Churchill Getting a New Principal

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I guess Mrs. Heckert’s last day was today. MCPS texted at 5pm all business offices and schools are closed tomorrow. It’s not like staff has had enough time off this year.

It's a new federal holiday.

Add it to next year’s calendar and subtract another holiday. To announce the day before is ridiculous.

BTW - weren’t the principal interviews supposed to be tomorrow? June 18th? Now the interviews will have to be rescheduled. Sometimes there’s actually work that needs to be done in a public school system. Let’s just flush more tax dollars down the drain.

Tell it to Congress and Mr Biden. MPCS recognizes all federal holidays.

Why is there school on Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day?

I say this wryly because Columbus was a horrible human being who never even set foot on what would become the continental US. But as the daughter and wife of a Veteran, it should be a day off.

+1 I think the BOE should relook at the school calendar and prioritize holidays. I have nothing against Juneteenth as a school holiday. But perhaps get rid of another holiday. Veterans and their families make huge sacrifices for this country. I would support adding it as an MCPS holiday. Presidents Day - that one could go. Nothing wrong with adding the day after Thanksgiving as a work day.

Juneteenth is NOT a "school" holiday in the sense that it has any impact on students or most of the staff, or has any bearing on the overall academic calendar. It's like July 4th, it falls outside of the academic year, so it's an MCPS holiday, not a "school" holiday.

MCPS has programming after the normal school year. Summer school, enrichment courses, SAT/ACT prep classes, summer camps, and for students with disabilities, Extended School Year Services. There’s meetings for the functionality of the school system - interviews to hire the Churchill principal for example. Work doesn’t end in MCPS just because of Summer Break. There’s a lot of 12 month employees that have responsibilities to fulfill and 10 month employees that took a summer position to supplement their income.

The BOE should report to the residents of Montgomery County the cost of adding another holiday. I am not against naming Juneteenth. I just think it should not have sprung up the day before everyone had off so it could be planned around. I also think the Board should take away another holiday so the number of holidays remains the same.

First, I never said work stopped after the academic year was over, and I alluded to those 12 month employees in my original post about this. Their schedule during the summer has nothing to do with the academic schedule during the school year, they're totally separate.

You're absolutely right, there are summer activities that are scheduled, BUT they start, for the most part, in July, and nothing, NOTHING starts within three days of the end of the academic year, which is the case with Juneteenth, AND NONE of the things you allude to show up in the Academic Calendar. So again, this doesn't affect the academic calendar and has a minimal impact on the expenditure of your tax dollars and has no bearing on the holidays that are laid out in the calendar for the academic year.

Really, there are other things of vastly greater importance to be focusing on besides the impact of Juneteenth, a holiday MCPS may well embrace but which had nothing to do with making happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess Mrs. Heckert’s last day was today. MCPS texted at 5pm all business offices and schools are closed tomorrow. It’s not like staff has had enough time off this year.

It's a new federal holiday.

Add it to next year’s calendar and subtract another holiday. To announce the day before is ridiculous.

BTW - weren’t the principal interviews supposed to be tomorrow? June 18th? Now the interviews will have to be rescheduled. Sometimes there’s actually work that needs to be done in a public school system. Let’s just flush more tax dollars down the drain.

Tell it to Congress and Mr Biden. MPCS recognizes all federal holidays.

Why is there school on Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day?

I say this wryly because Columbus was a horrible human being who never even set foot on what would become the continental US. But as the daughter and wife of a Veteran, it should be a day off.

+1 I think the BOE should relook at the school calendar and prioritize holidays. I have nothing against Juneteenth as a school holiday. But perhaps get rid of another holiday. Veterans and their families make huge sacrifices for this country. I would support adding it as an MCPS holiday. Presidents Day - that one could go. Nothing wrong with adding the day after Thanksgiving as a work day.

Juneteenth is NOT a "school" holiday in the sense that it has any impact on students or most of the staff, or has any bearing on the overall academic calendar. It's like July 4th, it falls outside of the academic year, so it's an MCPS holiday, not a "school" holiday.

MCPS has programming after the normal school year. Summer school, enrichment courses, SAT/ACT prep classes, summer camps, and for students with disabilities, Extended School Year Services. There’s meetings for the functionality of the school system - interviews to hire the Churchill principal for example. Work doesn’t end in MCPS just because of Summer Break. There’s a lot of 12 month employees that have responsibilities to fulfill and 10 month employees that took a summer position to supplement their income.

