Board accepts civic-engagement monitoring report; district highlights SEL integration, Portrait of a Graduate and Care Solace referrals

The Issaquah School Board on March 26 accepted the district's monitoring report for Results 3: Civic Engagement and received an update on strategic-plan implementation related to student well-being and academic opportunities.

Assistant Superintendent Jacqueline Downey said students report strong outcomes on respect and ethical decision-making: for example, 94% of high-school students and 86% of seventh-graders selected survey responses indicating willingness to consider others' opinions while making decisions. Downey and executive director Rich Melish also noted areas for growth, particularly in student agency where responses were more mixed (for example, a lower proportion of students indicated they feel they have impact in their communities).

The district described actions being taken in response: integrating Washington State SEL standards into high-school coursework, finalizing a high-school SEL playbook, mapping a K-12 student goal-setting pathway aligned with the Portrait of a Graduate, and piloting a strengths-based collaborative intervention model. Staff also reported a resource fair that served over 437 families (about 870 students) offering supplies and health supports.

Board members asked detailed questions about how curriculum adoption mitigates bias, how students are taught to evaluate sources (including AI-generated material), the district's guidance to staff on AI uses, and the quality and representativeness of survey response rates. Staff said ed-tech teams have produced guidance for teachers, a full training in January reached secondary staff on AI use, and additional materials will be shared.

Staff highlighted Care Solace, a care-coordination service available to students, staff and families: since July the program has handled roughly 80 referrals, achieved 42 successful connections to care, and saved more than 140 staff hours by offloading care-navigation tasks.

Board members requested clearer method notes for surveys and more disaggregated data (for example, comparing micro-school survey responses with traditional middle-school results). District staff said they will continue to refine data collection and report back as the strategic-plan refresh progresses.