First day drop off -- MD tags

[Anonymous]

I have to laugh at people who say "this isn't about race" and then concoct stories about imaginary pg people, who have their jobs because of Marion Berry. And love cheating the taxpayers.

If you were actually talking about real residency cheating, you might have a point. But having two parents in two different states is not, in fact, cheating. It's playing the lottery, same as you do.

Only, perhaps, not being such a sore... winner? As was pointed out, if you are already AT a school and still obsessive enough to start writing down license plate numbers, there's some issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to laugh at people who say "this isn't about race" and then concoct stories about imaginary pg people, who have their jobs because of Marion Berry. And love cheating the taxpayers.

If you were actually talking about real residency cheating, you might have a point. But having two parents in two different states is not, in fact, cheating. It's playing the lottery, same as you do.

Only, perhaps, not being such a sore... winner? As was pointed out, if you are already AT a school and still obsessive enough to start writing down license plate numbers, there's some issues.

Not really. For some (law-abiding) citizens, law-breakers should be reported. Because, laws. For some other people...well, they use some kind of illogical, emotion-based reasoning to justify the illegality. For a lot of posters I read on this board, it's out of an unfounded motivation to protect non-DC-resident black people. These people/persons seem unswayed by the fact-based logic that giving a slot to a non-DC resident deprives another DC resident of that same slot. These people/persons have "issues," imo.

If the kid lives in Maryland, but goes to school in D.C., the child should not be here. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

If working in the world for a long time has taught me anything is that there are endless scenarios that prove that the 'norm' is actually the exception. As has been stated above, there are numerous reasons why a car might have MD plates that have nothing to do without breaking the law. People who say "the kid lives in Maryland and should go to school in Maryland" clearly fail to understand the myriad reasons why it's just not that simple. These would include the obvious and legitimate (Foster care, shared parenting where the kid lives part-time both places and one parent pays taxes in DC, nanny from MD, kid returning from night away at Grandma's, mom / dad borrows a car to take their kids to work), parent is paying for their child to go to a DC charter (hey, it happens), etc. There may be less obvious (and slightly more shady) reasons too, that in themselves don't constitute residency fraud: MD tags haven't changed to DC yet, kid lives with mom during the week and dad on the weekend in DC, etc.

Bottom line is, there are enough legitimate reasons that you should be cautious before squawking "residency fraud." Even if there's only one of each kind of scenario per grade level, that is a lot of exceptions within one school and you should be careful. I personally think that race is a factor for most folks on this list. Black + MD tags = residency fraud, White + MD tags = nanny or some other perfectly legit reason.

Now, if the parent never participates in playdates and you know for a fact that the kid won't say where they live, then maybe you have more of a basis. But clearly these are different looking folks from you and you therefore don't know or care enough about them to get to know them face to face before jumping to conclusions.

So,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If working in the world for a long time has taught me anything is that there are endless scenarios that prove that the 'norm' is actually the exception. As has been stated above, there are numerous reasons why a car might have MD plates that have nothing to do without breaking the law. People who say "the kid lives in Maryland and should go to school in Maryland" clearly fail to understand the myriad reasons why it's just not that simple. These would include the obvious and legitimate (Foster care, shared parenting where the kid lives part-time both places and one parent pays taxes in DC, nanny from MD, kid returning from night away at Grandma's, mom / dad borrows a car to take their kids to work), parent is paying for their child to go to a DC charter (hey, it happens), etc. There may be less obvious (and slightly more shady) reasons too, that in themselves don't constitute residency fraud: MD tags haven't changed to DC yet, kid lives with mom during the week and dad on the weekend in DC, etc.

Bottom line is, there are enough legitimate reasons that you should be cautious before squawking "residency fraud." Even if there's only one of each kind of scenario per grade level, that is a lot of exceptions within one school and you should be careful. I personally think that race is a factor for most folks on this list. Black + MD tags = residency fraud, White + MD tags = nanny or some other perfectly legit reason.

Now, if the parent never participates in playdates and you know for a fact that the kid won't say where they live, then maybe you have more of a basis. But clearly these are different looking folks from you and you therefore don't know or care enough about them to get to know them face to face before jumping to conclusions.

So,

This poster is really amusing me with its inability to project likely outcomes based on facts. Like, is there any truly likely reason for a child resident of Montgomery County or Fairfax to try to skirt the law in order to attend DCPS? No? Right, not very likely. How about schools in PG county, are they any good? OK. I think we can fairly say that most (by far) residency cheaters are going to come from the PG. This is not "jumping to conclusions," its just...reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Lots of rough schools in PG county, and if you drive to work in DC, lots of convenient schools, some of them better than your PG options. That residency cheating exists is well-known and documented. The DC govt spends (insufficient) resources policing it and reports on their progress.

If your point was that you live in Bethesda and prefer those schools to DC, who cares, that says nothing about other MD residents.

This whole debate has a lot in common with the church parking issue. Churchgoers at many DC churches actually live in Md. They feel entitled to violate zoned parking laws and double park etc to attend church. They are defended by many native washingtonian AAs and by some long time resident white liberals. And so far, by parking enforcement. And they are criticized by newcomers of all races who think the practice is bullshit and they should move the churches to where they live, or else respect parking laws in Dc.

Same idea with MD people using DC schools (ward 9). Used to be no big deal, but as more and more newcomers arrive and the schools become popular and so on, there is more and more protest. So when you see people defending cheaters here, maybe they are cheaters, but maybe they are just old time washington and they don't like the change that is afoot.

