Students at one Seattle elementary school are getting an unexpected lesson in sharing, as district officials are refusing assistance from the city to remove a homeless encampment on school grounds until all of the vagrants are placed in shelters, according to KOMO.
Students returned to campus for in-person classes earlier this month.
The decision to let the homeless remain – over a quarter of whom have severe mental illness or substance abuse issues – has rattled some parents, who have asked the district to reconsider.
“I am calling on the school board to allow Jenny Durkan to take of these encampment as she has in the past, offer services and then guide campers out of the park,” said one parent, Ryle Goodrich.
According to Mayor Jenny Durkan, however, the city needs permission from the district to do so.
“Seattle Public Schools is a separate governmental entity and it controls its own properties,” Durkan told KOMO. “The City of Seattle does not and cannot go onto school grounds and start dealing with encampments.”- READ MORE
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