ACPS Secret Clique

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't know about cliques but there is a shadow page for Brooks parents that has some eye-opening gossip on it.

What is a shadow page? I'm not down with the lingo. What was so eye opening?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird choice to do that in ACPS when there are so many other local districts where that vibe would fit right in. Lyles crouch maybe?

I've heard that Lyles Crouch is one of the most drama free PTA/parent groups in ACPS. I'm a Brooks parent and I do not fit in with the older Maury contingent. It was mainly a group of unemployed, overly educated moms who established social hierarchy through their PTA. I wasn't popular or "cool" enough to be invited to their keg and margarita parties and I have a job and didn't go to the neighborhood preschool so I wasn't in it. It seemed like some mean girl BS. There were people who used to be overly interested in the teachers and you could tell the teachers were not really feeling it. Befriending them on social media, tagging them in posts, stating that your younger kids could request the same teachers as their older siblings. It seemed like Mr. Powell really could not stand that contingent. They were the same moms making bank off of us working parents when schools were virtual and we needed someone to help our not yet able to read kindergarteners with Zoom.

GTFO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a non-clique Brooks parent with an older kid (middle school) and a younger kid and the parents of my younger kid’s friends are so much nicer and friendlier than the parents of the older kid’s classmates. It’s been refreshing to see the snobbiness abate as some of the ringleaders’ kids aged out of the school.

My daughter is in HS now but when she was at Maury the moms of her classmates were... something else. It seemed like their entire lives revolved around the school. Most of them were unemployed. They literally met weekly to chime in on the Gala, the Spring Fling, field trips etc.

I always wondered what they were going to do when their kids got older.[/quote

Brooks/Maury mom. Most of these women are no longer in the PTA. There are still some of them at the school and it is funny as they are no longer involved at all. Anything major, like class sizes, they want no part in. They used to have keggers and cliquey parties where you sign-up to drink at their house with their friends. My DH and I went the first year we were at Maury. We both looked at each other and left when they played beer pong or smoked weed. We are so over the Adams Morgan kickball scene of our 20s. There are a group of moms and dads who either WFH or don't work at all who coffee klatch by the flagpole/Brooks sign in the morning. It is so Fing annoying. I am racing to get to my office or on a call and they will still be there for over an hour. Must be nice.

Yep. The same dozen women would literally spend the first hour of their day, seemingly everyday, standing in front of their kid's school. Truly WTF.

[Anonymous]

There is always talk on DCUM about a current PTAC leader being kicked out of their kid's school for some unsavory behavior. How can this be? Why would ACPS allow you to volunteer if you were banned from the school?

As for the clique, there is a group of moms who seem very interested in maintaining the status quo. They seem different from the Maury clique. That clique was two groups: there was a group of PTA moms who were into planning the fundraisers and day drinking. They didn't work and were always at the school, supposedly volunteering. That is different from the group of moms who are politically connected in the city and way too involved in ACPS.

[Anonymous]

he group of mean girls on the PTA is literally still in the neighborhood but now sends their kids to a certain $40K a year private school. They claim it is because of overcrowding at GWMS, but we all know why. The same group of moms was very involved supporting one particluar candidate who was mainly endorsed by parents no longer in ACPS.

[Anonymous]

I'm so confused because I thought ACPS was supposed to be a terrible school system but now you're saying its a bunch of rich sorority mamas?

[Anonymous]

The sucking up to the teachers and volunteering at the school pre pandemic was a big thing with a certain ACPS segment of parents. That group includes moms--and dad! There is one dad who is very much into the drama of ACPS but whose older children attend an elite private school. I noticed a lot of the PTA leaders have kids who wind up going to private schools. I treat my kids' teachers with respect but I don't get the involvement at the school by these parents. They seem to have pretty intense jobs and lives but they find time to do everything. I get annoyed by their constant appeals to volunteer, attend meetings, and donate money for everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so confused because I thought ACPS was supposed to be a terrible school system but now you're saying its a bunch of rich sorority mamas?

This is largely an east end thing. I don't know who they are talking about at Maury/Brooks but the PTAC is mainly east end parents. The majority of ACPS is low income, minority, and not involved in PTA.