It's so gross that people in this forum spend so much time, mind space and vitriol on this issue, especially when it's evident that if you are at the school making this observation then you've been denied absolutely nothing. If you live in the boundary, you're guaranteed a right to the school. But to go a step further and make it clear that your real disgruntlement is that your neighborhood hasn't cleared out the "old timers" fast enough for your liking is just . . . stomach turning.

DC has been making Sunday parking allowances for decades. Churchgoers are not violating anything except your assumed entitlement to keep black people out of your neighborhood and sight lines once a week. Why - and how - in the world would you expect anyone to move their church?

It has nothing in common with school residency cheating except in your small, mean, racist little mind that's longing for the day when all the people who can't afford $3000/month to live in your midst can be driven out for good. Why don't you just go ahead and do what early segregationists did and gather your neighbors to form a guantlet to spit and throw slurs at the people you don't want in your school.

Otherwise, report your suspicions and then STFU about it. Or maybe move to a place where black people wouldn't dare try to get into your school. There's someone on these boards who talks of their district in Alabama where black people who have the choice to go to better schools just don't. (Hmm. I wonder why.)

It's pretty incredible that you quote the post above, label it "vitriol", and then pen this seething, race-baiting masterpiece.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This poster is really amusing me with its inability to project likely outcomes based on facts. Like, is there any truly likely reason for a child resident of Montgomery County or Fairfax to try to skirt the law in order to attend DCPS? No? Right, not very likely. How about schools in PG county, are they any good? OK. I think we can fairly say that most (by far) residency cheaters are going to come from the PG. This is not "jumping to conclusions," its just...reality.

Free PreK in DC. They have that in MoCo?

[Anonymous]

Too much Ta-Nehisi, obvs. A little balance would probably be recommended from the Shrink, if counseled about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much Ta-Nehisi, obvs. A little balance would probably be recommended from the Shrink, if counseled about it.

Too much Ta-Nehisi Coates and not enough Jim Crow for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much Ta-Nehisi, obvs. A little balance would probably be recommended from the Shrink, if counseled about it.

Too much Ta-Nehisi Coates and not enough Jim Crow for you?

Arf, arf, arf! It is wonderful that the challenges of modern civil life are not so awfully simplistic. The struggle continues; may cooler heads prevail.

[Anonymous]

DC and Prince George's County have always had a special relationship. Many extended families live in both places and folks move back and forth, so it really shouldnt t be thought of as a border in the traditional sense. People in Prince Georges still feel a part of DC. DC and PG should get together and form the 51st state -- problem solved.

[Anonymous]

For Christ sakes we have one of these threads every single year. Dcps does not consider plates sufficent evidence. Maybe you guys should hire private investigators to follow these Maryland plate drivers around and prove that they're actually not residents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For Christ sakes we have one of these threads every single year. Dcps does not consider plates sufficent evidence. Maybe you guys should hire private investigators to follow these Maryland plate drivers around and prove that they're actually not residents

MD plates are not per se evidence of cheating, but they should be a red flag to compel DCPS to investigate the situation. If it's grammy dropping off the little ones, or a divorced spouse who lives in MD (provided that the kids are residents of DC), fine. But in many cases checking a license plate will result in rotten cheating being uncovered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to laugh at people who say "this isn't about race" and then concoct stories about imaginary pg people, who have their jobs because of Marion Berry. And love cheating the taxpayers.

If you were actually talking about real residency cheating, you might have a point. But having two parents in two different states is not, in fact, cheating. It's playing the lottery, same as you do.

Only, perhaps, not being such a sore... winner? As was pointed out, if you are already AT a school and still obsessive enough to start writing down license plate numbers, there's some issues.

It's not Marion Berry, it's Marion Barry. And he's gone. Finally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to laugh at people who say "this isn't about race" and then concoct stories about imaginary pg people, who have their jobs because of Marion Berry. And love cheating the taxpayers.

If you were actually talking about real residency cheating, you might have a point. But having two parents in two different states is not, in fact, cheating. It's playing the lottery, same as you do.

Only, perhaps, not being such a sore... winner? As was pointed out, if you are already AT a school and still obsessive enough to start writing down license plate numbers, there's some issues.

It's not Marion Berry, it's Marion Barry. And he's gone. Finally.

Ah, yes, the fine old days of Mayor Sir Graftalot. His legacy slowly but not finally recedes. The prior poster's mentality is surely that residents who "got theirs" should not care a whit for his cronies' thievery from the public purse. The government is ripe for plunder from those who think they have an allowance to get away with it, the laws (and equal treatment therefrom) be damned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to laugh at people who say "this isn't about race" and then concoct stories about imaginary pg people, who have their jobs because of Marion Berry. And love cheating the taxpayers.

If you were actually talking about real residency cheating, you might have a point. But having two parents in two different states is not, in fact, cheating. It's playing the lottery, same as you do.

Only, perhaps, not being such a sore... winner? As was pointed out, if you are already AT a school and still obsessive enough to start writing down license plate numbers, there's some issues.

It's not Marion Berry, it's Marion Barry. And he's gone. Finally.

Ah, yes, the fine old days of Mayor Sir Graftalot. His legacy slowly but not finally recedes. The prior poster's mentality is surely that residents who "got theirs" should not care a whit for his cronies' thievery from the public purse. The government is ripe for plunder from those who think they have an allowance to get away with it, the laws (and equal treatment therefrom) be damned.

It's also the case that by the time that Tony Williams had become mayor, a lot of Barry's cronies and other supporters had scurried across the border into PG where they fueled the pay-to-play plunderama there. See Johnson, Jack and wife.