Appeals process- DCC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals have a lot of power. The easiest way to go about this would be to make an appointment with the principal and plead your case. I recommend bringing your daughter with you and having her send a persuasive letter to the principal as well. Have a thought out approach to why you want to switch to Blair.

Your 2nd option is to withdraw and re-enroll. If you withdraw, I assume you will lose your spot in currently enrolled classes, but, you are late in the game to register at Blair anyway, so, maybe it doesn't matter. There may be other repercussions. I live in the DCC and though I've had discussions about this with other parents over the years, I don't actually know anybody who has withdrawn and re-enrolled. I do know a few kids who were principal placed at their inbound schools (Einstein) after going through the choice process and being placed at other schools.

Do you think it’s likely that the Blair principal would make a special exception for my daughter? Has she ever enrolled any students before from doing this? I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but I just don’t want to take any risks anymore and I’m not sure if this idea will work.

Contact your State Delegates and Senator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals have a lot of power. The easiest way to go about this would be to make an appointment with the principal and plead your case. I recommend bringing your daughter with you and having her send a persuasive letter to the principal as well. Have a thought out approach to why you want to switch to Blair.

Your 2nd option is to withdraw and re-enroll. If you withdraw, I assume you will lose your spot in currently enrolled classes, but, you are late in the game to register at Blair anyway, so, maybe it doesn't matter. There may be other repercussions. I live in the DCC and though I've had discussions about this with other parents over the years, I don't actually know anybody who has withdrawn and re-enrolled. I do know a few kids who were principal placed at their inbound schools (Einstein) after going through the choice process and being placed at other schools.

Do you think it’s likely that the Blair principal would make a special exception for my daughter? Has she ever enrolled any students before from doing this? I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but I just don’t want to take any risks anymore and I’m not sure if this idea will work.

Contact your State Delegates and Senator.

Don’t listen to this idiot.

MCPS has very clear policies about school assignments and how the DCC works. Since Blair is over enrolled, you are unlikely to get special preference from the principal (which opens them up to actual challenges.) unenrolling and then re-enrolling in a few weeks won’t do what you want either. Your student will retain their ID and all the records. The office in charge of DCC placement isn’t going to magically place her at Blair, like they didn’t know what you were trying to do.

Appealing the decision is also unlikely to work. From your perspective, you have an individual request that seems reasonable. From MCPS’s perspective, they get hundreds of requests that they cannot accommodate, so they very carefully follow the documented process so that no one says someone got preferential treatment. You can read about appeals regarding placement that went all the way to they state board and we’re still denied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals have a lot of power. The easiest way to go about this would be to make an appointment with the principal and plead your case. I recommend bringing your daughter with you and having her send a persuasive letter to the principal as well. Have a thought out approach to why you want to switch to Blair.

Your 2nd option is to withdraw and re-enroll. If you withdraw, I assume you will lose your spot in currently enrolled classes, but, you are late in the game to register at Blair anyway, so, maybe it doesn't matter. There may be other repercussions. I live in the DCC and though I've had discussions about this with other parents over the years, I don't actually know anybody who has withdrawn and re-enrolled. I do know a few kids who were principal placed at their inbound schools (Einstein) after going through the choice process and being placed at other schools.

Do you think it’s likely that the Blair principal would make a special exception for my daughter? Has she ever enrolled any students before from doing this? I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but I just don’t want to take any risks anymore and I’m not sure if this idea will work.

Contact your State Delegates and Senator.

Don’t listen to this idiot.

MCPS has very clear policies about school assignments and how the DCC works. Since Blair is over enrolled, you are unlikely to get special preference from the principal (which opens them up to actual challenges.) unenrolling and then re-enrolling in a few weeks won’t do what you want either. Your student will retain their ID and all the records. The office in charge of DCC placement isn’t going to magically place her at Blair, like they didn’t know what you were trying to do.

