TACOMA, Wash. — Several community members are calling on Tacoma Public Schools to halt an investigation into 33 employees at Jennie Reed Elementary School who are believed to have participated in a "sick out" to protest staffing cuts at the south Tacoma school.

The district confirmed it is actively investigating the 33 of the 38 employees who called out sick on the same day in September. An anonymous letter posted at the time stated that staff members made the tough decision to call out sick to demonstrate they would not accept reduced support for students amid staffing cuts at the school.

The letter stated: “This means many of our students will be shifted to new classrooms, class sizes will increase, schedules will change, and learning will be severely impacted. TPS is balancing their b

See Full Page