Do people get creative (e.g. lie) in order to get sibling preference?

[Anonymous]

If you lie to get in, will result in you lying to stay in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What does as genetically close as half siblings mean? Is it the niece/nephew of you or dh's identical sibling? That's the only case I can think of.

Yes. Though it's not really relevant to the question, I don't want to derail any discussion by focussing on that. Other possible family situations with the same issue include surrogacy or adoption within the family. So yeah, it's unusual but not unique.

To answer your question, OP, I imagine people lie about it, but unlike addresses, this is a lie that would be very tough to maintain, and I can't imagine charters being forgiving when it's found out. Ours certainly wouldn't.

Regarding the above, kids aren't offered sibling preferences because of a genetic relationship - it's a logistical issue for parents, nothing more. So if you nephew doesn't live with you, there's simply no reason a close genetic relationship should matter.

Plus, you seem to believe that since your relative, through unusual circumstances, shares more genes with your kids than the normal cousin relationship, he or she should receive some special dispensation? That's - odd.

Not at all! I clearly said that I wasn't comfortable with any kind of lying. I can't imagine how you would continue that lie through school. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned the twin thing - it was something we'd joked about. Didn't realize it would get everyone all upset/confused. I was just wondering if other people did lie, based on what seem to be a LOT of siblings! Cos having a sibling at a school seems to be about the only way to get into a lot of them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you lie to get in, will result in you lying to stay in.

Then she'll have to train her child to lie to because every week at DCPS your kid has bring in some form or another with permission for field trips, photos, federal accounting, etc. You have to write your address RIGHT ON THE FORM. The kid has to hand in the form to the teacher. The kid will look at the form and see that you have put a phony address on the form. The kid will say "mommy, but that isn't our address?" Then you will teach him how to lie. YOU ARE A SCOURGE ON SOCIETY! YOU ARE LIKE GRIFTERS OR CARNY FOLK! GO AWAY!

[Anonymous]

Not at all! I clearly said that I wasn't comfortable with any kind of lying. I can't imagine how you would continue that lie through school. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned the twin thing - it was something we'd joked about. Didn't realize it would get everyone all upset/confused. I was just wondering if other people did lie, based on what seem to be a LOT of siblings! Cos having a sibling at a school seems to be about the only way to get into a lot of them!

It is frustrating, but it makes sense. There's one entry year, say PS. Say there's 40 slots. But if the school goes through 8th grade, there are 10 other grades (400 kids). Many/most of them are not only children - say 350. Not say most people have kids within 5 years of each other - that leaves 175 current students with siblings. If only 20% of them are the PS year, that's 35 out of 40 seats taken up by siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you lie to get in, will result in you lying to stay in.

Then she'll have to train her child to lie to because every week at DCPS your kid has bring in some form or another with permission for field trips, photos, federal accounting, etc. You have to write your address RIGHT ON THE FORM. The kid has to hand in the form to the teacher. The kid will look at the form and see that you have put a phony address on the form. The kid will say "mommy, but that isn't our address?" Then you will teach him how to lie. YOU ARE A SCOURGE ON SOCIETY! YOU ARE LIKE GRIFTERS OR CARNY FOLK! GO AWAY!

Honey, you're starting to seem like you need a rabies shot.

[Anonymous]

I don't remember showing a birth certificate to enroll my child. Is this a requirement now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't remember showing a birth certificate to enroll my child. Is this a requirement now?

In my DCPS I believe you have to show it every year, not just initial enrollment.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure that there are people that lie and it is the responsibility of the schools to confirm that the child has a sibling. Will the school really check is another question.

[Anonymous]

Do schools give preference if one sibling gets in via lottery to sibling #2. (eg) if the older one gets in does the younger one bump on the WL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do schools give preference if one sibling gets in via lottery to sibling #2. (eg) if the older one gets in does the younger one bump on the WL?

Yes. Most charter schools hold the lottery for grades in descending order, so this can be very advantageous. Many schools are easier to get into in, say, 3rd grade than Pre-K. So if the 3rd-grader gets in, then the Pre-Ker automatically gets in, even if Pre-K is extremely competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do schools give preference if one sibling gets in via lottery to sibling #2. (eg) if the older one gets in does the younger one bump on the WL?

Yes. Most charter schools hold the lottery for grades in descending order, so this can be very advantageous. Many schools are easier to get into in, say, 3rd grade than Pre-K. So if the 3rd-grader gets in, then the Pre-Ker automatically gets in, even if Pre-K is extremely competitive.

Or - they bump you to the top of the waitiist. But what MV did last year was that is child "A" got in and child "B" go bumped to the top - if child "A" did not enroll, child "B" went back to original spot from the lottery.

[Anonymous]

I get why they do that, but it doesn't seem quite fair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get why they do that, but it doesn't seem quite fair.

It's the same thing as sibling preference, actually. My Pre-K DC got into her school because her older sib was in 2nd grade. If someone lotteries into 2nd, shouldn't they be able to do the same?

[Anonymous]

It does make it easier to get into schools if you have siblings in play. Got an older child into a relatively new charter, upper grade, where everyone who applied got in. The younger swept to the top of a very long competitive wait list, and was admitted.

Same year, another charter opened a new section of the younger grade, and told me if I enrolled younger, they would make space in a pretty competitive upper grade for the older. You do, however, have to have 2 siblings, not cousins, etc.

[Anonymous]

Charter admin here. We check birth certs to verify actual sibling status so it would be pretty pointless to lie during the lottery to try to gain sib preference since you'll eventually be found out. And its also unethical. Also, most (if not all) schools say that both sibs have to enroll to gain sib preference - the point of sib preference is to keep families together so if you don't enroll one of the sibs then it defeats the whole point of the preference. We don't want families entering an application for every child they have, knowing that they have no intention of enrolling the sibling just to gain sibling preference.