Welcoming the 2026–27 School Year: Continuing Our Commitment to Student Safety

Dear Mercer Island School District Community,

Last year was, in many ways, the most challenging of my nearly 30-year career in education. I do not always get to choose what our priorities will be, but as superintendent of this school district, I will never ignore or shy away from a challenge. We refuse to dwell on last year, because our students are watching and looking to us for hope and guidance. This is what excites me most about this year. Our educators are embracing them in 2026–27, not dwelling on the challenges we faced in 2025–26. 

Students returned last week ready to engage, our staff energized, and our community supportive of us like no other district in our state or region. We don't take this trifecta for granted, nor do we treat it as a reason to stop improving.

We emphasized the safety of our students and schools in 2025-26, solidifying our commitment to cultures of learning that do not tolerate staff misconduct. I want to bring our community up to speed on the progress we've made and our plans for this year, building on the work of our Student Safety and Well-Being Committee, the report from Praesidium, and our continued focus on our mantra: “We are all on duty.” 

A New Layer of Prevention and Intervention: The Teal Ribbon Project

In partnership with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC), we will launch the Teal Ribbon Project this year.

More than 70 staff members at Islander Middle School and Mercer Island High School have already volunteered (a number still growing) to receive additional training from KCSARC on recognizing the signs of grooming, supporting students and others who disclose misconduct, and building a culture of reporting. Staff who complete this training will display a Teal Ribbon, the symbol for sexual assault awareness, on their classroom or office door. This will signal to our school community that this is an adult one can go to for support.

KCSARC will also mentor and train roughly 50 students at IMS and MIHS to serve as Teal Ribbon Ambassadors. These students will help promote the project and ensure it succeeds as a tool for prevention and intervention.

We look forward to sharing more information as this exciting project takes shape.

A New Anonymous Reporting Tool: HearMeWA

We are making an intentional change to our anonymous reporting tool. We are sunsetting Say Something and adopting HearMeWA. While Say Something has served us well and remains a great tool for communities, we believe HearMeWA is even better.

Developed by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, HearMeWA uses the same 24/7/365 call center as Say Something, so students will retain the same level of support and administrators will continue to receive tips just as they always have. HearMeWA offers several new opportunities:

• Students who piloted the tool told us that Say Something felt like “telling on someone,” whereas HearMeWA feels like an opportunity to be heard.
• HearMeWA emphasizes that students may want to talk to someone to help themselves, not just a place to share information to help others.
• We will encourage students to use the call center, not just the app, so they can get real-time, live support through HearMeWA in addition to providing anonymous information for administrators.
• Students have shared that they hope to help rebrand this tool with their peers to remove the stigma of reporting and to normalize it as a valuable part of our safe schools culture.

Throughout September, we will be transitioning platforms with October 1 as our official HearMeWA launch date.  

Student Advocates

A third layer of support we are adding this year is a student advocate option. We heard from our community and students a need for more explicit advocacy options.

Students who disclose harassment, abuse, bullying, or another traumatic event may need additional help navigating the situation. After a student makes a report, or is identified as having experienced harm, students will be offered the choice to name an advocate. MIYFS counselors can serve in this role as non-district employees, or a student may also choose a district counselor, teacher, or other trusted adult. While MISD and MIYFS have always supported students, this emphasis on identifying an advocate empowers students more explicitly by giving them voice.

Looking Ahead

The Teal Ribbon Project, HearMeWA, and our expanded partnership with MIYFS are not standalone efforts. We are coupling these three new initiatives with enhancements to our policies, additional staff training, improved tracking systems, and safety partnerships (listed below) to ensure our schools reflect the commitment to students and a culture of safety. Together, these initiatives, events, and strategies are about more than compliance or reporting, they are focused on systemic safety. 

Preventing Online Sexual Exploitation Webinar 

We are looking forward to hosting a Preventing Online Sexual Exploitation of Child & Teens webinar with two Assistant United States Attorneys for the Western District of Washington on Tuesday, September 15 at 6pm. This webinar is another concrete example of our continuous work to support, educate, and protect our students and families.

E-bike Forum For Parents

We are working with the City of Mercer Island to hold an E-bike/E-moto forum in November at IMS for parents. City Staff and a member of the MIPD will present information about the current classifications of E-bikes and E-motos, the current laws and rules regarding E-bike and E-motos, and enforcement on Mercer Island. We are in communication with the City and hope to have the exact date determined in the next two weeks.

These prevention, intervention, and postvention supports are about promoting belonging (academically, socially, and emotionally) for every student in our district. Thank you for your continued partnership and trust as we work together to keep our schools safe, supportive, and welcoming for every student.

Sincerely, 

Fred Rundle

Superintendent