Community Members Overwhelm School Board With Comments

A School Board meeting going into overtime is an unusual occurrence, but on Wednesday night, that was exactly the case. A flood of public comment kept Sumner School Board members in their seats past 9 p.m.

Among those speaking was a quintet of community members making a presentation on behalf of Sumner School District students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and seven others in representation of continued efforts to keep the Sumner Pool open.

 “We would like to actively partner with the school district, to help them meet the needs of our children,” said Jill Karsh, speaking on behalf of parents of children with ASD.

Karsh introduced a request to form an advisory board of parents, special-education staff and community members to support the search for a qualified autism specialist for the district, as well as create a long-term plan and educational goals for ASD students.

Ken Turcotte, who worked with ASD students two and a half days a week, is leaving for another district at the end of the school year. Parents and educators are seizing upon his departure to lobby for the hiring of a full-time ASD specialist.

 “Our son doesn’t get to choose what day of the week he has autism,” said Melanie Roach, wife of Pierce County Councilman Dan Roach. Both spoke at Wednesday’s meeting.

Briana Hall, a private behavioral therapist who works with autistic children, told board members that the number of ASD cases is increasing 10 to 17 percent annually, and that one in 110 children in the United States has been diagnosed with ASD.

That number is “likely an underestimate,” she added, given the number of parents who opt to not have their children tested.

The round of comments ended with Tara Wilson introducing her 6-year-old son Riley, who she called a Sumner School District “success story.”  Wilson said that as a toddler, Riley was unable to go out in public because he would bite himself and bang his head against walls.

Wednesday night, he approached the microphone to speak about his favorite classes and after-school activities.

Board President Sherm Voiles was clearly impressed by the organization of the presentation.

 “I’m sure what you’re asking for we can accomplish,” he said.

Also speaking was a group of Bonney Lake and Sumner High swimmers and water-polo players, a parent of a Titans Swim Club member and Assistant Pool Manager David Easley in regard to the swimming pool at Sumner High.

The group noted several benefits of the pool: It encourages fitness and prevents people from drowning in the lake by providing swim lessons; it is free, as opposed to the high cost of a YMCA membership; community members have found employment there; and it keeps kids off the streets and out of trouble.

Sumner’s swim team placed third in the state this year, which, speakers said, it would not have been able to do without having a home pool in which to practice.

Most importantly, they said, the pool supports community growth.

Megan Grant, a 2009 Bonney Lake graduate and swimmer, said that she knew every person speaking at the meeting, “and that is because of this pool.”

Voiles said that district finances are becoming tighter every year, and that everything has to be taken into account before making a final decision.

Still, he said, “There is not a board member up here who wants to close it.”