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YO U R H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
728 3rd St., Ste. D Mukilteo, WA 98275
3 district schools threatened by teen
Volume XXX
Number 20
A community celebration Residents flock to Merry Mukilteo and Tree Lighting Festival
14-year-old suspect arrested by DAVID PAN reporter @ yourbeacon . net
see
SCHOOLS THREATENED page 13 u
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
Mukilteo School District committee recommends the classic be pulled as required reading School Board will make the final decision on the acclaimed novel by DAVID PAN reporter @ yourbeacon . net
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14-year-old suspect was arrested after allegedly making threats at three Mukilteo District schools. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated a threat made towards Voyager Middle School, Explorer Middle School, and Mariner High School at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. All three schools are in Everett city limits. When they arrived, deputies discovered an anonymous social media post that indicated there would be a shooting at the three schools. Patrol deputies requested assistance from the Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit and detectives began working the case. Detectives were able to identify the source of the social media post, and deputies responded to the suspect’s residence. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. The suspect was transported to Denny Youth Center and booked on six felony charges. The threats came after four students were killed by a 14-year-old classmate at Oxford High School Nov. 30 in Oxford Township, Mich. District communications and public relations director Diane Bradford noted there are permanent security resource officers at Mariner and Explorer, and that there was additional law enforcement presence at all three schools on Thursday. “Every time if there is any kind of threat, no matter the threat, or how it comes in, we always engage local law enforcement,” Bradford said. “They are the ones to investigate.” In a message to families, the district said several students reported a threat on social media directed at Mariner, Voyager, and Explorer schools. “We notified law enforcement, staff, and families at those schools last night,” the district said. “In the night, the person responsible for the threatening post was taken into custody. Staff and families at those three schools received an update early this morning. We are grateful for Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department’s quick work to resolve the issue and the staff who monitored the situation throughout the night. “These situations, even once resolved, are understandably concerning. This was a
December 8, 2021
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he fate of Harper Lee’s acclaimed book, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” as the only required novel taught in the ninth grade now rests with the Mukilteo School Board. In response to a formal request to reconsider the district’s curriculum by three high school teachers, the Instructional Materials Committee voted to recommend that “To Kill a Mockingbird” be removed from the ninth grade English Language Arts curriculum. Kamiak English teachers Riley Gaggero and Verena Kuzmany, as well as Mukilteo Virtual Academy English teacher Rachel Johnson, submitted the request. The vote – which was anonymous – was 63.2% in favor and 36.8% opposed. The committee is composed of about 20 people, including teachers, librarians, administrators, parents, and community members. The ninth-grade faculty at Kamiak voted to use “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brenda Kiely, as a replacement novel for the 2021-22 school year. The request said the novel, co-written by an African-American author and a White author, deals with modern civil rights issues from the point of view of both an African-American teenager and see
BOOK BAN page 18 u
Beacon photos by David Pan
Santa Claus greets a young child during the 2021 Mukilteo Tree Lighting Festival.
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by DAVID PAN reporter @ yourbeacon . net
udging by the large numbers of people and how much fun the kids were having, the first of what the City of Mukilteo and the Chamber of Commerce hope will be many Merry Mukilteo and Tree Lighting Festivals was a bonafide hit. Residents braved the cold temperatures Saturday, Dec. 4, to gather together in Old Town. see
TREE LIGHTING page 6 u
Jericho Bridge Church members Sonja Hancock, Preston Smith, 7, and Anthony Hancock, 5, hand out free gingerbread house kits to kids during the Merry Mukilteo and Tree Lighting Festival.
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