now, Marshall says, someone is retaliating against her.

Less than a week after the Inlander published a cover story earlier this month that included Marshall's critical comments, she received a letter saying that someone had filed a complaint with the DOH accusing her of "practicing beyond scope of practice."

The letter dated June 14, 2017, says the Board of Osteopathic Medicine within the state Department of Health is investigating the complaint, but it does not identify who filed it, or what specific event triggered the alleged misconduct.

"We are bound by two different laws, which may seem in conflict," the letter reads. "The first requires that we immediately notify you that a complaint has been filed. The second, the whistleblower law ... prohibits us from identifying the name of the complainant until we have received a signed waiver allowing us to do so."

"It's absolutely about giving my opinions as a trauma surgeon on autopsies," Marshall says of the accusations against her. She notes that she is not currently treating patients or practicing medicine, though DOH records show that her medical license is active. "I'm not outside my scope, and I'm perfectly happy for the medical board to verify that for everybody."

DOH spokesperson David Johnson says complainants can remain anonymous, but that could limit the department's ability to fully investigate.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. We'll update this post if we hear back.

ON INLANDER.COM

Shutdown looming
A rally yesterday in Spokane implored the Washington state legislature to come to some sort of agreement to prevent a government shutdown on July 1.

Impatient for change
Local civil rights leaders aren't happy with the pace of progress to fix inequities in the justice system.

Teacher vs. Baumgartner
Washington 6th District state Sen. Michael Baumgartner despises the state teachers union. Next year, he's going to face a teachers union member in the 2018 election.

Pot stops
With small amounts of marijuana no longer illegal in Washington, traffic stops resulting in searches have plummeted.

Zags duo drafted
Two Gonzaga players were selected in Thursday's NBA draft: forward/center Zach Collins was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers  after being picked 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings, and guard Nigel Williams-Goss was taken in the second round, 55th overall, by the Utah Jazz.


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Unfilled
The Spokesman-Review looks into why the city pays so very few pothole claims.

Justice delayed
Evidence that helped acquit Jason Obermiller of murdering a 2-year-old girl last year in Spokane was not disclosed by prosecutors until mere minutes before their last witness was called. (Spokesman-Review)

Kentucky Mitch and the spiral of doom
The Senate's health care bill threatens to send the individual market into the death spiral that Republicans were always warning about with Obamacare. (Vox)

Loss leader
Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, has overseen massive losses for her party and has become an easy target for Republican ad makers. But she doesn't think that should be held against her. (New York Times)

Putin's provocation
The Washington Post reveals the inside story of how President Obama struggled to figure out how to respond to Russian hacking in the final weeks of last year's election.

As the state legislature inches closer to a potential government shutdown, members of the Spokane community rallied on Thursday to urge lawmakers to reach a budget deal.

With lawmakers having less than eight days to reach that deal, the All In For Action coalition hosted several protests across the state, blaming Senate Republicans for the state of stasis.

Pastor Andy CastroLang, from the Westminster Congressional United Church of Christ, was the first to take to the podium in front of a crowd of more than 50 people, stressing the importance of reaching a budget deal.

“Our budget is a moral document that reflects our values as a state,” says CastroLang. “It’s time for the Legislature to get its job done to ensure families throughout our communities do not suffer.”

If a deal isn’t reached by midnight on June 30, an estimated 32,000 state employees would stop receiving paychecks, nearly 11,000 camping reservation holders for the Fourth of july weekend will be notified of state park closures, and about 31,000 low-income, working families will lose child care payment assistance, according to the state Office of Financial Management (OFM).

“It’s time for the Senate to come to the table to avoid the devastating impacts that come along with a government shutdown,” says Luc Jasmin, director of Parkview Early Learning Center on North Division, where the rally was held.

“Thousands of families and kids depend upon not only childcare services from the state, but also access to food programs and other safety net programs. The devastating cuts in the Senate’s budget proposal are unacceptable, and it’s time for them to do what we teach our children — work together and find common ground.”

It's safe to say that, at a minimum, Washington state Sen. Michael Baumgartner is not a fan of the Washington Education Association. Anyone who follows his Twitter page knows how he feels.

After all, Baumgartner has said that the WEA would "would make a banana republic dictator blush," and accused the Washington state Supreme Court — which ruled that the state is unconstitutionally underfunding education in the controversial McCleary decision — of being "mushy-headed WEA puppets."

Baumgartner also has asked if "[longtime Zimbabwean dictator Robert] Mugabe or [Russian President Vladimir] Putin" were advising the court, and tweeted out a picture of a hammer and a bag of sand, suggest that the court should go pound sand. (We would love to link to all these comments; Baumgartner, sadly, has developed a habit of regularly deleting the tweets on his account.)

"After seven years of being in the legislature, there is no special interest group more obtuse and self-serving than the teachers union," Baumgartner tells the Inlander. "There are a lot of great teachers in the state but the WEA is an impediment to improving education in Washington state... What the teachers union does, is that it always talks about these issues in a crisis for kids, when in reality what they’re solely focused on [is] teacher pay increases and union control."

But next year, Baumgartner will face off against a dues-paying member of the Washington Education Association — Central Valley teacher and Spokane Public Schools board member Paul Schneider — in the race for his 6th District seat.

"I don’t know that Michael has done what he needs to do for students in this state. For students in this region," Schneider says. "Honestly, on education issues, he has been one of the leading obstructionists."

Schneider points to the ongoing budget stalemate — which has threatened to trigger a state government shutdown on July 1 — as evidence of the need for someone who can seek compromise.

The statistics confirm what many in Spokane have known for a long time. Racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system do exist, and it's not getting better.

In Spokane County, for example, African American and Native American adults in 2014 were detained before trial 6.7 times and 6.1 times more often than white adults, respectively, according to an analysis by the W. Haywood Burns Institute. The disparity in arrests for these three groups is similar: 4.5 African American and 5 Native American adults were arrested in Spokane County in 2014 for every one white adult.

And while the average length of stay in the Spokane County Jail, regardless of race, is 17 days, African Americans spend 25 days on average, Native Americans spent 21 days and white adults spent an average of 16 days, the Burns Institute found.

Last week, a band of community leaders and activists sent a letter to members of the Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council expressing their building frustration with the pace at which the council is moving to address these disparities.

The letter, signed by 24 individuals, notes that only $20,000 of a $1.75 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation is earmarked for addressing racial and ethnic disparities. The grant is part of the foundation's nationwide Safety and Justice Challenge that also provides Spokane and 40 other cities with and access to resources, such as the Burns Institute.

"This seems to contradict the message that was communicated to the Spokane community members and stakeholders who participated in the grant application process," the letter reads. "And we are concerned that a year into the MacArthur grant's implementation, less emphasis has been placed on community engagement and racial equity than what was initially implied."

Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Administrator Jacquie van Wormer, who was heavily involved in writing the grant application, says she understands the concerns.

"If the community is frustrated about the data, I think everybody within the system is just as frustrated," she says. "But we are working on it. We hoped that we would be further along by now with that data process."