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Key takeaways
- Students with intellectual disabilities presented Project SEARCH, a program that places them in rotating internships at Swedish Edmonds Hospital in roles ranging from sterile processing to the front desk.
- The board heard an overview of a new peer mediation program – launching next year in seven high schools and four middle schools at no cost to the District – that trains students to resolve peer conflicts before they reach formal discipline.
Students and community leaders took center stage at the May 12 Edmonds School Board meeting where they presented their accomplishments in two district programs:, including a student-led conflict meditation program and an internship program for students with disabilities.
Project SEARCH
Students with intellectual disabilities shared their experiences in gaining hands-on job skills at Swedish Edmonds Hospital through the District’s Project SEARCH, an initiative helping students with disabilities find employment after high school.
At the meeting, students detailed their experience in the program, having participated in a wide array of internships at the hospital. They took on roles in sterile processing, the cancer institute, the warehouse, security, the kitchen, the linen room and the front desk. Their daily tasks ranged from restocking linen closets and delivering packages to making coffee as a barista and escorting patients to their destinations.
“Not having a job before, this program helps us to learn what it’s like and what we can do,” one student presenter said.
Throughout the school year, the students learned essential workplace skills, including hospital navigation, the proper use of personal protective equipment, interview practice and budgeting.
Peer mediation program
Wally Webster of The ACCESS Project and Rick Schoentrup of Volunteers of America Western Washington (VOAWW) gave an overview of a new peer mediation program aimed at preventing youth violence and fostering positive school culture.
The program, a partnership between The Access Project and VOAWW, trains students to serve as neutral third parties to mediate conflicts among their peers. Following its successful implementation in four high schools in 2024-25, the District plans to expand the program to seven high schools and four middle schools for the 2025-26 school year at no cost to the District.
Schoentrup said the curriculum is based on an eight-stage mediation process where students use de-escalation techniques and how to identify needs without creating power imbalances.
“Our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment for these students to feel respected and heard,” he said.
Lynnwood High School students who have gone through the program shared their experiences, noting that the skills they learned can transfer to real-world problems. Clark noted that their work often helps students avoid formal disciplinary actions.
“During our mediations, we’re really saving friendships and we’re preventing people from going through the disciplinary process,” one student said. Another student also said they noticed a decrease in fights at school.
Looking ahead, program organizers are developing incentives to encourage continued participation from students. Schoentrup said the goal is to allow graduating student mediators receive scholarships from VOAWW to become certified mediators, and convert the credential into 15 free credits at Everett Community College.
March 2026 financial report
District Business and Finance director Chris Cullison said the District’s finances are tracking as expected and enrollment remains stable, according to the March 2026 budget status report.
While overall trends mirrored the previous year, Cullison highlighted a few minor outliers in the general fund. Capital outlay expenditures were slightly higher than last year due to purchases of food service equipment and a maintenance vehicle. Also, travel costs were elevated, but Cullison said this category includes student field trips, which aren’t always predictable year to year.
Spending also differs from last year due to upcoming major capital projects this year, including the construction of multiple new schools.
New business
The Board unanimously approved a resolution delegating the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) the authority to control, supervise and regulate interschool athletic and extracurricular activities for the upcoming school year. Authorized by state law in 1976, the District passes this resolution annually to compensate WIAA.
Lastly, the Board approved a resolution to accept the Maplewood K-8 Space Conversion project made by Hi Mark Construction. The District made a final payment of $1,609,388.91 on March 24.
The meeting recording and agenda are available on the District’s website.
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