Peninsula teachers, others blast school board’s new staff expression policy
Oct 22, 2024The policy establishes that the district can discipline, or even fire, employees whose off-the-clock comments have an “adverse impact on district operations.”
Conservative, progressive values collide in state superintendent race
Oct 16, 2024As K-12 schools have become a battleground for culture wars, it’s no surprise that the 2024 race for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, a nonpartisan position, is fraught with political overtones. David Olson, a longtime Peninsula School District board member, hopes to unseat incumbent Chris Reykdal, seeking a third term as head of the state’s
Peninsula High School pool beset with leaks, closed for repairs
Oct 01, 2024The Peninsula High School pool is out of commission due to multiple leaks in pipes underground. The Peninsula swim team has been practicing at Gig Harbor High’s pool, and that’s likely to continue for the foreseeable future, with repairs not yet underway, Patrick Gillespie, Peninsula School District’s facilities director, told the school board last week.
Parents sue Peninsula School District in Evergreen sexual abuse case
Sep 30, 2024Parents of students who were victims of alleged sexual abuse by a teacher at Evergreen Elementary School are suing Peninsula School District. Pierce County prosecutors charged Jordan Roy Henderson with 12 counts of first-degree child molestation. Allegations against Henderson in court documents claim he sexually abused female students at the school over a two-year period.
Peninsula School District gives details on plan to tackle bullying, harassment
Sep 30, 2024The district expects to have a review of its harassment and bullying policies and practices, and where changes could be made, by December or January.
Peninsula School District warns of rise in cyberbullying
Sep 19, 2024Peninsula School District is seeing a rise in online bullying, Superintendent Krestin Bahr reported to families and staff on Tuesday. Bahr, in a statement posted on the district’s website, called the trend “deeply concerning.” “Students have been posting unflattering and sometimes explicit photos of students and staff without their consent on social media sites, namely
Fish Bowl fans (mostly) OK with new venue, tighter security
Sep 08, 2024“I’m sorry you’ll have to walk around,” a woman in a safety vest told several teens Saturday as fans arrived at Mt. Tahoma High School stadium for Fish Bowl 2024. The separation of fans — Gig Harbor Tides’ boosters on one side of the stadium, Peninsula Seahawks’ faithful on the other — was part of
From the first day of school to the last, they hold it all together
Sep 03, 2024It’s 9:30 a.m. Sept. 3, at Voyager Elementary School. The 2024-25 school year is less than an hour old. Office secretary Juli Williams has already wrangled the torrent of excited students pouring through the doors, directing kids to their classrooms, answering parents’ questions, helping one bewildered boy figure out who his teacher is this year.
Wit & Wisdom, being piloted in Peninsula elementary schools, criticized by some parents
Sep 02, 2024Peninsula School District is updating its K-5 English Language Arts curriculum and will pilot two options starting this fall. The proposed curricula will get a test drive in selected classrooms in all 10 district elementary schools. People speaking before the Peninsula School Board this summer strongly criticized one of the curricula in the K-5 pilot,
Gig Harbor student hits disc golf pro tour, studies on the go
Aug 21, 2024Disc golf may not be an Olympic sport yet, but when (if) that happens, Carter Ahrens, 17, will be one to watch as a potential U.S. team member. Ahrens, of Gig Harbor, is spending 2024 on the Disc Golf Pro Tour, which dad Chuck explains is the top tier of competition in the sport. One