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FAQ from 2021-22 School Year
No. We have no specific critical race theory curriculum for students. Teachers will be addressing Washington State’s learning standards. To learn more visit OSPI Learning Standards & Instructional Materials. We are committed to serving all kids and making sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, be treated with dignity, and be valued.
Teachers should be teaching about historical and social issues from a balanced perspective. We will teach about race, racism, and history in a balanced manner. We will continue the work to make Meridian a place where every student feels a sense of belonging and sees themselves and people like them reflected in what they learn at school.
Senate Bill 5044 was signed into law in 2020. The bill requires teaching the adults in Washington school systems (teachers, paraprofessionals, classified staff, administrators, and board members) about cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
These concepts are to help us increase our ability to ensure every student feels as though they belong and are treated with dignity. The bill provides legal definitions for these terms. ESSB 5044 Fact Sheet
Locker Rooms
According to Board Policy 3211, based on state and federal discrimination laws, use of locker rooms by transgender or gender-expansive students will be assessed on a case by case basis, with the goal of maximizing transgender or gender-expansive student social integration, providing an equal opportunity to participate in physical education classes and athletic opportunities and ensuring that student’s safety. The district will take an approach that conforms with OSPI ‘s guidelines. In most cases, the district should provide the student access to the locker room that corresponds to the gender identity they assert at school. Reasonable alternatives to locker room conditions for any student who wants additional privacy include, but are not limited to:
- Use of a private area (e.g., nearby restroom stall with a door, an area separated by a curtain, an office in the locker room, or a nearby health office restroom);
- A separate changing schedule (i.e., utilizing the locker room before or after the other students).
The school will provide accommodations needed to allow the student to keep their transgender or gender-expansive status private. No student will be required to use a locker room that conflicts with his or her gender identity.
WIAA provides guidance regarding transgender or gender-expansive students participating in athletics. They have created the Gender Diverse Youth Sport Inclusivity Toolkit that provides best practices for supporting all student-athletes. According to this toolkit, “Gender diverse students are not typically offered immediate access to a locker room or team based on a single statement because optimizing the experience for that student often requires some level of preparation.” Meridian school district is working with the staff at each building to finalize a support plan for our transgender or gender-expansive students. A student who has questions regarding this process should reach out to their counselor or other trusted staff member.
Bathrooms
The school district will be providing gender-neutral restrooms. Civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender expression and gender equity. According to Board Policy and Procedure 3211, and state and federal discrimination laws, students will be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds to the gender identity they assert at school. No student will be required to use a restroom that conflicts with their gender identity. Any student – regardless of gender identity – who requests greater privacy should be given access to an alternative restroom. However, schools may not require a student to use an alternative restroom because of their transgender or gender-expansive status.
In addition to a girl’s and boy’s restroom, each building has gender-neutral restrooms that are single occupancy and have the ability to lock when occupied. For safety reasons, special locks have been installed to allow access by administrators in an emergency situation. All students seeking greater privacy have access to these restrooms.
If a student attempts or uses the bathroom that does not correspond to their gender identity, disciplinary action may be taken by the building administration.
The curriculum identified must be consistent with Health Education K-12 Learning Standards, which provide a framework for comprehensive instruction and the provisions of the law. Instruction must also be age-appropriate, medically and scientifically accurate, and inclusive of all students, using language and strategies that recognize all members of protected classes. The task force considered materials that have been reviewed by OSPI and the state Department of Health (DOH) for consistency with these provisions of the law.
Senate Bill 5395, passed by the State Legislature in 2020, requires that all schools provide comprehensive sexual health education by the 2022–23 school year. Comprehensive sexual health education is defined in the bill as instruction about human development and reproduction that takes place over time and is age-appropriate and inclusive of all students.
Students in grades K–3 will receive social-emotional learning. There is no sexual health content required for students in grades K–3. Social-emotional learning is learning about respectful communication, healthy friendships, respecting personal space, and managing emotions. Beginning in the 2022–23 school year, students in grades 4 or 5 will receive sexual health education at least once. Instruction on human growth and development (puberty) generally begins in 4th or 5th grade. Older students will receive age-appropriate information about human growth and development and the reproductive system, healthy relationships, consent, abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and pregnancy prevention methods. Beginning in the 2021–22 school year, we will provide instruction at least twice between grades 6–8 and at least twice between grades 9–12.
Parents or Guardians will be able to opt their child or children out of instruction with a written request, and will also be able to review our sexual health curriculum prior to instruction taking place.
Meridian held a family information session with a presentation from Cardea about Comprehensive Sexual Health Education and the requirements of the legislation. The slides from this information session can be accessed here.