The BOE should report to the residents of Montgomery County the cost of adding another holiday. I am not against naming Juneteenth. I just think it should not have sprung up the day before everyone had off so it could be planned around. I also think the Board should take away another holiday so the number of holidays remains the same.

First, I never said work stopped after the academic year was over, and I alluded to those 12 month employees in my original post about this. Their schedule during the summer has nothing to do with the academic schedule during the school year, they're totally separate.

You're absolutely right, there are summer activities that are scheduled, BUT they start, for the most part, in July, and nothing, NOTHING starts within three days of the end of the academic year, which is the case with Juneteenth, AND NONE of the things you allude to show up in the Academic Calendar. So again, this doesn't affect the academic calendar and has a minimal impact on the expenditure of your tax dollars and has no bearing on the holidays that are laid out in the calendar for the academic year.

Really, there are other things of vastly greater importance to be focusing on besides the impact of Juneteenth, a holiday MCPS may well embrace but which had nothing to do with making happen.

But gotta stoke the culture wars!

[Anonymous]

Someone should start a new thread about Juneteenth. To announce a holiday the day before the Principal interviews shows the priorities of MCPS. To not send a letter to the community on the change of the status of the process shows a lack of transparency by Dr. Moran and Dr. Dyson.

[Anonymous]

You realize the interviews are a dog and pony show/check the box item for MCPS and that they already know exactly who the next Principal will be, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You realize the interviews are a dog and pony show/check the box item for MCPS and that they already know exactly who the next Principal will be, right?

Then Dr. Moran or Dr. Dyson should just name the person they have chosen.

I guess I am skeptical about the process but hoping for the best outcome. I agree that in particularly, Dr. Moran gives a good speech about supporting the Churchill community. However, he only shows up when the school has a crisis and then has not followed through with fixing problems. What went wrong with Mrs. Heckert happened on his watch.

[Anonymous]

This was the last Churchill School at a Glance published by MCPS https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf

Mrs. Heckert mostly ignored the needs of students with disabilities during her tenure, especially during COVID. Students with IEPs makeup 10% of Churchill. This number excludes other students that are identified with disabilities on 504 Plans. Children with disabilities are the third largest demographi https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf c in the school and the most under served.

Churchill needs more staff and support for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities were disproportionately affected by online learning because they couldn’t access the accommodations and services they needed in the online environment. Many disabled students have regressed and lost skills they once had before the pandemic. They will need extra services to catch up to the trajectory they once were on. This is high school so there is also limited time to make up for 6 lost quarters of learning.

Thus far, school administrators are not making plans on how to address this problem. Since Dr. Howard is taking the reigns this week, I hope she has leadership skills to get out in front of this problem that could be mitigated with summer services. Whom ever is hired, should have at least a basic understanding that Churchill has an obligation to identify and meet the needs of students with disabilities. Whom ever is hired should remind staff of their legal obligations for following IEPs and 504 plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was the last Churchill School at a Glance published by MCPS https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf

Mrs. Heckert mostly ignored the needs of students with disabilities during her tenure, especially during COVID. Students with IEPs makeup 10% of Churchill. This number excludes other students that are identified with disabilities on 504 Plans. Children with disabilities are the third largest demographi https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf c in the school and the most under served.

Churchill needs more staff and support for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities were disproportionately affected by online learning because they couldn’t access the accommodations and services they needed in the online environment. Many disabled students have regressed and lost skills they once had before the pandemic. They will need extra services to catch up to the trajectory they once were on. This is high school so there is also limited time to make up for 6 lost quarters of learning.

Thus far, school administrators are not making plans on how to address this problem. Since Dr. Howard is taking the reigns this week, I hope she has leadership skills to get out in front of this problem that could be mitigated with summer services. Whom ever is hired, should have at least a basic understanding that Churchill has an obligation to identify and meet the needs of students with disabilities. Whom ever is hired should remind staff of their legal obligations for following IEPs and 504 plans.

There is a process for requesting "compensatory services" for students with IEPs that didn't make progress this year. Instead of making a big deal about the loss of learning (yes, it was worse for kids with IEPs), parents should spend their time understanding the process and requesting compensatory services. Kids with IEPs all over the county had a crappy year. It wasn't just Churchill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the last Churchill School at a Glance published by MCPS https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf

Mrs. Heckert mostly ignored the needs of students with disabilities during her tenure, especially during COVID. Students with IEPs makeup 10% of Churchill. This number excludes other students that are identified with disabilities on 504 Plans. Children with disabilities are the third largest demographi https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf c in the school and the most under served.

