Serious Answers Only—How to Fix MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Fix the issues in school bathrooms! Not tomorrow or next year. Today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fix the issues in school bathrooms! Not tomorrow or next year. Today.

What is your recommended fix?

[Anonymous]

smaller high schools...prob won't happen the HS are in the thousands too large.

[Anonymous]

I've been advocating for years to reopen, or build, schools for aggressive and violent students.

Violence has no place in schools. There are only a very small subset of students who are repeatedly violent, mostly due to untreated and unmedicated brain differences, sometimes gang-related issues, and also due to violent family situations. NONE of these belong in mainstream schools. They need their own schools, where they can be closely supervised and services and accommodations followed more closely, since specialized teachers will have fewer kids in these classrooms, all co-taught, with specially trained security in the building at all times, or sometimes inside classrooms, to protect teachers and students.

Do not lump violent students with the general special needs population, or the gifted population. I have one child with special needs and one child who is gifted. Neither have ever been violent, and more importantly, none of their similar-minded friends have ever been violent.

The only violent child I have known personally, in my 15 years in MCPS (K to 12th grade, two kids, two school clusters) had a very disturbing and unusual profile, and to my untrained eye, seemed like a budding sociopath. He enjoyed inflicting pain. HE DID NOT BELONG IN A NORMAL SCHOOL. Aggression is something apart from the usual ADHD/ASD/anxiety/depression profiles that schools are equipped to cater to. It's something beyond unruly behavior, talking back to teachers, and various lunchtime and corridor physicalities. It needs to be contained and controlled in special schools otherwise serious injuries or deaths can occur.

For kids whose brain differences lead them to be on the cusp, the mere suggestion that a school can decide to transfer them, after documented incidents of violence, would probably be enough in many case, to have parents wake up and seek discipline and treatment for their kids. Because today, without intimidation, some parents just can't get a handle on their children's behaviors at school - there are repercussions, so there is less motivation. The existence of such schools will act both as a solution and as a deterrent. We will be able to assess which families are able to self-manage, and which won't be able to (for many different reasons).

Taxpayers should bear the burden, and be happy to do so, in order to provide a better learning experience for students as well as a better retention rate for high-caliber personnel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I've been advocating for years to reopen, or build, schools for aggressive and violent students.

Violence has no place in schools. There are only a very small subset of students who are repeatedly violent, mostly due to untreated and unmedicated brain differences, sometimes gang-related issues, and also due to violent family situations. NONE of these belong in mainstream schools. They need their own schools, where they can be closely supervised and services and accommodations followed more closely, since specialized teachers will have fewer kids in these classrooms, all co-taught, with specially trained security in the building at all times, or sometimes inside classrooms, to protect teachers and students.

Do not lump violent students with the general special needs population, or the gifted population. I have one child with special needs and one child who is gifted. Neither have ever been violent, and more importantly, none of their similar-minded friends have ever been violent.

The only violent child I have known personally, in my 15 years in MCPS (K to 12th grade, two kids, two school clusters) had a very disturbing and unusual profile, and to my untrained eye, seemed like a budding sociopath. He enjoyed inflicting pain. HE DID NOT BELONG IN A NORMAL SCHOOL. Aggression is something apart from the usual ADHD/ASD/anxiety/depression profiles that schools are equipped to cater to. It's something beyond unruly behavior, talking back to teachers, and various lunchtime and corridor physicalities. It needs to be contained and controlled in special schools otherwise serious injuries or deaths can occur.

For kids whose brain differences lead them to be on the cusp, the mere suggestion that a school can decide to transfer them, after documented incidents of violence, would probably be enough in many case, to have parents wake up and seek discipline and treatment for their kids. Because today, without intimidation, some parents just can't get a handle on their children's behaviors at school - there are repercussions, so there is less motivation. The existence of such schools will act both as a solution and as a deterrent. We will be able to assess which families are able to self-manage, and which won't be able to (for many different reasons).