Cardea has also produced state-wide informational overview videos that may be of interest to families:
Link to the English video: https://vimeo.com/636465096
Link to the Spanish video: https://vimeo.com/638815046
Congress set aside federal funds to serve as emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools. There have been two distributions of ESSER funds. The Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020, and provided the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund).
Funding allocated to Meridian School District was utilized to secure personal protection equipment for safety measures, provide remote access, teaching tools and supplies, as well as additional staffing to meet student needs. Meridian School District was also fortunate to receive additional funding from the Whatcom County Council Cares Grant to help pay for the lease of student and teacher devices necessary to provide a remote learning option. Additionally, the Whatcom County Health Department provided funding through their Whatcom County CARES Health Grant, providing funds to purchase online curriculum, assessment software, learning resources, communication tools, and software.
Meridian ESSER I Allocation – $231,700
- Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
- Safety Measures –
- Protection dividers, floor markings, etc.
- Air filtering – HVAC upgrades
- Instruction distribution supplies and postage
- Additional staffing for cleaning, distribution of meals, and learning materials
- Communication software
- Remote assessment software
- Peripherals for laptops
- Remote learning teaching supplies
- Required private school technology support
Whatcom County CARES Technology Grant – County Council $230,000
- Chromebook lease payment
- iPad lease payment
- Laptop lease payment
- Purchase Chromebook cases
Whatcom County CARES Health Grant – Whatcom County Health Department $79,560
- Assessment (Formative, NWEA)
- Remote Instruction (EdPuzzle, ARC, ICEV, SeeSaw, Screencastify, SmartMusic)
- Educational Technology and 1:1 device support (G-Suite, Zoom, Go Guardian Internet filtering)
- Intervention and access for students with learning challenges (Renaissance)
ESSER II FUNDING
The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 was signed into law on December 27, 2020, and provided the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II Fund).
In Spring of 2021, the Meridian School District sought solutions to our rapidly increasing enrollment and need for classroom space. After reaching out to several entities, the Federal Way School District offered to donate seven portable classrooms and one portable office building manufactured in 2008 and 2011. To purchase these buildings new today would cost over $1.5 million. As we continue to experience increased enrollment these portable buildings provide our district with much-needed classroom space, additional gathering spaces, and help provide the distancing needed for COVID-19 mitigation.
Much of the ESSER II funding has been allocated for the delivery and installation of the portables on our Meridian Middle School and Irene Reither Elementary campuses this school year. The office portable will be placed at Irene Reither to house our Family Services Center. One of the portables will be added to the MP3 campus to provide a large indoor eating space that will not only help with COVID-19 mitigation but will also serve the campus well into the future. Engineering, architectural planning, permitting, ramps, electrical, excavating, concrete, and updating of the portables are necessary to install them properly for safety and code requirements.
While we were initially able to obtain permitting and place the portables early in the school year, the international shipping crisis has hindered the delivery of electrical components necessary to provide electricity to the units, complete preparations, and meet code requirements. Our schools have adjusted as we wait for the components and plan for the units to be operational after we return from winter break.
Meridian ESSER II Allocation – $897,703
- IRE & MMS Portables Installation Estimate
- IRE & MMS Portables Furniture Order
- IRE & MMS Portables Speakers & Clocks
- MMS Intercom Control Upgrade
- MP3 Portable Installation Costs
ESSER III FUNDING
Meridian School District received funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, signed into law on Thursday, March 11, 2021, providing for the establishment of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund. Districts were encouraged to use ESSER III funds to safely reopen schools, maximize in-person instructional time for all students, and provide opportunities to address the impacts of lost instructional time resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Much of the allocation of our ESSER III funding in the Meridian School District has been directed toward teaching positions to address classroom and learning support, to keep class sizes lower at the younger grades, provide for mental health support, ELL support, Cultural Liaison, instructional training, and assessment tools. Most of these supports extend into the 2022-2023 school year.
Meridian ESSER III Allocation – $2,017,808
- Cultural Liaison Support – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Mental Health Counselor & Coordinator – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Bilingual School Secretary – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- English Language Learner Specialist: Primary – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Family Intervention & Mental Health Services – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Class Support for Learning (Kinder) 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Class Support for Learning (4th grade) – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Class Support for Learning (5th grade) – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Class Support for Learning (ELL Teacher) – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Class Support for Learning (Elementary Specialist: Art) – 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Instructional Training 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24
- District-wide Assessment & Intervention Tools 2021/22 & 2022/23
- Custodial Support – 2021/22 & 2022/23