Redshirting consequences at Lafayette

[Anonymous]

So the issue is that the previous principal applied discretion by granting delayed kindergarten entry to anyone who asked for it, but the new principal applies this discretion by following the age registration requirements and only deviating from them if a child struggles enough that the principal deems that the child needs to be reassigned to a lower grade? Is that the change? Principals still have discretion, but one principal will give an inch and another will give a mile? DCPS has not stepped up enforcement of registration age requirements?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

Teaching their kid not to accept a no, in addition to telling the whole world their their kid is not smart enough to start school when they are supposed to. So sad for these kids, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The notion that "'redshirting" is some trick that rich people use to get an unfair advantage for their kid seems utterly and completely ridiculous. It's not going to give them a leg up academically or athletically. If anything, it's going to give the kid a complex about why he or she is older than everyone else. But if the parent sees some problem that will be exacerbated by pushing their kid along, then I don't know why we don't give the parent the benefit of the doubt. They know their kid better than anyone else.

This is some Pollyanna nonsense. Redshirting is a thing in sports precisely because being a year older gives a huge advantage. Looking for an academic edge (over others, though they don’t say the quiet part aloud) is why some parents do it for school.

You obviously know nothing about sports. That's not even why college athletes redshirt. They generally only get four years of eligibility. If you're trying to make it to the pros, it may not make sense to burn a year of eligibility sitting on the bench if it's clear you're not going to play because you're not good enough. But sitting out that year, not officially being on the team, doesn't make you any more attractive as a prospect the following year. It's still just as possible that someone new will come along, who is younger than you, who will also be better than you. Redshirting can mark you as a marginal talent.

The reason you would spend your first year on the bench and not, say, your 4th is because for non-superstars, coaches often want them to gain a year of physical maturity, because — gasp — being a year older gives you a comparative advantage physically. Like you are tiptoeing sooooo close to the truth, but can’t bring yourself to say it. Also, the whole reason there are only 5 years of eligibility (normally), is to stop multi-year redshirting for non-injury precisely because folks would otherwise do it. We do agree that if your kid was a superstar, you wouldn’t feel the need to hold him back… but here you are.

Have you....been to a children's soccer game? Or to a school classroom? There is zero correlation between a child's age and how good they are at math or at driving the ball down the field. The imagined benefits of redshirting seem a little fanciful.

+1. This must be a troll. There is a HUGE advantage statistically to minor differences in age in many sports. The whole idea of sports grouping kids by age (or even by grade level) recognizes this. Of course the difference between 2 months is less than 7 is less than 12 is less than 24... but, to be clear, taken to its logical extreme, your claim is that Kers can play against 5th graders no problem. Of course you don't mean that, but that is actually what you're claiming by saying that age doesn't matter statistically-speaking.

It's weird how y'all think getting better at sports is merely a function of getting older. You could reshirt basically everyone on my kid's soccer team, repeatedly, and they'd still get smoked by that one kid who is so good with the ball.

Yes. Saying that statistically that age is positively correlated with sports performance for children is DEFINITELY EXACTLY the same thing as saying that "getting better at sports is merely a function of getting older." It's not, say, that it's an advantage... and that's what red-shirters are looking for. I can only assume that you are somewhat frustrated when you see the ridiculous corner you have painted yourself into. Enjoy 1st grade!

Oh yeah. If your child is klutzy, uncoordinated and terrible at anything involving a ball, just wait a year or two. Through the magic of getting slightly older (and, apparently, redshirting) he or she will be transformed into a graceful, dominating athlete.

I'm going to "redshirt" my kid 20 times, and then he will be a shoo-in for the NFL, right? Is that how this works?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

The parents were wrong to just assume that their next child could enter kindergarten late just because their previous child had, but now that they’ve discovered how erroneous that assumption was, you expect them just to accept their child missing an entire foundational year of school? They can’t go back in time and register their kids for kindergarten last fall. They’re fighting for what they believe their children need. They’re doing the only thing they can now. It might not be successful, but they believe it’s worth taking a shot at fighting the decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

The parents were wrong to just assume that their next child could enter kindergarten late just because their previous child had, but now that they’ve discovered how erroneous that assumption was, you expect them just to accept their child missing an entire foundational year of school? They can’t go back in time and register their kids for kindergarten last fall. They’re fighting for what they believe their children need. They’re doing the only thing they can now. It might not be successful, but they believe it’s worth taking a shot at fighting the decision.

