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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Bellevue says it will use non-union staff to reopen schools as labor conflict intensifies
Bellevue School District plans to reopen buildings to 2nd-graders Thursday, despite a vote by teachers and other school staff to stay home due to Covid safety concerns.
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Federal probe opened into whether Seattle Schools failed special ed students during pandemic
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a probe of what it called “disturbing reports” regarding Seattle Public Schools’ alleged failure to provide specialized instruction to students with disabilities during the pandemic.
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'Time for an intervention:' Seattle School Board member resigns, cites 'dysfunctional culture'
In her resignation letter, Mack said that she “can no longer participate” in a school system that she said “is not serving the students and families of Seattle.”
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K-12 students can return to schools earlier than previously advised, say WA health officials
Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday said recent, more lenient public health guidelines on in-person schooling could allow students to return to physical classrooms sooner than previously recommended — and without major outbreak risk.
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Denise Juneau, Seattle superintendent, to leave district
Denise Juneau, superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, announced on Tuesday that she will leave the district in June when her contract expires.
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Seattle Special Education PTSA votes no-confidence in district after Black child was repeatedly locked in isolation
The Seattle Special Education PTSA took a vote of no-confidence in Seattle Public Schools a day after a KUOW story revealed that a student with disabilities was repeatedly locked outdoors.
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Locked in ‘the cage.’ Report finds disturbing discipline measures at Seattle school
Investigators found that the principal of View Ridge Elementary School in northeast Seattle told staff to lock the gates around a second-grade boy to manage his behavior issues. District leaders called the situation “egregious” — but the district had approved of it as a suitable space for the child.
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Teachers balk at returning to school as Covid cases surge in Seattle area
There have been roughly 36 coronavirus outbreaks related to schools in Washington state.
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Two families seek $4 million in damages after abuse by Seattle Public Schools staff
Two families have each filed $2 million tort claims against Seattle Public Schools after their children were physically abused by staff members. Both of the children are special education students, and were 7 and 9 years old when the incidents occurred.
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Schools can prevent most Covid outbreaks without routine testing, study finds
Schools can prevent Covid outbreaks without routine testing - if they take enough other precautions and community transmission is low, finds a new report from the Institute for Disease Modeling.