Churchill needs more staff and support for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities were disproportionately affected by online learning because they couldn’t access the accommodations and services they needed in the online environment. Many disabled students have regressed and lost skills they once had before the pandemic. They will need extra services to catch up to the trajectory they once were on. This is high school so there is also limited time to make up for 6 lost quarters of learning.

Thus far, school administrators are not making plans on how to address this problem. Since Dr. Howard is taking the reigns this week, I hope she has leadership skills to get out in front of this problem that could be mitigated with summer services. Whom ever is hired, should have at least a basic understanding that Churchill has an obligation to identify and meet the needs of students with disabilities. Whom ever is hired should remind staff of their legal obligations for following IEPs and 504 plans.

There is a process for requesting "compensatory services" for students with IEPs that didn't make progress this year. Instead of making a big deal about the loss of learning (yes, it was worse for kids with IEPs), parents should spend their time understanding the process and requesting compensatory services. Kids with IEPs all over the county had a crappy year. It wasn't just Churchill.

You don’t think parents at Churchill have asked for Compensatory Services at IEP meetings? We are some of the most involved parents in the county and highly educated with resources to hire advocates and attorneys. Yes we know the processes including Due Process, State Complaints, and even Federal Complaints.

The answer we get from Churchill administrators is that Compensatory Services will be discussed at sometime in the future. Because we are not a Title I school, there are no summer programs being offered to help students with disabilities at Churchill to begin recovering over the summer. Time is being lost to begin recovery services over the summer because it has simply not been a priority at the school. Churchill ignored the needs of students with disabilities during the Pandemic and they are ignoring the needs of students with disabilities now.

Dr. Howard will show her administrative skills or lack there of depending on what she does over the next month. If she can clean up the mess left by Heckert, I would support her for the permanent position. A school plan for recovery services is urgently needed and I hope all candidates are asked questions regarding their approach and ideas at the interviews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You realize the interviews are a dog and pony show/check the box item for MCPS and that they already know exactly who the next Principal will be, right?

Then Dr. Moran or Dr. Dyson should just name the person they have chosen.

I guess I am skeptical about the process but hoping for the best outcome. I agree that in particularly, Dr. Moran gives a good speech about supporting the Churchill community. However, he only shows up when the school has a crisis and then has not followed through with fixing problems. What went wrong with Mrs. Heckert happened on his watch.

It's ultimately not their choice, it's Dr. McKnight's.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All schools deserve good leadership. All staff at school deserve to be respected. All parents and students deserve respect.

Any less than this is why MCPS is crumbling at its foundation.

Are there any "W" schools doing a good job on diversity? Pyle is infamous for its problems, and it seems the Whitman principal is spending a good deal of his time on diversity, equity related matters, but is it helping? Is there a principal who has made a dent and changed the culture of their "white/W" school for the better? I guess I'm wondering how the principals are doing at places like North Bethesda, Silver Creek, Westland, Cabin John, and at high schools like BCC, Walter Johnson, Whitman, and any other in this category that I'm forgetting.

The staff at Cabin John does an amazing job and i think it stems from the principal. He encourages the hiring of diverse applicants so his staff is diverse. Not to mention they are not diverse just to say they are diverse they are great at what they do. Media Center specialist, Dr. Massey, is a huge asset to the CJMS community. Ms. Kumar is a beloved science teacher. The school read Stamped and had Jason Reynolds on a webinar to discuss. All very well done! Half of these kids go on to Churchill so not sure what that means tho?

Mr. Taylor is a rock star. It will be interesting to see if he applies for the job.

He's woke though, so Churchill parents should beware.

What do you mean by this?

He assigned Kendi's "Stamped" to his entire school. Kendi is a known racist so it was a terrible choice. He then used the connect time class to have teachers introduce elements of CRT along with the book. You'd have to be pretty woke to do this

Fantastic book! I’d suggest everyone read it. It helps people understand how we got to where we are.

You mean with people like Kendi actively lobbying for discrimination against everyone except black people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All schools deserve good leadership. All staff at school deserve to be respected. All parents and students deserve respect.

Any less than this is why MCPS is crumbling at its foundation.

Are there any "W" schools doing a good job on diversity? Pyle is infamous for its problems, and it seems the Whitman principal is spending a good deal of his time on diversity, equity related matters, but is it helping? Is there a principal who has made a dent and changed the culture of their "white/W" school for the better? I guess I'm wondering how the principals are doing at places like North Bethesda, Silver Creek, Westland, Cabin John, and at high schools like BCC, Walter Johnson, Whitman, and any other in this category that I'm forgetting.