[Anonymous]

In ACPS, there tends to be a lot of parents who have influence but I don't see anything benefiting the students or teachers. Infrastructure, facilities, top heavy admin, tons of vacancies, churning through superintendents and leadership positions. If these cliquey parents actually cared about equity, they would do more to help the students at the overcrowded west end schools and MVCS and less about their own brownnosing and advocacy that just benefits them. I doubt they have any influence at all over ACPS.

[Anonymous]

OP, you dropped this information without any details. What do you mean? That they actually have influence in ACPS decision making? I care very little about social cliques but do care about people with power and influence over ACPS leadership. That seems proposterous. This has to be a rumor. Or maybe these women feel self important and empowered? The fact you were drinking wine with me makes me question you. If they are who I think they are, they are not representative of ACPS at all. The average person doesn't have time for such nonsense. An adult secret clique? You've got to be kidding or watching too much TV.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in HS now but when she was at Maury the moms of her classmates were... something else. It seemed like their entire lives revolved around the school. Most of them were unemployed. They literally met weekly to chime in on the Gala, the Spring Fling, field trips etc.

I always wondered what they were going to do when their kids got older.[/quote

Brooks/Maury mom. Most of these women are no longer in the PTA. There are still some of them at the school and it is funny as they are no longer involved at all. Anything major, like class sizes, they want no part in. They used to have keggers and cliquey parties where you sign-up to drink at their house with their friends. My DH and I went the first year we were at Maury. We both looked at each other and left when they played beer pong or smoked weed. We are so over the Adams Morgan kickball scene of our 20s. There are a group of moms and dads who either WFH or don't work at all who coffee klatch by the flagpole/Brooks sign in the morning. It is so Fing annoying. I am racing to get to my office or on a call and they will still be there for over an hour. Must be nice.

When was this? My son graduated from Maury in 2020. There were definitely some moms who stayed at home and spent a lot of time volunteering. It felt mildly cliquish, but I think that was just because they spent time together on the playground after school and at volunteer stuff. No one was mean, or having keggers or playing beer pong. TBH, the group of moms I was referring to seemed really overinvolved in their kids' stuff, and a little boring, but not like bad or awful people.

[Anonymous]

I am always amazed at how many Gen X and Millennial parents act like they're still 15. The immaturity level, it burns. And these teenagers in adult bodies are supposed to be role models for their children. No wonder so many of our kids are messed up. Look at the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My daughter is in HS now but when she was at Maury the moms of her classmates were... something else. It seemed like their entire lives revolved around the school. Most of them were unemployed. They literally met weekly to chime in on the Gala, the Spring Fling, field trips etc.

I always wondered what they were going to do when their kids got older.[/quote

Brooks/Maury mom. Most of these women are no longer in the PTA. There are still some of them at the school and it is funny as they are no longer involved at all. Anything major, like class sizes, they want no part in. They used to have keggers and cliquey parties where you sign-up to drink at their house with their friends. My DH and I went the first year we were at Maury. We both looked at each other and left when they played beer pong or smoked weed. We are so over the Adams Morgan kickball scene of our 20s. There are a group of moms and dads who either WFH or don't work at all who coffee klatch by the flagpole/Brooks sign in the morning. It is so Fing annoying. I am racing to get to my office or on a call and they will still be there for over an hour. Must be nice.

When was this? My son graduated from Maury in 2020. There were definitely some moms who stayed at home and spent a lot of time volunteering. It felt mildly cliquish, but I think that was just because they spent time together on the playground after school and at volunteer stuff. No one was mean, or having keggers or playing beer pong. TBH, the group of moms I was referring to seemed really overinvolved in their kids' stuff, and a little boring, but not like bad or awful people.

You'd be dead wrong, Tons of keggers, back to school blow outs, end of year bashes, corn hole tournaments where streets got closed and people got wasted, ping pong table literally in a front yard with wasted adults playing beer pong. I saw it all.

[Anonymous]

People have drinking parties. It is obnoxious. I commented on it to our PTA president and she acted like I was uptight. My partner and I like to go out and have fun, but we do not engage in binge drinking or drinking games. Even as a sorority social chair in the 90s, this type of behavior was not seen as healthy or normal. If ACPS wants to be more diverse, there are tons of families who do not drink or maybe they are sober or struggling with an addiction. Binge drinking themed parties sponsored by PTA is not cool. This is why I don't volunteer or attend meetings.

[Anonymous]

wait let me get this straight - there's a secret rosemont beer pong clique?