Appealing the decision is also unlikely to work. From your perspective, you have an individual request that seems reasonable. From MCPS’s perspective, they get hundreds of requests that they cannot accommodate, so they very carefully follow the documented process so that no one says someone got preferential treatment. You can read about appeals regarding placement that went all the way to they state board and we’re still denied.

So, if I unenroll then reenroll from MCPS, there’s not a guarantee that they assign me to Blair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

The guarantee is that if you select your home school #1 on the choice form, you are guaranteed to go there. That only happens during the choice process timeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

Makes no sense. Typical MCPS which is why they need outside advocate to cut through the MCPS bs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

Makes no sense. Typical MCPS which is why they need outside advocate to cut through the MCPS bs.

It makes plenty of sense when there are hundreds of people trying to game the system like OP is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

DP. She would have been guaranteed to go to her base area school if she had enrolled into the DCC after the first day of school. But she didn't. She enrolled into the DCC, and she was assigned to a DCC school that wasn't Blair. So now she has to wait until February to have the opportunity to go through the Change of Choice process to request assignment to a different DCC school for the following year.

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/school-info/downcounty/choice/enrollment

[Anonymous]

Keep appealing. Jn my experience MCPS says no for the first couple and then gives in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals have a lot of power. The easiest way to go about this would be to make an appointment with the principal and plead your case. I recommend bringing your daughter with you and having her send a persuasive letter to the principal as well. Have a thought out approach to why you want to switch to Blair.

Your 2nd option is to withdraw and re-enroll. If you withdraw, I assume you will lose your spot in currently enrolled classes, but, you are late in the game to register at Blair anyway, so, maybe it doesn't matter. There may be other repercussions. I live in the DCC and though I've had discussions about this with other parents over the years, I don't actually know anybody who has withdrawn and re-enrolled. I do know a few kids who were principal placed at their inbound schools (Einstein) after going through the choice process and being placed at other schools.

Do you think it’s likely that the Blair principal would make a special exception for my daughter? Has she ever enrolled any students before from doing this? I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but I just don’t want to take any risks anymore and I’m not sure if this idea will work.

Contact your State Delegates and Senator.

Don’t listen to this idiot.

MCPS has very clear policies about school assignments and how the DCC works. Since Blair is over enrolled, you are unlikely to get special preference from the principal (which opens them up to actual challenges.) unenrolling and then re-enrolling in a few weeks won’t do what you want either. Your student will retain their ID and all the records. The office in charge of DCC placement isn’t going to magically place her at Blair, like they didn’t know what you were trying to do.

Appealing the decision is also unlikely to work. From your perspective, you have an individual request that seems reasonable. From MCPS’s perspective, they get hundreds of requests that they cannot accommodate, so they very carefully follow the documented process so that no one says someone got preferential treatment. You can read about appeals regarding placement that went all the way to they state board and we’re still denied.

So, if I unenroll then reenroll from MCPS, there’s not a guarantee that they assign me to Blair?

I don't know the answer to this question, but principals definitely have the ability to place students in their school whether the school is oversubscribed or not. I have known two families to un-enroll and then re-enroll their highschoolers at Einstein (not to "game the system" but for travel/family emergency type things). Upon re-enrollment they were placed at Einstein--where their home is zoned to. They had started HS at Einstein, not at a different DCC school (they already had a relationship with the principal). I would still go to the principal before trying to un-enroll / re-enroll. It's interesting that nobody has chimed in with a negative or positive experience about trying this at Blair. I don't think many families go to these efforts to switch schools within the DCC. I do think if you live in a home within Blair's zone, you should be allowed to send your kid there. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

The guarantee is that if you select your home school #1 on the choice form, you are guaranteed to go there. That only happens during the choice process timeline.

What happens when someone moves into MoCo midyear?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

Makes no sense. Typical MCPS which is why they need outside advocate to cut through the MCPS bs.

It makes plenty of sense when there are hundreds of people trying to game the system like OP is.

