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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All Seattle Public Schools closed for at least two weeks starting Thursday due to coronavirus outbreak
Superintendent Denise Juneau ordered the district closed Wednesday morning after the first known confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported Tuesday, shuttering Aki Kurose Middle School indefinitely.
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Students and staff at south Seattle school plan 'sick-out' to protest district's handling of coronavirus
About 30 staff members and many students at Seattle's Franklin High School are planning a "sick-out" protest: they're calling in sick Wednesday to protest Seattle Public Schools' response to the coronavirus outbreak.
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2 Seattle schools closed amid district's first confirmed COVID-19 case
Aki Kurose will be closed indefinitely beginning Wednesday, March 11 after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Cleveland STEM High School will close for one day of cleaning.
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Who's getting tested for coronavirus?
KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld has been looking into who's being tested in Washington state and what the capacity truly is.
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Seattle schools remain open amid COVID-19 outbreak, absentee rate goes up
Although many employers in the Seattle area are having employees work from home to avoid the spread of coronavirus, most schools remain open.
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‘My first-grade teacher was my first bully.’ More allegations surface against Seattle teacher
After a KUOW investigation revealed a Seattle elementary teacher’s history of discipline for physical abuse, eight more individuals and families have come forward with similar stories in Martin McGowan’s classroom. It raises new questions about why some reported incidents don’t show up in the teacher’s discipline record.
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School districts grapple with coronavirus closure decisions - and what comes next for kids
After new recommendations from public health officials to avoid large gatherings, some Seattle-area parents are asking why more schools aren’t being closed to avoid the spread of coronavirus – and what will happen if and when schools do close for long stretches.
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3rd teacher removed from classroom following KUOW investigation
Martin McGowan, a first-grade teacher at West Woodland Elementary who had been disciplined for abuse including yanking kids’ ears and grabbing their necks, has been put on leave.
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Ear-pulling. Neck-grabbing. A Seattle first-grade teacher is under state investigation and still in the classroom
A West Woodland Elementary School teacher has been disciplined at least three times for hurting students over the last 14 years.
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AUDIO: A Seattle teacher threatens his students
In an audio recording provided to KUOW, former Meany Middle School math teacher James Johnson told his algebra class he had just punched a student in the face.