Ann Dornfeld
Investigative Reporter
About
Ann has covered education stories for KUOW since 2010, 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.
Previously, Ann worked at Alaska Public Radio Network, in Anchorage, and KLCC, in Eugene, Ore. 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.
Ann lives with her husband and two sons in South Seattle.
Stories
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KUOW Newsroom
Major Covid outbreaks occurred at Seattle-area schools with lax protocols
There have been 29 confirmed Covid outbreaks at K-12 public and private schools in King County since September. Most of these were small outbreaks, with no more than four confirmed cases, but others were massive, with 80 or more people infected at two separate Christian school campuses outside Seattle.
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KUOW Newsroom
Large classes, little social distancing at a Tukwila charter school worry parents and staff
Parents at Impact Puget Sound Elementary are asking the state to step in to address the lack of social distancing in its classrooms. Staff, too, have voiced safety concerns - but say they hold little power at the school.
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KUOW Newsroom
Why are so many Seattle-area students of color staying home?
‘Earlier surveys of parents suggested white families were nearly twice as likely as black families to want to send their children back.’
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KUOW Newsroom
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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KUOW Newsroom
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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KUOW Newsroom
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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KUOW Newsroom
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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KUOW Newsroom
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.