NEWS GLEAMS | Seattle Public Schools to Pay $16M to Settle Garfield High School Sex Abuse Lawsuit; Sound Transit Begins Scoping Period for Ballard Link Extension

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit from a former Garfield High School student and former player on the girls’ basketball team. The woman who filed the tort claim is now 24 years old but has alleged sexual abuse and rape from former coaches.

The lawsuit states that starting from 2013 — when the plaintiff was 13 years old — she was raped repeatedly by volunteer weight training coach Walter Junior Jones over the course of two years. The plaintiff claims Jones had threatened to kill her and her family if she reported the abuse. Jones has since been charged with two counts of felony child rape through the King County Superior Court.

Also alleged is that SPS was negligent in allowing a volunteer coach like Jones on campus, especially after he was barred from a previous coaching job at Ballard High School. Reporting from KUOW cites a quote from a police report and reveals, “At the time of the alleged abuse, Garfield athletic director Ed Haskins ‘wasn’t certain, but thought he recalled an issue coming up regarding Jones’ background check which prevented him from being vetted as a volunteer.’” He was hired regardless.

Another coach, Marvin Wayne Hall, had also allegedly slept with the plaintiff when she was between the ages of 17 and 21. The incidents purportedly began at the school and continued even after she had gone to college out of state.

Hall was fired from his job as Garfield’s head coach in 2022 and resigned from a position as security staff after he allegedly told another student he had a “crush” on her. Hall has been charged with sexual misconduct with a minor through King County Superior Court. In 2023, he filed a restraining order against the plaintiff because she allegedly sent his family information about their relationship.

SPS will pay $500,000, which covers the defense costs and settlement fees of the case. The remainder of the $16 million settlement will be paid by the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool, the district’s insurer.

SPS has ensured that both Jones and Hall will no longer be allowed to volunteer or work for the district. In a statement, it wrote, “SPS remains committed to its preventative trainings and to strengthening its procedures to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the future.”

In response to the settlement, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, Paul Sewell, stated, “We appreciate the Seattle School District’s recognition of the magnitude of our client’s harm. … While she is relieved by the outcome, our client will never reclaim her childhood. She hopes that the settlement will spark meaningful change so that no other child will ever have to suffer the same pain and trauma.”

Sound Transit has begun its 45-day “scoping period” for a Ballard Link Extension (BLE) for the Link light rail. The expansion has a construction timeline that runs through its launch in 2039, and included among the BLE is a controversial new light rail station in the Chinatown-International District (CID) neighborhood.

Sound Transit will invite the public to ask the agency questions throughout the scoping period. The questions will then help instruct Sound Transit on how to investigate and review the light rail stations’ draft environmental impact statement (EIS). Next, Sound Transit will publish a new draft EIS that includes feedback on the environmental impacts of each proposal, alongside proposed actions that will help mitigate such impacts.

The BLE scoping period began on Oct. 24 and will end on Dec. 9. Those who are interested in participating can read more about the invitation on Sound Transit’s website.

They can also participate in one or more of the following ways:

• Email: BLEScoping@SoundTransit.org

• Voicemail: 206-903-7223

• Mail: Ballard Link Extension, Attn: Lauren Swift, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson St. Seattle, WA 98104

• In-Person Meetings:

  • Scoping Meeting No. 1
    Nov. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.
    Union Station (401 S. Jackson St.)
    Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese interpretation and translated materials will be available. ASL interpretation will be provided. Refreshments and activities for children will be provided.

  • Scoping Meeting No. 2
    Nov. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m..
    National Nordic Museum (2655 NW Market St.)
    ASL interpretation will be provided. Refreshments and activities for children will be provided.

On Nov. 1, the Washington Healthplanfinder website portal began its open enrollment process, so residents can purchase their insurance plans for 2025. The enrollment period continues through Jan. 15, 2025, and any Washingtonian who does not receive health insurance through an employer, spouse, or government program can use the portal to shop for health and dental plans.

Those who select a plan by Dec. 15 will have their coverage begin right on Jan. 1, 2025. Those who enroll between Dec. 16 and Jan. 1 will see their 2025 plan begin on Feb. 1, 2025.

Assistance With Open Enrollment

Washington State has provided a number of enrollment methods to help Washington residents enroll in the ways that align best with their preferences. They include:

• Enroll online on your own through the Washington Healthplanfinder website.

• Visit Support in Your Area to find nearby in-person assistance.

• Call the Exchange Customer Support Center at 1-855-923-4633 (TTY: 1-855-627-9604), where you can receive support in multiple languages; the center has also extended its hours to help serve customers during the open enrollment period. Hours are 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the service is closed on the weekends and holidays. Additional schedule adjustments for holidays can be found on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange’s website.

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