They could move to Maryland for the Sept 1 cut off. When is the kid’s birthday?

[Anonymous]

Going strictly by the age guidelines, you could have the following situation:

Kid A could have been a micro preemie who was due at the beginning of January, but was born on September 30th.

Kid B could have been due on September 23rd, but instead was 8 days overdue and born on October 1st.

According to DCPS guidelines, Kid A has to enroll in kindergarten this fall, but Kid B can enroll next year. Does that seem right to you?

There should be a little flexibility. I was born early, which made me eligible to enroll for kindergarten a year earlier than if I’d been born on my due date. I’m glad my parents held me back. I feel like I was in the correct grade and my classmates were peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:…these families have older kids who were allowed to be held back at Lafayette. That’s a change in policy. It should be communicated to parents. They have email! It isn’t hard! And they know all the neighborhood nursery school heads. There are far fewer of them! Again, not hard!

It isn't being communicated because it was never the official policy. There is nothing to officially communicate. Get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

The parents were wrong to just assume that their next child could enter kindergarten late just because their previous child had, but now that they’ve discovered how erroneous that assumption was, you expect them just to accept their child missing an entire foundational year of school? They can’t go back in time and register their kids for kindergarten last fall. They’re fighting for what they believe their children need. They’re doing the only thing they can now. It might not be successful, but they believe it’s worth taking a shot at fighting the decision.

GTFO. These kids will be fine. They could be skipped ahead to 2nd grade in DCPS and still be ahead of classmates.

[Anonymous]

I just learned about this little tempest in a teapot from the Post story and find some of these takes hilarious.

Sorry but Lafayette parents were never able to call their own shots with the previous principal, regardless of their race or economic status. I can't tell you how many people I know who left the school for this reason, bc their kid was not getting the support they needed. The previous principal famously hated the Lafayette parent community and delighted in telling them no.

I know this bc my own kids went to Lafayette including a boy with a summer birthday and developmental delays who probably should have been held back and she refused.

In contrast to the JKLM stereotypes, I did not demand an exception for my little angel or call the media, but enrolled my newly minted 5yo in kindergarten and hoped for the best. (It honestly was not great but he eventually caught up.)

I don't know the new principal so don't know how or why things have changed. I mostly find amazing that somehow Carrie Broquard has been reinvented as a rampant rule breaker that kowtowed to the rich white patents of Lafayette. That was the polar opposite of my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

The parents were wrong to just assume that their next child could enter kindergarten late just because their previous child had, but now that they’ve discovered how erroneous that assumption was, you expect them just to accept their child missing an entire foundational year of school? They can’t go back in time and register their kids for kindergarten last fall. They’re fighting for what they believe their children need. They’re doing the only thing they can now. It might not be successful, but they believe it’s worth taking a shot at fighting the decision.

If they had enrolled their kids in K when they first learned they wouldn't be allowed to redshirt, they would not have missed the entire year. They are in-bound and old enough for K; Lafayette would have had to take them, and would have had to assess them for any special ed services they qualified for, including extended school year. DCPS also has free summer school so they could have worked with the principal to get into that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going strictly by the age guidelines, you could have the following situation:

Kid A could have been a micro preemie who was due at the beginning of January, but was born on September 30th.

Kid B could have been due on September 23rd, but instead was 8 days overdue and born on October 1st.

According to DCPS guidelines, Kid A has to enroll in kindergarten this fall, but Kid B can enroll next year. Does that seem right to you?

There should be a little flexibility. I was born early, which made me eligible to enroll for kindergarten a year earlier than if I’d been born on my due date. I’m glad my parents held me back. I feel like I was in the correct grade and my classmates were peers.

There is flexibility. There’s a process. And as stated before, for things like developmental delays, ESL, traumatic history, neurodivergence, etc. If these parents fell into an any of these categories, they’d make sure that was the headline. If their kid was a micropreemie, they’d have put it up on billboards during this ridiculous campaign. That’s not the case. They’re naturally and normally near the end of DCPS’ cutoff (and not all are late September…) and have just always thought they were special. They are legitimately making this harder for people who do need this process and it’s EMBARRASSING.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

The parents were wrong to just assume that their next child could enter kindergarten late just because their previous child had, but now that they’ve discovered how erroneous that assumption was, you expect them just to accept their child missing an entire foundational year of school? They can’t go back in time and register their kids for kindergarten last fall. They’re fighting for what they believe their children need. They’re doing the only thing they can now. It might not be successful, but they believe it’s worth taking a shot at fighting the decision.

