Change To MIHS School Calendar For November 10 

Dear Mercer Island High School Staff, Students, and Families,

Providing a safe and supportive learning environment is one of the four Mercer Island School District values. Schools, classrooms, buses, soccer fields, and stages should be places where students thrive without worry for their well-being. These same spaces should also be environments where our teachers, educational assistants, counselors, bus drivers, and administrators feel equipped and empowered to meet students' needs.

The news of staff who crossed professional boundaries and either engaged in or are alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct with a former student is unbelievably challenging for us all, including our staff. We recognize that individuals and groups need something different to help process, heal, and move forward.

Next Monday, sandwiched between the weekend and Veterans’ Day, offers a unique opportunity to step back from the typical school day and give our MIHS staff time and space to reconnect, reflect, and recalibrate. By canceling school for students, we are allowing our MIHS certificated and classified staff to work together to reaffirm the school culture we all envision. 

Our school and district teams are working closely with community partners such as King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) and Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (MIYFS) to plan and ensure the day sets us on a path that meets this moment.

As a point of clarification, elementary and middle school students and staff will have a typical school day, but Mercer Island High School and Pathways will have a non-student day next Monday, November 10.  If a middle school or elementary school student has a class at MIHS, that class is cancelled on Monday, November 10. All schools are closed on Tuesday, November 11, for Veterans’ Day.

Respectfully,

Fred Rundle
Superintendent

Nick Wold
Principal

Jamie Prescott
Director of High School and Post Secondary Success