Enumclaw Courier-Herald, January 15, 2014

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School district wrestles with Twitter By Dennis Box Editor

Social media became the talk of the NOOB town during the Dec. 16 meeting of the Enumclaw School Board. ROFL A group of eight parents and students spoke to board memG SLAN bers concerning a complaint filed by the Farr Law Group involving some students’ OMG Twitter accounts and the school district’s reaction to the complaint. Most of the students were high-school IMO athletes. The CourierGAY Herald was able to confirm that at least one was Y OLO not. DERP Students and parents asked pointed questions about the right and LOL responsibility of the school district to get involved in student’s speech outside of school hours and off school property. Students and parents also expressed concerns that someone was following the students on social media and questioned the motivation behind such action. The complaint and the school district’s Graphic by Kathy McCauley response brought to light a myriad of issues involving social media that school administrators and parents are struggling with across the cerning language used by about seven Enumclaw state and nation. High School students on their Twitter accounts. The Courier-Herald received the documents The Beginning in question following a public records request. The story began when the Enumclaw-based The letter filed by the firm, signed by Megan Farr Law Group filed a complaint June 26 con- Farr, was accompanied by a “Discrimination,

:)

White River gridiron greats Page 10

Weather The forecast today, Wednesday, calls for mostly sunny skies with a high to 51 and overnight lows to 35. Thursday and Friday will be mostly sunny with high to 53. A chance of rain begins Saturday and Sunday with highs to 51 and lows to 40.

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Griffin Avenue work begins in spring

News ..................................ext. 3 Retail Ads .........................ext. 2 Circulation ........................ext. 1 Classifieds..................ext. 7050

By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer

Enumclaw drivers will be making some detours throughout the spring and summer, as a heavily-traveled Griffin Avenue is chewed up and smoothed out. The state Department of Transportation is committed to spending somewhere in excess of $2

million – but less than $2.5 million – to upgrade the section of Griffin that also serves as the easternmost leg of state Route 164. DOT spokeswoman Broch Bender said the project stretches a little more than a mile, from High Point Street to the junction of Griffin and state Route 410. Work is expected to begin in early April, she said, and continue into September. There will be daytime lane closures, she said, with identified detours to guide motorists around the ongoing work. The project entails grinding away the existing asphalt and putting down a new surface. Before that work gets under way, Bender said, the DOT will replace 90 existing curb cuts at 26 intersec-

Harassment, Intimidation, Bullying” form. Also included where screen shots of the students’ personal Twitter accounts from February through June 2013. The letter stated a client brought the issue to the firm and the individual wished to remain anonymous “for fear of retribution. The complaint is sent through our office to (hopefully) communicate its seriousness, with the hope that the district will treat this appropriately. “The complaint regards what appears to us a pattern amongst students in your district to use the words ‘faggot’ (or a variation thereof) – along with other offensive remarks, and general profanity. “Given past district initiatives to counter bullying and encourage kindness – we trust the school district will handle this appropriately.”

School District Action

The school district sent a letter to the law firm stating, “As you likely know, the District has limited authority to impose student discipline for student behavior that occurs off campus. Nevertheless, our high school administrative team will conduct an investigation the week of July 8-12. Appropriate action will be taken with each individual student based on the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation.” According to the district, about seven stu-

See TWITTER, Page 3 tions. The existing curb cuts - which allow wheelchairs to access city sidewalks – no longer meet specifications, she said, as the slope is too steep. As part of the overall project, the DOT also will be installing a traffic light at the intersection of Watson Street and 410. The DOT commissioned a traffic study, which showed enough vehicle trips to justify a light, Bender said, pointing out the growth in both businesses and homes south of the highway. The intersection has Safeway on one side and McDonald’s on the other. A schedule for installation of the traffic light has not been established.

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