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As our kids go back to school, we know this is year is anything but normal with COVID-19. Back to school looks significantly different for our Seattle families than years past, and it has required our City to figure out how we?re best serving students and families through safe child care and preschool and supporting K-12 students who are in virtual learning environment.
At the City, we took a hard look at our investments from the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy, so that we could best serve Seattle students furthest from educational justice. We know that access to high-quality education is crucial to closing the opportunity gap and setting students on a path to good-paying jobs. That is why we are investing nearly $100 million focused on programs at Seattle Public Schools and community based programs that address race-based disparities in education. These investments will push Seattle closer to achieving true educational justice.
We know that lack of access to affordable quality preschool and child care is a huge issue for families, both in Seattle and nationally. This Fall, the City is extending our City-sponsored child care for 550 additional children. Accessible and safe child care is a crucial element to our City?s recovery and the long-term health and success of our kids. City-supported child care will provide full-day care to elementary-age kids. You can learn more about the Seattle Preschool Program or begin the application for the Child Care Assistance program on my blog.
In addition, Seattle Parks and Recreation is launching seven Teen Resource Hubs across the city, and these will provide virtual learning supports, internet access, connections with caring adults, and referrals to basic needs and mental health resources. We?re also expanding college and career readiness programs so our students leave school prepared to enter the postsecondary pathway of their choice, including two years of free college through Seattle Promise.
Students, parents, and educators are being forced to adapt to unprecedented situations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our investments are addressing schools and students who may be most disproportionately impacted by virtual learning.
I know these times are incredibly tough for individuals, families, and small businesses in Seattle. As we move forward, I will continue to do everything possible to get the region the resources we need to get through this pandemic.
As always, please continue to write me at [email protected], reach out via Twitter and Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on my blog.?
Stay safe and healthy during this Labor Day weekend,
 
This week, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Interim Chief of Police Adrian Diaz will held a press conference to discuss the Seattle Police Department?s decision to move 100 officers out of specialty units and into patrol.
Interim Chief Diaz released a statement to members of the Seattle Police Department reinforcing the importance of patrol officers and reliable 911 response:
The mission of the Seattle Police Department centers on preventing and responding to criminal behavior. Throughout my time on the department, and I am sure long before then, we have repeatedly said that Patrol 911 Response is the backbone of the department. We have not always supported that statement with?sufficient?resources. We also have consistently heard from community that they want to see officers more, have them respond faster to emergency calls, and spend more time getting to know neighbors and working with them to solve issues leading to criminal behavior. In recent weeks, every day?we have seen the demands?placed on patrol ? from working in the community throughout the COVID-19 crisis to responding to on-going civil unrest.??
From backyard barbecues to diving in to your favorite swimming hole, Labor Day weekend is not only an opportunity to reflect on the contributions America?s labor force has made to our country, but for many, it is also a time to celebrate the unofficial end of the summer season.
The Department of Health wants Washington?s residents to have a fun holiday weekend, while also remembering a few key things to help keep you and your loved ones safe from COVID-19.
Here is a short list of things to keep in mind when it comes to gathering together in the time of COVID-19:
- Online gatherings are the safest option
- Seeing people outside is safer than inside
- Small groups are safer than large groups
- Less time together is safer than more time together
- Within six feet, face coverings with people outside your household really are a must
- No communal food or drinks
- Skip the hugs and handshakes
- If you aren?t feeling well, stay home this weekend
- If you are to take part in a small social gathering this weekend, just make sure it?s outdoors, with well-placed bottles of hand sanitizer, chairs (and therefore people) spread at least six feet apart, and masks aplenty.?
Here are some other enjoyable activities you can safely partake in over the weekend while adhering to proper COVID-19 safety guidance:
- Walking, running and hiking
- Rollerblading and biking
- Golfing
- Camping
- Kayaking, boating and sailing
- Fitness classes, held outside, that allow distance
- Venture out to a local farm or orchard? With fall around the corner, and many farms with plentiful crops ready to harvest across the state, the Washington State Department of Health is now allowing U-Pick farm operations, indoor retail and indoor food service in counties in modified phase 1 of the Safe Start plan. Other agritourism activities in the state?s Phase 2 agritourism guidance are not currently permitted in modified phase 1 counties.
With the proper care and precautions, we can honor our workforce and all they do for us, while keeping those near us safe and having a fun and memorable Labor Day weekend.?
Happy Labor Day Washington!
You can read about more ideas and guidance that will help you enjoy your Labor Day weekend safely here at the Department of Health?s blog.
The DOH?website is your source for a healthy dose of information. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for the DOH blog,?Public Health Connection.?
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to respond to respond to President Donald Trump?s threats to revoke federal funding from cities. The Mayor also released her own statement in response:
?Seattle and cities across America have faced unprecedented challenges with a global pandemic, an economic crisis and a civil rights reckoning.? We have lost a record number of American lives, jobs and businesses.??
At every turn we badly needed leadership from the President. Yet we have the opposite. No protection for our health care workers, first responders, our small businesses or our local governments who have been on the frontlines of these crises.?
For four years, he has raged at cities and threatened them. Consistently Courts have had to reign him in, to tell him he did not have the powers of a despot and is not above the law.? Now his bluster continues by threatening to deny federal funding (including COVID-19 funding) for millions of Americans.
The President?s actions continually harm cities and the millions of residents who live in our nation?s cities.? At a time when our nation desperately needs healing, a cure to the virus and a federal government to lead us through this crisis, the President invents yet another way to divide.??
President Trump cannot defund Seattle ? it is unlawful. Surely the Attorney General has advised the President of the United States that he does not have the power to decide who gets funding based on his political interests.?
This is the latest attempt to distract from the fact that COVID-19 has infected over 6 million Americans, killed 185,000 people, and destroyed the American economy.? The only lawless zone in America, where the rule of law is disregarded, is at the White House.
America?s cities will not be distracted by his actions.? We will continue to work to bridge divides, rebuild our economy, address gun violence and systemic racism, and make our cities more just and equitable.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has reported that shifting wind patters may allow for smoke from the California wildfires to reach the Puget Sound region this weekend, including Seattle. Starting this evening and into the weekend, hazy skies may be visible across our region. Air quality at ground level should be minimally impacted as the smoke is expected to stay in the higher levels of the atmosphere.?
You can always find the current air quality in your region by visiting https://www.pscleanair.gov/
 This Wednesday was Chief Carmen Best?s last day as Chief of the Seattle Police Department. Chief Best served on the force for 28 years, and was the first black police chief in Seattle?s history. Mayor Durkan praised Chief Best last month when the Chief announced her intention to step down:
?For almost 30 years, Chief Carmen Best has worked to serve and protect the people of Seattle. She rose through the ranks during a time when doing so was unprecedented and extraordinary for a woman ? particularly a Black woman. She defied institutional barriers and always sought to lift others up along the way. Over the course of her career on the force, she established herself as a national leader in community-based policing and I believed she was the person to help lead our City forward to truly reimagine policing. While I understand the Chief?s reasons for retiring, I also accept her decision with a heavy heart. I believe she has been the leader Seattle and SPD needs and her retirement will be a significant loss for me and the city. I hope that going forward, all of Seattle can engage in hard and necessary conversations about policing and community safety and that we can do so from a place of mutual respect ? even when we disagree?
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