Seattle’s teachers union has certified Ibijoke Idowu as its next president, choosing a special education teacher who has been on paid administrative leave since December while the district investigates allegations involving a student. The result hands the reins of the Seattle Education Association to a member whose candidacy has already turned a normally sleepy internal vote into a very public fight over accountability and due process for school staff.
According to the certified results from the Seattle Education Association, Idowu defeated Girard Montejo-Thompson 767 votes to 548, a 58.3% to 41.7% margin. The online election was run by the American Arbitration Association and certified by the SEA board after voting closed on May 1. The union represents roughly 6,000 educators and staff in the district, according to the Seattle Council PTA’s overview of the local.
Reporting indicates Idowu is a special education teacher who has worked in Seattle Public Schools since 2021 and taught at Rising Star Elementary. She was placed on paid leave in December 2025 after parents raised concerns about a third grade student, according to The Stranger, which notes that the details originate in coverage by The Seattle Times. The parents’ complaint describes bruising and says a therapist observed troubling interactions in class. Those are allegations, and the investigation remains open.
Investigation and police referral
The district says it followed its required protocols and notified law enforcement. Reporting indicates the Seattle Police Department sent the case as a statutory referral to the King County prosecuting attorney’s office last week. As The Stranger reported, SPD spokesperson Casey McNerthney wrote that “Police typically send a case and identify the referral as a statutory referral when they do not believe they have evidence for prosecutors to charge a crime.”
School staff are mandatory reporters under Washington law, and Seattle Public Schools policy requires that suspected child abuse or neglect be reported to the appropriate authorities. The statutory framework that guides those steps is laid out in RCW 26.44 and in Seattle Public Schools Policy 3421SP, which detail reporting duties and district procedures.
What this means for the union
The SEA’s bylaws spell out a process to remove elected officers for misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance, and they allow members to initiate recall procedures if they choose. Those rules are laid out in the union’s governing document, the SEA bylaws. In other words, the presidency is not entirely immune from internal challenge, even after the votes are counted.
The outcome has drawn immediate attention online and in commentary. Conservative outlets and social media posts have zeroed in on the timing of Idowu’s leave and the union’s certification of the election, using the story as a quick example of what they cast as a broken accountability system. For a taste of that reaction and roundup-style coverage, commentators have pointed to WCBM’s account of the certification and earlier reporting.
Why this matters
The election is unfolding against a wider backdrop of concern in Washington about how educator misconduct is documented and disclosed. An InvestigateWest review found gaps in the state’s handling of misconduct cases that, advocates argue, can leave parents and districts with an incomplete picture. InvestigateWest documented how many disciplinary records are difficult to obtain and how license surrenders can limit what the public sees.
With the SEA board’s certification complete, Idowu is now the union’s president while Seattle Public Schools and prosecutors determine whether the investigation leads to criminal charges or other actions. Union members, parents and watchdogs are likely to scrutinize the district’s next steps closely as the legal and administrative processes play out, and as the new union leader steps into a role that has suddenly become a lightning rod.
