Accountability Must Apply at Every Level

As SEA members continue collecting signatures and calling for Ibijoke Idowu to resign as SEA President, a new KUOW report raises broader questions about how Seattle Public Schools handles employee misconduct investigations and student safety.

KUOW reported on August 13 that SPS is moving forward with an audit of its Human Resources practices, including whether investigations are completed in a timely manner and whether outcomes are applied consistently.  The article mentions that SPS acknowledged shortcomings in district systems for handling investigations and emphasized the need for processes that protect children while also providing employees due process.

This matters.

The Idowu investigation took approximately six months, beginning after she was placed on administrative leave in December 2025 and concluding in June 2026.  The investigation ultimately substantiated serious allegations under SPS's “more likely than not” standard.  The new HR audit is on questions SPS is now asking—about timeliness, consistency, accountability, and protecting children—that are directly relevant to the concerns members have raised throughout this process.

These are not entirely new concerns.  SPS previously commissioned an independent student-safety audit that identified confusion over responsibility for disciplinary decisions and recommended clearer procedures for investigations involving student safety.

Meanwhile, our recall effort continues.  We continue to collect signatures from SEA members across schools, professions, and communities throughout the district.  We continue to call upon Ibijoke Idowu to resign.

And we continue to insist upon something very simple:

Protect students. Respect due process. Follow the evidence. Follow our bylaws. Let SEA members decide.

Thank you to every member who has signed, verified their membership, shared the petition, and encouraged colleagues to read the investigation for themselves.

We are not stopping.

If you are currently an active SEA member, please complete the form here:

Click link to Confidential Signature Verification Form here

Please complete the form only once and use your name as it appears in SEA membership records.  Your information will not be published publicly; it may be provided to authorized SEA or WEA representatives only as necessary to verify the formal recall petition.

Share the petition directly with SEA colleagues who have not seen it.
Ask eligible SEA members to sign using their full names.
If you have already signed, personally contact at least one colleague today.
If you are a current active SEA member, complete the private membership-verification form.
Our goal is 900–1,000+  signatures.  Please keep signing, verifying, and sharing until we reach it. Every eligible member who adds their name strengthens our collective demand to be heard.

Works Cited:

Gasca, Noel. “Seattle Public Schools Audits HR Department After Complaints of a Broken System.” KUOW, 13 Aug. 2026, https://www.kuow.org/education/2026-08-13/seattle-public-schools-audits-hr-department-after-complaints-of-a-broken-system