If they had enrolled their kids in K when they first learned they wouldn't be allowed to redshirt, they would not have missed the entire year. They are in-bound and old enough for K; Lafayette would have had to take them, and would have had to assess them for any special ed services they qualified for, including extended school year. DCPS also has free summer school so they could have worked with the principal to get into that.

Bingo. But why course correct to benefit your child? Because it’s not about the kids anymore it’s about their egos. Now they’re all complaining that there are no longer spots at “suitable” private schools for K next year. (As in, fine we’ll go private for K and then you have to have us in what would be our redshirt 1st class next year, which yes would be by the rules.) One school not too far away with potential slots was suggested and the mom was quick to say the “demographics” weren’t acceptable. Whatever the outcome this year, these poor kids have some rough reputations to face down if they wind up at Lafayette in any grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just learned about this little tempest in a teapot from the Post story and find some of these takes hilarious.

Sorry but Lafayette parents were never able to call their own shots with the previous principal, regardless of their race or economic status. I can't tell you how many people I know who left the school for this reason, bc their kid was not getting the support they needed. The previous principal famously hated the Lafayette parent community and delighted in telling them no.

I know this bc my own kids went to Lafayette including a boy with a summer birthday and developmental delays who probably should have been held back and she refused.

In contrast to the JKLM stereotypes, I did not demand an exception for my little angel or call the media, but enrolled my newly minted 5yo in kindergarten and hoped for the best. (It honestly was not great but he eventually caught up.)

I don't know the new principal so don't know how or why things have changed. I mostly find amazing that somehow Carrie Broquard has been reinvented as a rampant rule breaker that kowtowed to the rich white patents of Lafayette. That was the polar opposite of my experience.

There is some irony, I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much indignation! So much self righteousness! But does anyone have any actual evidence that redshirting leads to what you think it leads to? Or are we just doing a whole lot of supposing? Parents have been "redshirting" long before anyone ever decided to call it that, so there should be plenty of studies out there. Or do we just have all your stupid anecdotal bullshit to go on?

To be clear, our stupid anecdotal bullshit is "parents should follow the rules." The end.

SO outrageous.

Lafayette mom is pissed because she found a principal with a spine. So much of the weird mixed messaging from Team Lafayette mom is that she's all about principal's discretion... but that's actually where the no started. She really wants "I can do whatever I want," but because no one would be sympathetic to that, she's gone for a weird amalgamation of all the reasons one might have a good reason to redshirt... none of which apply to her kid. Who is literally just young.

+1

WaPo Lafayette Mom: It should be left up to the Principal's discretion, not DCPS!!
Principal: Your child must register for their appropriate grade according to DOB, unless you have a DCPS readiness evaluation saying otherwise.
WaPo Lafayette Mom: HOW DARE YOU. I'm taking this up with DCPS!!

+1

This isn’t about principal discretion. It’s about these parents teaching their kids that no is not an answer. It is a really terrible lesson that will have consequences somewhere down the line.

Also I should get to tell the principal which teacher I want my kid to have each year. It’s principal discretion to place kids in classes, right? So I should get to pick because I know what’s best for my kid. Can you see how slippery this slope gets?

The parents were wrong to just assume that their next child could enter kindergarten late just because their previous child had, but now that they’ve discovered how erroneous that assumption was, you expect them just to accept their child missing an entire foundational year of school? They can’t go back in time and register their kids for kindergarten last fall. They’re fighting for what they believe their children need. They’re doing the only thing they can now. It might not be successful, but they believe it’s worth taking a shot at fighting the decision.

If they had enrolled their kids in K when they first learned they wouldn't be allowed to redshirt, they would not have missed the entire year. They are in-bound and old enough for K; Lafayette would have had to take them, and would have had to assess them for any special ed services they qualified for, including extended school year. DCPS also has free summer school so they could have worked with the principal to get into that.

Bingo. But why course correct to benefit your child? Because it’s not about the kids anymore it’s about their egos. Now they’re all complaining that there are no longer spots at “suitable” private schools for K next year. (As in, fine we’ll go private for K and then you have to have us in what would be our redshirt 1st class next year, which yes would be by the rules.) One school not too far away with potential slots was suggested and the mom was quick to say the “demographics” weren’t acceptable. Whatever the outcome this year, these poor kids have some rough reputations to face down if they wind up at Lafayette in any grade.

Oh my god. Every detail about these parents is worse and worse.