OP moved to the Blair zone. How is that gaming the system?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

No, that’s the DCC. You rank your options during the annual process. These schools are already over capacity. The annual choice process helps them balance it out as much as possible

[Anonymous]

The process is pretty clear. Did you read the FAQ on the MCPS page? You are not new to the DCC so you are treated like every other student and have to adhere to the MCPS timelines for round 1 and round 2

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/school-info/Downcounty/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals have a lot of power. The easiest way to go about this would be to make an appointment with the principal and plead your case. I recommend bringing your daughter with you and having her send a persuasive letter to the principal as well. Have a thought out approach to why you want to switch to Blair.

Your 2nd option is to withdraw and re-enroll. If you withdraw, I assume you will lose your spot in currently enrolled classes, but, you are late in the game to register at Blair anyway, so, maybe it doesn't matter. There may be other repercussions. I live in the DCC and though I've had discussions about this with other parents over the years, I don't actually know anybody who has withdrawn and re-enrolled. I do know a few kids who were principal placed at their inbound schools (Einstein) after going through the choice process and being placed at other schools.

Do you think it’s likely that the Blair principal would make a special exception for my daughter? Has she ever enrolled any students before from doing this? I’m sorry if this comes off as rude, but I just don’t want to take any risks anymore and I’m not sure if this idea will work.

Contact your State Delegates and Senator.

Don’t listen to this idiot.

MCPS has very clear policies about school assignments and how the DCC works. Since Blair is over enrolled, you are unlikely to get special preference from the principal (which opens them up to actual challenges.) unenrolling and then re-enrolling in a few weeks won’t do what you want either. Your student will retain their ID and all the records. The office in charge of DCC placement isn’t going to magically place her at Blair, like they didn’t know what you were trying to do.

Appealing the decision is also unlikely to work. From your perspective, you have an individual request that seems reasonable. From MCPS’s perspective, they get hundreds of requests that they cannot accommodate, so they very carefully follow the documented process so that no one says someone got preferential treatment. You can read about appeals regarding placement that went all the way to they state board and we’re still denied.

So, if I unenroll then reenroll from MCPS, there’s not a guarantee that they assign me to Blair?

I don't know the answer to this question, but principals definitely have the ability to place students in their school whether the school is oversubscribed or not. I have known two families to un-enroll and then re-enroll their highschoolers at Einstein (not to "game the system" but for travel/family emergency type things). Upon re-enrollment they were placed at Einstein--where their home is zoned to. They had started HS at Einstein, not at a different DCC school (they already had a relationship with the principal). I would still go to the principal before trying to un-enroll / re-enroll. It's interesting that nobody has chimed in with a negative or positive experience about trying this at Blair. I don't think many families go to these efforts to switch schools within the DCC. I do think if you live in a home within Blair's zone, you should be allowed to send your kid there. Good luck.

Thanks, I’ll try this. The blair building is closed right now, so I don’t think I’ll be able to see the principal in person, so should I just email her and explain the situation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP did you try looking up MCPS “moved” or “change of address” that affects home school cluster?

Or try calling Blair or central office and say you moved from one cluster and are now in theirs/Blair’s and what should your next steps be to attend the proper school?

I think you’re over complicating this issue.

I have. The people at the consortium choice office (the people in charge of enrollment/transfers/etc) told me that since I'm requesting a change within the DCC, that I would ave to wait until January for the change of choice process. I don't understand why they're making it so complicated, especially because Blair is my home school, but nonetheless I'm just confused what my next steps have to be to ensure she goes there for the next school year.

I think they're right, though. Since she is already enrolled as a student at a DCC high school, there is a once-a-year process for requesting a transfer to another DCC school.

So she’s not guaranteed to go to her home school?

Makes no sense. Typical MCPS which is why they need outside advocate to cut through the MCPS bs.

It makes plenty of sense when there are hundreds of people trying to game the system like OP is.

OP moved to the Blair zone. How is that gaming the system?

OP's child was assigned to a DCC school that is not Blair, but still wanted to go to Blair, so OP and OP's child upped stakes and moved to the Blair area. How is that NOT gaming the system?