Taxpayers should bear the burden, and be happy to do so, in order to provide a better learning experience for students as well as a better retention rate for high-caliber personnel.

When you convince tax payers to pay for these buildings, personnel, and services is when it will happen. As it stands now, taxpayers won’t pay for nor fight for, the current needed school buildings, repairs, maintenance, and ADA compliance.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher I think we need to bring back more alternative school programs. The students were are all concerned about need a more therapeutic setting than regular typical schools can provide.

About 1-5% of students have severe mental health needs that cannot be easily addressed in traditional settings or with out extreme supports like one-on-ones in a gen-ed environment. Rarely, some can be extremely dangerous. I have had students who in a few years became murderers in my classrooms. They had severe needs

[Anonymous]

A serious and pervasive problem in MCPS is the high rate of turnover in central office leadership. This has led to placing mediocre people in top positions who have limited experience at that level and no idea what they are doing. This frequently leads to bad decision-making and the creation of new initiatives which are often counterproductive and create more stress on schools. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix to this reality since they hold the reins of power. Maybe a new supe and deputy supe will change things, but given recent history that is a long shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have been in MCPS for 15 years and I’m just disgusted by the decline. Wondering if anyone has ideas to fix the many problems in MCPS?

MCPS is fine. Stop complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have been in MCPS for 15 years and I’m just disgusted by the decline. Wondering if anyone has ideas to fix the many problems in MCPS?

Get off of DCUM. This website greatly exaggerates problems and there are a few folks with axes to grind. The vast majority of families of the 160,000+ students are more than satisfied with the education of their children. MCPS is a large organization with the typical problems of a large organization. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Is it in "decline"? No more than most school systems at this moment in our society who are struggling with problems beyond to direct control of school systems.

I very much disagree with you. I have children very spread apart in ages. The experience with my oldest and youngest was like night and day.

+1!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have been in MCPS for 15 years and I’m just disgusted by the decline. Wondering if anyone has ideas to fix the many problems in MCPS?

Get off of DCUM. This website greatly exaggerates problems and there are a few folks with axes to grind. The vast majority of families of the 160,000+ students are more than satisfied with the education of their children. MCPS is a large organization with the typical problems of a large organization. Is there room for improvement? Yes. Is it in "decline"? No more than most school systems at this moment in our society who are struggling with problems beyond to direct control of school systems.

I very much disagree with you. I have children very spread apart in ages. The experience with my oldest and youngest was like night and day.

+1!

And the changes with society generally???

[Anonymous]

We can help by not allowing the RW garbage to continue to ban books and try to dumb down the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Fix that ParentVue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A serious and pervasive problem in MCPS is the high rate of turnover in central office leadership. This has led to placing mediocre people in top positions who have limited experience at that level and no idea what they are doing. This frequently leads to bad decision-making and the creation of new initiatives which are often counterproductive and create more stress on schools. Unfortunately, there is no easy fix to this reality since they hold the reins of power. Maybe a new supe and deputy supe will change things, but given recent history that is a long shot.

I'm quite certain that a new supe and deputy supe will change things. They always do. What's unknown is how effective their changes will be.

[Anonymous]

No teachers who teach low level or violent students should be bullied by admin and lose their job while violent criminals and rapists run wild and avoid suspension. Making teachers feel powerless is bad for teachers, students, and education as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher I think we need to bring back more alternative school programs. The students were are all concerned about need a more therapeutic setting than regular typical schools can provide.

About 1-5% of students have severe mental health needs that cannot be easily addressed in traditional settings or with out extreme supports like one-on-ones in a gen-ed environment. Rarely, some can be extremely dangerous. I have had students who in a few years became murderers in my classrooms. They had severe needs

+1 there are special schools as you describe in MoCo but it takes an Herculean effort to get funding, accepted, and have a spot open.

The other issue is there aren’t schools for kids who are emotionally fragile/non-aggressive mental health issue AND are on grade level. Most of the schools either cater to extreme behaviors or learning disabilities. There is no in between.