Call to discuss the state of Hardy 05/15/23

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:tbh - I’ve visited middle schools in Bethesda. The Hardy parents are absolutely right to demand that the school have at least some modicum of organization and calm. The idea that parents are just supposed to accept that “all middle schools are violent” is wishful thinking. It’s not going to fly. Before you spput off about white parents, let me assure you that DCPS takes advantage of working class black families because they don’t have the same organizing resources.

Please, share your actionable feedback from your time visiting bethesda

My feedback is, it’s complete bullsh*t to claim that all middle schools are full of sex, drugs and violence, with academics ignored. The actionable part was getting rid of the principal, so that’s done.

[Anonymous]

The principal knowingly concealed violence. He didn't inform his supervisors about incidents, even those involving MPD. He lied to parents and Central Office. DCPS realized they were sitting on a ticking time bomb and decided to act. They knew the stories were true; the records checked out.

And if your child was spared, like mine, you still had to deal with lagging academics and grotesquely uneven teaching quality.

There was scarcely a single thing working in that school this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:tbh - I’ve visited middle schools in Bethesda. The Hardy parents are absolutely right to demand that the school have at least some modicum of organization and calm. The idea that parents are just supposed to accept that “all middle schools are violent” is wishful thinking. It’s not going to fly. Before you spput off about white parents, let me assure you that DCPS takes advantage of working class black families because they don’t have the same organizing resources.

Please, share your actionable feedback from your time visiting bethesda

My feedback is, it’s complete bullsh*t to claim that all middle schools are full of sex, drugs and violence, with academics ignored. The actionable part was getting rid of the principal, so that’s done.

How to make a school successful, per DCUM:

Complain constantly anonymously.
Write letters
Leave the school in a leadership vacuum with dissatisfied staff

[Anonymous]

[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cohort of PTO parents totally blindsided staff and several kids. This was done unethically and put staff in an awkward situation by sending the petition to their dc gov emails. The fact that they have managed to get the principal out by bullying the system is sad. The IS is also to blame because as a first year principal, his boss was never in the school except three or four times this school year. Does he know any students' names? Does he care? No. He is just kowtowing to this white, privileged, bigoted clan of parents who need to worry about issues such that the school is old and should be modernized like other DCPS schools. Seeing how mean and ruthless these parents can be has me seeing them in a different light. There are ways of doing things. This was not it. Why is everything so secret? Why can't those parents who led the charge identify themselves? Are you afraid of the backlash and repercussions? Sad.

I mean, you’re on here calling the parents racist, and teachers are posting horrible threats about “Karens” etc. So of course the parents are going to stay anonymous if possible.

"Horrible threats"
Okay mtg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:tbh - I’ve visited middle schools in Bethesda. The Hardy parents are absolutely right to demand that the school have at least some modicum of organization and calm. The idea that parents are just supposed to accept that “all middle schools are violent” is wishful thinking. It’s not going to fly. Before you spput off about white parents, let me assure you that DCPS takes advantage of working class black families because they don’t have the same organizing resources.

For starters - no one said schools should be violent. Secondly, no one is claiming that everything at Hardy was fine. Hardy definitely had some issues that need to be addressed. But to go as far as to call the school unsafe as a whole is a major stretch. Like MAJOR. It is laughable. I’ve worked in schools that had legitimate safety issues (children getting shot at and robbed on their way home).

BTW, the 8th grade team reigned in some of the wild student behavior and parents had a temper tantrum about it. Everyone wants rules and consequences until it impacts their special snowflake.

[Anonymous]

The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

Guess what? Parents can and do still refuse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

Guess what? Parents can and do still refuse

ok so? sounds like you need better admins to back you up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

Guess what? Parents can and do still refuse

ok so? sounds like you need better admins to back you up.

Why? I and my admin don't need to waste my time on the squeakiest wheels? You're just trying to change the subject bc you are wrong

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

Guess what? Parents can and do still refuse

ok so? sounds like you need better admins to back you up.

Why? I and my admin don't need to waste my time on the squeakiest wheels? You're just trying to change the subject bc you are wrong

reading comprehension fail

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

Guess what? Parents can and do still refuse

ok so? sounds like you need better admins to back you up.

Why? I and my admin don't need to waste my time on the squeakiest wheels? You're just trying to change the subject bc you are wrong

reading comprehension fail

The comeback of the weak. But you are welcome to explain why I and my admin should waste our time

[Anonymous]

Do you honestly not get it? You had teachers calling kids names. Saying they don’t like kids. Shouldn’t have gone into teaching.

You had teachers, often sped teachers, yelling at students.

You had teachers using punitive punishments placed upon entire classes for the misbehavior of a few.

You had teachers encouraging their advisory students to rub it in the faces of other advisories who didn’t win the challenges.

You had administrators watching movies on their laptop while serving as substitute teachers. (Not movies with the class. Watching their own movie while students were supposed to do something else.)

I honestly don’t believe fellow teachers don’t know any of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school should have taken away the kids phones back in the fall/winter when the parents asked. Instead, the administration did nothing. And then the kids recorded things. It is a nice bit of irony.

You realize schools can't do that. Other Hardy parents literally threatened to sue me for confiscating kids phones.

that’s news to my DCPS middle school, which has a policy requiring kids to hand in phones in the morning.

Guess what? Parents can and do still refuse

ok so? sounds like you need better admins to back you up.

Why? I and my admin don't need to waste my time on the squeakiest wheels? You're just trying to change the subject bc you are wrong

reading comprehension fail

The comeback of the weak. But you are welcome to explain why I and my admin should waste our time

Do you or do you not find phones disruptive? If you do and just can’t be bothered to confiscate phones (per existing school policy!) then that reinforces that yes, Hardy needs better administrators.