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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>WSSSC, sharing a communication from SBCTC Director of Communications Laura McDowell and the below letter from DE Secretary of Education regarding recent events.
<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Good morning members of the Public Information Commission and Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Council,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Amy Morrison, president of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology, just shared a message on campus safety from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Please see below and attached. Feel free to share.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today I’m working on a sample statement and free speech web page. It will need to go through a round of review and approvals though.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">More to come. Whether or not our colleges experience unrest due to the Israel-Gaza conflict, we will surely face unrest as we move closer to the general election.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Laura<o:p></o:p></p>
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McDowell<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Medium",sans-serif;color:#003764">Director of Communications</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Medium",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><a href="mailto:lmcdowell@sbctc.edu"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:blue">lmcdowell@sbctc.edu</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003561">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">• o: 360-704-4310 • f: 360-704-4415 • c: 360-280-0670</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003561"><a href="https://www.sbctc.edu/"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:blue">sbctc.edu</span></a>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">• Twitter:
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003561"><a href="https://twitter.com/SBCTCWashington"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:blue">@SBCTCWashington</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003764">
• Facebook: </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#003561"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wasbctc/"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:blue">@WASBCTC</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">From:</span></b><span style="color:black"> U.S. Department of Education <<a href="mailto:OPA@ed.gov">OPA@ed.gov</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, May 3, 2024 4:47 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> U.S. Department of Education <<a href="mailto:OPA@ed.gov">OPA@ed.gov</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Resources from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Campus Safety</span>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:gold"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">EXTERNAL SENDER: Use caution with links and attachments message13</span></b><span style="color:black">
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#17365D">THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#17365D">WASHINGTON, DC 20202</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<h1 style="margin-top:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext">May 3, 2024</span><o:p></o:p></h1>
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<h1 style="margin-top:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext">Dear Colleague,</span><o:p></o:p></h1>
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<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="xnormaltextrun"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;background:white">This is an extremely challenging moment for many school communities
across the country.</span></span><span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;background:white"> What we are witnessing every day on college campuses is deeply concerning, as we hear increasing reports of
students feeling unsafe. Students should be able to learn, attend class, and go to commencements without fear or disruption of their educational experience. There is no place for violence on campus ever. As President Biden said yesterday, “In America, violent
protest is not protected; peaceful protest is.”</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;background:white"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">I am particularly disturbed by the sharp rise in antisemitism targeting Jewish students on some college campuses. In recent
days, </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Jewish students have reported:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext">Being physically assaulted or harassed while walking on campus, simply for being Jewish;
</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext">Being subjected to virulently antisemitic statements, such as that Jewish students should “go back to Poland;”</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext">Being subjected to verbal abuse, such as while praying for the safety of hostages being held by Hamas; and</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:windowtext">Coming back to their dorm rooms to find swastikas on their doors.
