Ann Dornfeld
Reporter
About
Ann is a reporter on KUOW's Investigations team. Previously, she covered education stories for KUOW for a decade, with a focus on investigations into racial and socioeconomic inequities.
Her ongoing series exposing Seattle Public Schools’ lenient discipline of staff who abused students has won investigative reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Education Writers Association. She was also lauded for her years of work covering disparities in the amount of recess and P.E. time students received in low-income schools.
Previously, Ann worked at Alaska Public Radio Network in Anchorage, and KLCC in Eugene, Oregon. Her freelance work, focusing on science and environmental issues, has appeared on national outlets including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace and The World.
Ann’s marine and underwater photography has appeared in the American Museum of Natural History and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
She lives with her husband and two children in South Seattle.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors
Stories
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So awkward: Middle and high schoolers return to school, and it feels weird
‘The staff were trying to recognize the students just by their hair and eyeballs.’
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'Kind of excited, kind of nervous.' Seattle elementary students return to the classroom
Monday was landmark day in Seattle Public Schools as many elementary students, as well as some older students with disabilities, returned to school buildings for the first time in more than a year.
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Franklin High School teachers protest return to classroom, citing inadequate coronavirus ventilation
Special education staff at Franklin High School in south Seattle have refused to return to the building for training this week, until the district proves that the indoor air quality is adequate to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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Seattle students to start returning to schools: 58% families say they will go back
Seattle Public Schools will reopen in phases beginning Monday after its teachers union approved a tentative agreement with the district. It will be the first time a significant number of students have been invited back to classrooms since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago.
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Washington state loosens classroom distancing rules to speed up school reopening
Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced Thursday that the state is loosening a social distance requirement for children in school to 3 feet apart, rather than 6 feet. The change, which reflects recent CDC guidance, would enable many schools to reopen to significantly more students at a time.
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Here’s what Seattle Schools' first reopening phase could look like
Preschool and elementary students would have the option to attend class in-person four mornings or afternoons a week under the tentative agreement reached by Seattle Public Schools and its teachers union. Unlike in neighboring districts, however, transportation would not be offered to most students.
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Seattle schools to reopen March 29 amid tentative agreement with teachers union
Seattle Public Schools and its teachers union have reached a tentative agreement to restart in-person classes for pre-K, elementary, and certain special education students starting March 29.
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'Now is the time.' Gov. Inslee orders Washington schools to reopen by April 19
Washington Governor Jay Inslee today announced that he will sign an emergency proclamation ordering school districts to offer part-time in-person instruction for students in grades K-6 by Apr. 5th and grades 7-12 by Apr. 19th.
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Seattle Schools says many 'essential' staff will be called back to classrooms in March
Seattle Public Schools informed hundreds of teachers and other school staff Friday that they may be called back to buildings beginning March 8th to teach in-person - before the district reaches a reopening agreement with Seattle Education Association.
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Seattle Public Schools delays reopening plans as teachers union agreement stalls
Seattle Public Schools is delaying its plan to start bringing students back into buildings by one week. Originally planning for March 1, the district has pushed back reopening its doors to a few student groups to March 8. In the meantime, the district and its teachers union still have yet to reach a reopening agreement.