The staff at Cabin John does an amazing job and i think it stems from the principal. He encourages the hiring of diverse applicants so his staff is diverse. Not to mention they are not diverse just to say they are diverse they are great at what they do. Media Center specialist, Dr. Massey, is a huge asset to the CJMS community. Ms. Kumar is a beloved science teacher. The school read Stamped and had Jason Reynolds on a webinar to discuss. All very well done! Half of these kids go on to Churchill so not sure what that means tho?

Mr. Taylor is a rock star. It will be interesting to see if he applies for the job.

He's woke though, so Churchill parents should beware.

What do you mean by this?

He assigned Kendi's "Stamped" to his entire school. Kendi is a known racist so it was a terrible choice. He then used the connect time class to have teachers introduce elements of CRT along with the book. You'd have to be pretty woke to do this

Kendi is a known racist? Damn, I didn't know that. To think that the guy who wrote "How to be an Anti-Racist" is the "thing" he writes about to help OTHER people not be, my Lord - tricky, tricky, tricky (just writing that sentence was tricky, wow ...) Now I know in "How to be An Anti-Racist" he talks about how growing up he was racist against Black folk, is this what you mean? I'm pretty sure he addresses this pretty clearly in the book as something he's "woke" about and he's feeling contrite and all - but clearly you have an inside line on his "racism". I need to look into this, see if he's still racist against Black people or whomever, and if it comes up true I'm returning that book - can't have a hypocrite in my library, no way, no how.

"The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination." - Kendi Anyone who lobbies for race-based discrimination is a racist. Just because he put "anti" in front of racist doesn't mean it's not racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All schools deserve good leadership. All staff at school deserve to be respected. All parents and students deserve respect.

Any less than this is why MCPS is crumbling at its foundation.

Are there any "W" schools doing a good job on diversity? Pyle is infamous for its problems, and it seems the Whitman principal is spending a good deal of his time on diversity, equity related matters, but is it helping? Is there a principal who has made a dent and changed the culture of their "white/W" school for the better? I guess I'm wondering how the principals are doing at places like North Bethesda, Silver Creek, Westland, Cabin John, and at high schools like BCC, Walter Johnson, Whitman, and any other in this category that I'm forgetting.

The staff at Cabin John does an amazing job and i think it stems from the principal. He encourages the hiring of diverse applicants so his staff is diverse. Not to mention they are not diverse just to say they are diverse they are great at what they do. Media Center specialist, Dr. Massey, is a huge asset to the CJMS community. Ms. Kumar is a beloved science teacher. The school read Stamped and had Jason Reynolds on a webinar to discuss. All very well done! Half of these kids go on to Churchill so not sure what that means tho?

Both Taylor and Massey are woke and are trying to indoctrinate kids with books like Stamped. Terrible.

Damn right! Reading books, and talking about what you read, TERRIBLE! I mean who wants anyone to learn something that they didn't know before? Or challenge thinking? Heck, not me - that's what COLLEGE is for, damnit, keep that tripe out of the high school!

So you'd be OK with the school reading and teaching a book that promoted the Klan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Kendi is a known racist? Damn, I didn't know that. To think that the guy who wrote "How to be an Anti-Racist" is the "thing" he writes about to help OTHER people not be, my Lord - tricky, tricky, tricky (just writing that sentence was tricky, wow ...) Now I know in "How to be An Anti-Racist" he talks about how growing up he was racist against Black folk, is this what you mean? I'm pretty sure he addresses this pretty clearly in the book as something he's "woke" about and he's feeling contrite and all - but clearly you have an inside line on his "racism". I need to look into this, see if he's still racist against Black people or whomever, and if it comes up true I'm returning that book - can't have a hypocrite in my library, no way, no how.

"The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination." - Kendi Anyone who lobbies for race-based discrimination is a racist. Just because he put "anti" in front of racist doesn't mean it's not racist.

"An antiracist idea is any idea that suggests the racial groups are equals in all their apparent differences—that there is nothing right or wrong with any racial group." --Kendi

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mean with people like Kendi actively lobbying for discrimination against everyone except black people?

Anonymous wrote:"The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination." - Kendi Anyone who lobbies for race-based discrimination is a racist. Just because he put "anti" in front of racist doesn't mean it's not racist.

Anonymous wrote:So you'd be OK with the school reading and teaching a book that promoted the Klan?

Our favorite cultural warrior is back!