Running Start Left Behind

Research by Kathleen Ultis, Photography by Lucas Martin

The start of the school year is a time of anxiety, joy, and new beginnings for many students. But for some Running Start students, it was a time of confusion and isolation. On the first day of school, Running Start students were approached during their ‘free’ periods by administrators and informed of a new policy.  The policy given to The Cascade is as follows: If a student is enrolled at Ingraham and another school (Running Start, skill center, internships, etc.) they can access the campus when they have classes at Ingraham. When they don’t have classes at Ingraham, they are expected to go to their other enrolled school. 

For many Running Start students, this policy was upsetting. Many students relied on the time at school during their ‘free’ periods to study, attend zoom meetings, and complete work. Many were left confused as to why the policy was needed, while others were frustrated at the lack of communication.  According to administration, the main factor for the policy change is safety. Assistant Principal Mr. Elvig told The Cascade “We have 144 Running Start students this year and so with those students- if they are allowed on campus, we don't know where they are. And so, if for some reason there was an emergency where we needed to know where students are, we don't know where they are because they're not in the class.” Essentially, administration has no way of keeping track of Running Start students when they are on campus. Also, in the case of an emergency such as an earthquake or fire, there is no designated place for Running Start students to go to ensure their safety.  

A secondary factor in the decision was disruptions to the learning environment. Over the years administration has noticed that “There was a lot of students that were bringing stuff like Chick-fil-A to school and other things, and so that would attract other students and [they would] talk to them, and they would be outside of classrooms and that can be a little bit disruptive for teachers” (Elvig.) It is administration's opinion that as dual enrolled students, Running Start students still have resources such as libraries, counselors, and transportation provided to them by their college. As such, those students can do their work at the college, instead of disrupting Ingraham’s learning environment.  

And finally, administration made this policy because in years past, non-Running Start students have voiced feeling targeted when they were asked to go back to class, and Running Start students were not. Wanting to enforce equity, admin considered these concerns in the creating of the Running Start policy.  

Ingraham is not the only school with divisive policies regarding Running Start students. Krista Rillo, a counselor at Chief Sealth International Highschool said “If a student does not have a class on campus, they are not to be on campus unless they have an appointment or meeting scheduled on campus.” Notably, Chief Sealth is in in a residential neighborhood, unlike Ingraham, which is close to one of the busiest roads in the city.  

Nathan Hale High School is relatively close to Ingraham, and unlike Chief Sealth and Ingraham, it is not an IB school. Makela Steward, the Assistant Principal at Nathan Hale said “Our Running Start students are able to be in the building a little before their classes at Hale begin. They can be in the Activities Center or the library.  However, if they are a full time Running Start student, we don’t allow them to hang in the building at all. They may need to come into the building to meet with a counselor, admin or go to the library for research and we allow that in moderation.” Nathan Hale accommodates Running Start students, while still maintaining safety and an academic environment.  

It is every school’s responsibility to preserve the work environment and safety of students. For every school, that responsibility may be expressed differently. However, it is important to consider the effects of these policies on student life. 

While many Running Start students are aware of the safety issues their presence at Ingraham presents, they have not reacted favorably to the new policy. Some of the main concerns they hold include isolation from the larger Ingraham community, the lack of communication surrounding the policy between administration and those affected by it, and the lack of easy access to transportation and academic resources. 

Senior Marit Bloom described her sustained effort to communicate in a meaningful way with administration, and the lack of reciprocity she received. “Both myself and my parents have reached out to the school to communicate and none of them have reciprocated any of it, or [expressed] the need for it,” she explained to Cascade reporters. She and her family emailed multiple times, and when they finally received a response, the response did not explain the points she was most concerned about, which included “[the need] to fully understand what they were telling us […] and how it really came out of nowhere.” She would not receive a response for multiple weeks. 

Students were left wondering where their place at Ingraham was after the policy was created, especially given that there was no written policy created at the time of its implementation. When asked, responses from administrators did not imply that they were included in the Ingraham community to the same extent as non-Running Start students. Bloom received an email from Principal Floe in response to an email she had sent that detailed her opinions on the policy and her concerns with it. The Cascade was informed by Bloom that, “He basically wrote- from a student perspective reading it- that Running Start students were a burden to the school and that they weren't responsible for us even though we are still Ingraham students. So that was very frustrating” (Marit Bloom).  

Another senior, Lauren Colquhoun, described the environment surrounding Running Start students as “kind of cold, and lonely." Students raised the idea to Assistant Principal Elvig that being around a peer group of kids their age could feel safer, and he replied, “I would just ask, like, how do you evaluate like that type of concern?”

The last and perhaps most pragmatic concern of students regards transportation between Ingraham and their Running Start schools. When describing how she has to make it from Ingraham to North Seattle Community College, senior Freya Frahm said, “The bus takes like 15 minutes depending on how much I have to wait, and then to get home it takes like an hour,” Another senior, Christopher Hughes, explained, “I do sports, so I have to be back at 4, but I have a 4th period and then my school ends, so I have to go home every time, which is obviously very frustrating. I spend an extra half hour a day on transportation,” when asked about how the new policy was inconveniencing him- and the planet. “Think of the carbon emissions!” he exclaimed during his interview. Issues of equity are also relevant to this conversation, as students who have access to cars will spend much less time on the extra transportation the policy requires than students who have to use public transportation.  This is clearly an extremely complex issue, and the Cascade hopes that understanding can be reached between the student body and school administration.