Lawsuits when you don't attend

[Anonymous]

Interesting article about how aggressive private schools can be about collecting tuition, even when students don't attend. The article makes SSFS look particularly bad. A cautionary tale to read everything you sign. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/03/private-schools-lawsuits-families/

[Anonymous]

I was just reading that. They mention DCUM too, lol. I feel bad for the mom…not notifying the school was a very costly mistake. Maybe the school wouldn’t have pursued things so aggressively if they weren’t having money problems.

[Anonymous]

Terrible behavior by Sandy Springs. People will forever refer to Sandy Springs as the Quaker school that sues poor black people.

What is the point of suing this woman? She's broke. It looks like Sandy Springs wants the sick pleasure of seeing her declare bankruptcy.

I am not Quaker but I work with their national organizations. I won't be surprised if this comes up in meetings next week.

[Anonymous]

The problem is that the law has a grey area when it comes to contract enforcement in cases of unpaid deposits or services not provided, but decades of precedent in school lawsuits has solidified existing law into a very pro-business direction. Precedent is NOT on the families' side.

People can argue forever that the defendant should have read her contract, or that the other family at Landon should have better understood the Principal's offer to "keep a spot open" for their kid... but ultimately, from a moral perspective, it stinks for a school to be so aggressive when the student did not even benefit from classes.

This is extreme capitalism, essentially. Financial might is right.

What's interesting here, from a DCUM parent perspective, is which private schools are aggressive and which are not. Maybe it has to do with the ethics of each administration; but it probably also has to do with basic math and which schools are on shaky financial ground, or perceive themselves to be on same.

[Anonymous]

I wonder why the reporter chose not to mention DCUM by name?

[Anonymous]

The woman profiled got incredibly unlucky. A school not in financial turmoil may have let her slide but she happened to be working with a school in trouble and who can’t afford to lose a single dollar “owed”. Legally I understand, though ethically it’s awful. Maybe this article helps her find a Good Samaritan willing to help her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The woman profiled got incredibly unlucky. A school not in financial turmoil may have let her slide but she happened to be working with a school in trouble and who can’t afford to lose a single dollar “owed”. Legally I understand, though ethically it’s awful. Maybe this article helps her find a Good Samaritan willing to help her.

+1

[Anonymous]

Regardless of the legal outcome, Sandy Spring somehow comes out looking even worse than they already did. The new HoS had a chance to be a white knight, obviously knowing that this family was the least of the existential issues. Instead, he chose to drive a hard line to force payment to a school in financial and administrative chaos. That, combined with the hiring of the Liberty University grad turned mall cop turned grant writer with a flowing, ironic mane does not infused confidence in the institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of the legal outcome, Sandy Spring somehow comes out looking even worse than they already did. The new HoS had a chance to be a white knight, obviously knowing that this family was the least of the existential issues. Instead, he chose to drive a hard line to force payment to a school in financial and administrative chaos. That, combined with the hiring of the Liberty University grad turned mall cop turned grant writer with a flowing, ironic mane does not infused confidence in the institution.

Who are you trying to blame here? This was for the 2024-2025 school year. New HoS has nothing to do with this.

[Anonymous]

I assume it was the interim HoS who made this decision, not the new one who just came in July 1. I am a SSFS parent of a child who has been at SSFS for a very long time. I find this morally repugnant and at odds with all of the values the school has preached for all these years.

It is reprehensible. I have faith the community will make things right for this woman, even if the school fails.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume it was the interim HoS who made this decision, not the new one who just came in July 1. I am a SSFS parent of a child who has been at SSFS for a very long time. I find this morally repugnant and at odds with all of the values the school has preached for all these years.

It is reprehensible. I have faith the community will make things right for this woman, even if the school fails.

I hope you're right! Declaring bankruptcy would come at a high cost for her because it would make it very difficult to find a place to rent if she ever moves.

Is the SSFS PTA the kind of group that will organize on her behalf? Is there internal conversation about the article?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume it was the interim HoS who made this decision, not the new one who just came in July 1. I am a SSFS parent of a child who has been at SSFS for a very long time. I find this morally repugnant and at odds with all of the values the school has preached for all these years.

It is reprehensible. I have faith the community will make things right for this woman, even if the school fails.

I hope you're right! Declaring bankruptcy would come at a high cost for her because it would make it very difficult to find a place to rent if she ever moves.

Is the SSFS PTA the kind of group that will organize on her behalf? Is there internal conversation about the article?

I think it will come from the Coalition that rallied to save the school. That was a financial threat to the school - this is a moral threat to the school’s soul, not to be too dramatic about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Terrible behavior by Sandy Springs. People will forever refer to Sandy Springs as the Quaker school that sues poor black people.

What is the point of suing this woman? She's broke. It looks like Sandy Springs wants the sick pleasure of seeing her declare bankruptcy.

I am not Quaker but I work with their national organizations. I won't be surprised if this comes up in meetings next week.

+100

This is disappointing and not a good look for SSFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Terrible behavior by Sandy Springs. People will forever refer to Sandy Springs as the Quaker school that sues poor black people.

What is the point of suing this woman? She's broke. It looks like Sandy Springs wants the sick pleasure of seeing her declare bankruptcy.

I am not Quaker but I work with their national organizations. I won't be surprised if this comes up in meetings next week.

+1. Really outrageous behavior. I know that Maryland law is not in the mom’s favor but really? This honestly puts me off trying to enroll my kid at all in a private. So mercenary.

[Anonymous]

Don’t sign contracts if you can’t pay your bills.