Really looking for honest opinion about Sandy Spring Friends School

[Anonymous]

This was the weirdest post I’ve seen in a while on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was the weirdest post I’ve seen in a while on this board.

Agree. It became comical when Poster accused the school of child labor. I have no connection to SSFS but this poster really needs to move on and leave the school. It must be a nightmare dealing with that type of parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a concerned parent this school seems off

Did you re-enroll? I hope not if you have all these concerns. There’s also an old thread that addresses a lot of your concerns.

+1. Same trolls hopping from forum to forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was the weirdest post I’ve seen in a while on this board.

Agree. It became comical when Poster accused the school of child labor. I have no connection to SSFS but this poster really needs to move on and leave the school. It must be a nightmare dealing with that type of parent.

Unfortunately we have quite a few nightmare parents who like to manufacture problems. Maybe this is true for all private schools? Or maybe dcum is a haven for drama.

[Anonymous]

Excited to hear from SSFS tomorrow!! 🤞🏼

[Anonymous]

The unfair labor practices made me laugh bc my DC went to Sidwell, another Quaker school, and each student was assigned a job. My DC had to clean test tubes and help out in the science room. Another year she was made to be a French tutor. Other friends had to collect the recycling, etc. These were year long tasks! Even in a crazy uptight school like that, no parent ever mentioned unpaid labor practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The unfair labor practices made me laugh bc my DC went to Sidwell, another Quaker school, and each student was assigned a job. My DC had to clean test tubes and help out in the science room. Another year she was made to be a French tutor. Other friends had to collect the recycling, etc. These were year long tasks! Even in a crazy uptight school like that, no parent ever mentioned unpaid labor practices.

My DC is in US at SSFS and loves it. Each advisory group has to take turns cleaning up the cafeteria after lunch. I love it!

[Anonymous]

Kind of hilarious looking at the responses to this poster after the school announces they are closing a few weeks later.

Anonymous wrote:SSFS has been doing many illegal things and people need to speak up about it teachers and staff have been threatened or Career ruin if they said anything
### 1. **Financial Irregularities**
- **Budget Discrepancies**: Internal reports showing mismatches in tuition fee allocations vs. actual spending.
- **Payroll Discrepancies**: Evidence that faculty and staff are underpaid, even though tuition fees have been increasing.
- **Suspicious Spending**: Documentation showing unexplained or unusually high expenditures in areas like “educational outreach” and “technology development.”
- **Missing Financial Records**: Documentation of missing or inaccessible financial records when inquiries were made.

### 2. **Community Day Labor Practices**
- **Student Testimonies**: Students have spoken out, detailing that the tasks on Community Day (weeding flower beds, maintenance tasks) are typically performed by paid staff.
- **Internal Memos**: Screenshots of memos suggesting “student participation” to cut costs, essentially implying that students are being used to replace paid staff.
- **Work Assignments**: Records showing that students are assigned non-educational tasks that are more akin to labor, suggesting unpaid labor.

### 3. **Transparency & Oversight Failures**
- **Unanswered Budget Inquiries**: Documentation of budget-related inquiries made by staff or others that were left unanswered, showing a lack of transparency.
- **Internal Discussions**: Internal memos hinting at redirection of funds before audits or reviews, showing a deliberate attempt to avoid scrutiny.
- **Sudden Budget Shifts**: Financial records indicating sudden changes in the budget right before audit periods, suggesting an effort to hide financial mismanagement.

### 4. **Behavioral Observations**
- **Suspicious Meetings**: The CFO and Head of School seen meeting privately during a fire drill, a potentially unusual gathering considering the timing and context.
- **Suspicious Staff Behavior**: Reports from students and staff noticing the administration’s heightened surveillance, with principals and staff seeming to monitor certain individuals or try to suppress conversations about financial concerns.
- **Lack of Response to Issues**: Delayed or dismissive responses from administrators when concerns about financial transparency or staff concerns were raised.

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dear Staff of Sandy Spring Friends School ,

I am reaching out regarding multiple pressing concerns surrounding financial transparency, student labor practices, and administrative decision-making at SSFS. I believe these issues warrant immediate attention, as they could have significant ethical and legal implications.

1. Financial Irregularities & Budget Concerns
$6.3 million allocated to financial aid is a small fraction of the school’s budget. Given the high tuition costs, where is the remaining revenue going?
Faculty and staff salaries remain disproportionately low despite steady tuition increases. Payroll records suggest teachers are being paid far less than industry standards—while administrative expenses continue to rise.
Operational cost inconsistencies: Certain budget areas, such as “educational outreach” and “technology development,” appear to be overfunded with no clear breakdown of how these funds are actually spent.
Supporting Evidence Collected:

Budget reports obtained from internal sources show funding mismatches in multiple categories.
Discrepancies between tuition fee allocations vs. actual spending recorded.
Payroll records indicate underpayment of faculty & staff.
2. Community Day – Unpaid Labor Practices
Multiple student testimonies confirm that tasks assigned on Community Day are identical to work typically performed by paid maintenance and administrative staff.
Community Day, while framed as a “volunteer event,” appears to lower operational costs at the expense of unpaid student labor.
Legally, institutions must ensure student participation in labor-like activities is voluntary and not a substitute for paid work.
Supporting Evidence Collected:

Screenshots of internal memos discussing the necessity of “student participation” to cut costs.
Reports from students detailing being assigned non-educational labor duties (e.g., maintenance, cleaning, administrative work).
Comparison of Community Day work assignments vs. standard school maintenance schedules.
3. Transparency & Oversight Failures
Attempts to inquire about budgetary decisions have been met with silence or avoidance.
Certain financial records appear to be missing or inaccessible, raising concerns about deliberate obfuscation of spending.
The administration’s recent pattern of delayed responses and refusal to engage in transparency discussions suggests an effort to avoid scrutiny.
Supporting Evidence Collected:

Documentation of budget-related inquiries left unanswered.
Internal discussions hinting at redirection of funds before financial audits.
Financial reports showing sudden budget shifts before oversight reviews.
I trust SSFS values integrity and transparency. I know SSFS is a great school but what's really going on in the background I know some people have been talking and they seem worried and skeptical of what's going on please respond. People have been skeptical and I want to ensure they're not right
Sincerely

This is insane.

[Anonymous]

How is a school that is charging $45k/student get into a situation like this?

Someone is lying about something.

[Anonymous]

Now that SSFS has announced on 4/14/25 it will permanently close due to major financial problems, it sure looks like some or all of those concerns were proven right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Now that SSFS has announced on 4/14/25 it will permanently close due to major financial problems, it sure looks like some or all of those concerns were proven right.

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If the letter writer hadn't put the community day complaint in, the letters would not have seemed off. I get that the part about "lowering costs" was pertinent, but it came off as petty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that SSFS has announced on 4/14/25 it will permanently close due to major financial problems, it sure looks like some or all of those concerns were proven right.

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If the letter writer hadn't put the community day complaint in, the letters would not have seemed off. I get that the part about "lowering costs" was pertinent, but it came off as petty.

At this point, I'm not skeptical about anything the letter writer highlighted. Good for them for having the foresight and gumption to try and bring about a change despite how it comes off.