</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">These and other such incidents are abhorrent, period. They have no place on our college campuses. Antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited by Title
VI<span style="color:black"> of the Civil Rights Act of 1964</span>. And we stand against antisemitism. We also stand against other forms of hate. Many Jewish students are experiencing fear right now, worried about being targeted for who they are, and it is
critical that university campuses be free of such fear.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">The Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights investigates antisemitism and other forms of discrimination in education, including
college campuses. Since October 7th, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights has opened more than 100 investigations into complaints about antisemitism and other forms of discrimination under Title VI. ED has a number of resources to support schools in meeting their
obligations to provide school environments free from discrimination, including a
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ocr-factsheet-shared-ancestry-202301.pdf">fact sheet</a><span style="color:black"> on Protecting Students from
Discrimination Based on Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics and </span><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/sharedancestry.html">Dear Colleague Letters</a><span style="color:black"> that were sent to schools and colleges across the country.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal"><span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Over the past several months,</span></span><span class="xnormaltextrun"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">
I and other </span></span><span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">senior members of the Biden-Harris Administration have held listening sessions and public events and issued new guidance
and resources, to support school leaders, educators, staff, and students with </span>
</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:105%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="https://sites.ed.gov/cfbnp/actions-undertaken-by-the-u-s-department-of-education-since-the-october-7-2023-hamas-attacks-in-israel/"><span style="background:white">promising
strategies</span></a><span style="color:black;background:white"> for creating and maintaining safe and inclusive learning environments</span>. Since October, we have been in constant communication with community leaders, students, and educators, to hear what
they are experiencing and to support them. <span class="xeop"><span style="color:black">As the 2023-24 school year comes to a close,
</span></span>I remain incredibly concerned about antisemitic hate directed at students on some campuses.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xparagraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline">The ability to engage student voices on challenging issues has always been a hallmark of our country’s progress. People have a right to peacefully protest policies that they disagree with and,
of course, to exercise their First Amendment rights. However, environments where students feel unsafe and experience discrimination on college campuses cannot be tolerated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xparagraph" style="margin:0in;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="xnormaltextrun"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="xmsohyperlink"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">At the Department of Education, we are eager to provide further resources, training,
</span></span><span class="xnormaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;background:white">technical assistance to help you
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">ensure that our nation’s institutions of higher education foster a culture of safety and inclusion while fulfilling their obligations under federal civil rights law. Examples of additional resources
we want to highlight include:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:#343C47;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo6;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a href="https://sites.ed.gov/cfbnp/us-department-of-education-meets-with-universities-on-school-policies-during-the-israel-hamas-conflict-spring-2024/"><span style="color:#316194;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Promising
Postsecondary Strategies for Creating Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments During the Israel-Hamas Conflict</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:#343C47;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo6;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a href="https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/ihe/promoting-religious-inclusion-campuses"><span style="color:#316194;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Resources for Combatting
Antisemitism and Islamophobia While Promoting Religious Inclusion in Schools | National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:#343C47;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo6;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">New and existing Office for Civil Rights resources:</span><o:p></o:p></li><ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:#343C47;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l3 level2 lfo6;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/sharedancestry.html"><span style="color:#316194;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Discrimination on the Basis of Shared
Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:#343C47;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l3 level2 lfo6;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/sharedancestry-list.html"><span style="color:#316194;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">List of Open Title VI Shared Ancestry
Investigations, Fiscal Year 2024 (beginning 10/1/2023)</span></a></span><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#316194;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">.
</span></u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">To request technical assistance regarding the Office for Civil Rights’ enforcement of Title VI, please contact
<a href="mailto:OCR@ed.gov">OCR@ed.gov</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="xmsolistparagraph" style="color:#343C47;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:0in;line-height:normal;mso-list:l3 level2 lfo6;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a href="https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/firstamend.html"><span style="color:#316194;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Dear Colleague Letter to Schools and Universities
on the First Amendment</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</ul>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span class="xeop"><span style="color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">Antisemitism is unacceptable. So is any other form of hate. Many</span></span><span class="xnormaltextrun"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">
students from Jewish, Muslim, Israeli, and Arab communities have told us that they felt unsafe at school or unfairly targeted simply because of who they are.</span></span><span class="xeop"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"> No
students should have to hide symbols of their faith or ancestry for fear of harassment or violence. We take these reports very seriously and will investigate discrimination aggressively. We will continue to work together with you to ensure safe and inclusive
learning environments where all students are free to fully experience the rich communities of learning that institutions of higher education provide. For more information on these and other related efforts, please visit our webpage on
</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><a href="https://sites.ed.gov/cfbnp/actions-undertaken-by-the-u-s-department-of-education-since-the-october-7-2023-hamas-attacks-in-israel/">Supporting Campus Safety</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal;background:white;vertical-align:baseline">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Sincerely,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<img border="0" width="284" height="72" style="width:2.9583in;height:.75in" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image005.png@01DA9D37.54022600"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:2.0in;line-height:normal">
<span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">U.S. Secretary of Education</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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