REPORTER CENTRAL KITSAP
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014 | Vol. 30, No. 11 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
School takes steps to allow guide dog
IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
Rules balance risk with educational rewards of animals
Thoughtexchange program used to get community feedback
BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
School officials will take steps to allow a guide dog in-training to remain in a Green Mountain Elementary classroom. For the past nine years, teacher Cindy Jaquay brought a guide dog into her classroom to socialize the animal for the non-profit Guide Dogs of America program. Her current dog is a Yellow Labrador Retriever puppy named Bridget. But after a risk assessment walkCindy Jaquay through done with with Bridget. the school’s insurance provider, Jaquay was told she needed to remove the dog from her classroom since it conflicted with school policy. The Central Kitsap School Board reviewed their policy on animals at their Dec. 10 meeting and determined the dog could be allowed for its educational value if a specific, written plan was approved by the school’s principal, Thomasina Rogers. The school’s policy on dogs was written with the idea that dogs and cats might be brought in briefly for one-time events such as show-andtell. “The other challenge we were having prior to this policy was that we had staff members bringing their pets to school because they didn’t want to leave them at home,” said David McVicker, district superintendent. But, McVicker said, “If you look at the policy I think it’s got the capability to have a plan … and make an exception” for the guide dogs in-training. “Animals can play an important part in education,” states district policy 6520. “Animals shall not be brought to school unless the educational value of the animals’ presence SEE GUIDE DOG, A9
CK teachers appreciated, stressed-out, poll shows BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
Luke Wesson / staff photos
Above: Carolers sing holiday tunes at the Old Mill Town Christmas in Seabeck last Sunday. Below left: Young and old alike enjoy a hayride at the celebration. Below right: Chuck Kraining plays the part of oldtime logger Marshall Blinn who was a pioneer lumberman in Seabeck in the mid 1850s.
Holiday events are many around the towns The holidays are definitely upon us. Last weekend, more than 1,500 children and families were treated to a visit with Santa and toys for the kids at the annual Toys For Tots event at the fairgrounds. Local Marines were on hand to greet the folks. On Sunday, a full house took part in the Old Mill Christmas at the Seabeck Conference Center where they stepped back in time to celebrate Christmas as it would have been in the mid 1800s. During the evening, they were treated to a roasted pork dinner complete with apple pie. The event raises funds for the Kitsap Historical Society.
Teachers and staff at Central Kitsap schools are highly appreciated but feel overworked, according to the results from the “Thoughtexchange” online survey which the district sponsored this year. Using the Thoughtexchange process, 4,104 people submitted 9,074 comments via a district web page. They later voted on their own ideas or for ideas submitted by other people by allocating “stars” to the submissions they liked best. A total of 115,924 stars were allocated. The data collection phase is over, and the final results will be posted on the district’s web site ( www.cksd. wednet.edu ) by the next CK school board meeting Jan. 14. But school board members got an early peek at of the Thoughtexchange results this week. The summary showed that parents and guardians accounted for 65 percent of the responses. School staff accounted for 23 percent, students for six percent, citizens for four percent and “other” for one percent. According to the data, the largest number of stars – around 40 percent of the total – indicated that the community appreciated the district’s teachers, staff and leadership. “School environment” received the second-highest marks with around seven percent of the total stars. Teachers and staff “truly care about the children,” the report stated. The data also showed where the district needed improvement. Example: teachers and staff felt overworked. “All staff are overwhelmed,” according to the report. The issue was a top-scorer across nine different schools. “To me, what this reflects is we
Luke Wesson / staff photo
Santa’s elf Addyson, 6, thinks about what toy to pick for another child.
SEE TEACHERS, A9
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