Chancellor's Brown v Board message to parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While most OOB kid in my Ward 3 ES are from just EoP or Downtown, i.e. come from socio-economic background similar to the average IB family, there's also a few kids who commute from very disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I am very familiar with one, a boy, who has been in my younger kid's class for the past two years (1st, 2nd grades).
Despite the nice, inclusive (and unaware) attitude of his classmate, as a mother I can clearly see that this kid feels dis-integrated with the rest of the community: at bake sales, he's always the one who arrives at school without the pocket money for the cakes; at a school where 90% of kids bring food from home, he's the one served with school meals; at the class-parent reading day, this boy was the only kid with no parents attending. He never comes to birthday parties (I can ensure that he is indeed invited) nor has ever celebrated his birthday at school (normally kids bring cupcakes and juices on their birthday). He was the only missing kids at the school recital (which was held at 6:00 pm); none of his parents ever came as a "surprise morning reader". I have the impression that he irregularly submits homework and I see that he often arrives at school late, running from the bus stop.
[b]This boy is very unhappy in my school. This boy belongs to a community which is miles away and hours away from our school. He belongs to there, where maybe his parents or other relatives could be a bit more involved and present in his activities, where he could be picked up , maybe once a week, by a parent or have a playdate after school, rather than being picked up by an old lady, who runs away with him soon after dismissal.
I found KH's message irritating. If the new ways to pursue integration she's referring to are OOB spots, than she's being naive and writing in bad faith.
Parents in those Wards can compile lists of DCPS failures in local ES, which include , as we know, corruption and direct contracting of educational social services to friends and relatives without the necessary qualifications.
OOB rights, not only do nothing to solve those problems. They offer an escape route to a few kids and active parents to run away , and leave the local schools for the most marginal kids and families. But the landing of these kids to Upper NW schools is not always a soft landing or a happy ending story, as for the young boy in our class.

did the boy tell you that, or is this what you assume? If he were in his 'home community' you've got no bona fide reason to believe he would attend birthday parties or stay on the playgrund after school...maybe granma would still whisk him away for his african drumming or salsa or t-ball league... and if you, as a non-parent or school employee can accurately track his homework completion, you are excessively inquisitive AND the school is failing to maintain his confidentiality


fwiw, my own kids rarely had playdates etc after school, because that would have made them late for piano or gymnastics...it's not an exclusion from school but an inclusion in extracurriculars at play

WTF! "This boy is very unhappy in MY school". It is HIS school or you can say OUR school. You really are part of the problem. It is clear you want this kid away from your kids.

[Anonymous]

Much of what Kaya, DME, etc. are doing and communicating is very irresponsible. They're stirring the race pot to support their personal social goals. This is damaging not only to the school debate, but the city as a whole. We DO NOT need more race baiting in a city that arguably has some of the worst race issues in the country. The school "segregation" that has been referenced so much that it's actually accepted as a reality is not even representative of reality. Look at the stats for Murch:

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
(2013-14)

Enrollment: 626
Black: 12%
Hispanic/Latino: 8%
White: 66%
Asian: 9%
Pacific/Hawaiian: 0%
Native/Alaskan: 0%
Multiple races: 5%

I would hardly say this is a white, segregated school. But why bother with the facts when spewing fiction with the knowledge that it will create a perception more powerful than facts is so much more effective at achieving political and social goals? What's going on here is so BS and so far from logical analysis and informed decision making that it would be funny if it weren't so serious. None of us could get away with any of this in our jobs (you know, coming up with recommendations based on no research and with no goal of increased success). Only in DC...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While most OOB kid in my Ward 3 ES are from just EoP or Downtown, i.e. come from socio-economic background similar to the average IB family, there's also a few kids who commute from very disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I am very familiar with one, a boy, who has been in my younger kid's class for the past two years (1st, 2nd grades).
Despite the nice, inclusive (and unaware) attitude of his classmate, as a mother I can clearly see that this kid feels dis-integrated with the rest of the community: at bake sales, he's always the one who arrives at school without the pocket money for the cakes; at a school where 90% of kids bring food from home, he's the one served with school meals; at the class-parent reading day, this boy was the only kid with no parents attending. He never comes to birthday parties (I can ensure that he is indeed invited) nor has ever celebrated his birthday at school (normally kids bring cupcakes and juices on their birthday). He was the only missing kids at the school recital (which was held at 6:00 pm); none of his parents ever came as a "surprise morning reader". I have the impression that he irregularly submits homework and I see that he often arrives at school late, running from the bus stop.
[b]This boy is very unhappy in my school. This boy belongs to a community which is miles away and hours away from our school. He belongs to there, where maybe his parents or other relatives could be a bit more involved and present in his activities, where he could be picked up , maybe once a week, by a parent or have a playdate after school, rather than being picked up by an old lady, who runs away with him soon after dismissal.
I found KH's message irritating. If the new ways to pursue integration she's referring to are OOB spots, than she's being naive and writing in bad faith.
Parents in those Wards can compile lists of DCPS failures in local ES, which include , as we know, corruption and direct contracting of educational social services to friends and relatives without the necessary qualifications.
OOB rights, not only do nothing to solve those problems. They offer an escape route to a few kids and active parents to run away , and leave the local schools for the most marginal kids and families. But the landing of these kids to Upper NW schools is not always a soft landing or a happy ending story, as for the young boy in our class.

did the boy tell you that, or is this what you assume? If he were in his 'home community' you've got no bona fide reason to believe he would attend birthday parties or stay on the playgrund after school...maybe granma would still whisk him away for his african drumming or salsa or t-ball league... and if you, as a non-parent or school employee can accurately track his homework completion, you are excessively inquisitive AND the school is failing to maintain his confidentiality


fwiw, my own kids rarely had playdates etc after school, because that would have made them late for piano or gymnastics...it's not an exclusion from school but an inclusion in extracurriculars at play

WTF! "This boy is very unhappy in MY school". It is HIS school or you can say OUR school. You really are part of the problem. It is clear you want this kid away from your kids.

+1000. The "my school" PP is looking for whatever reason to shift blame to this poor child and his family.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Much of what Kaya, DME, etc. are doing and communicating is very irresponsible. They're stirring the race pot to support their personal social goals. This is damaging not only to the school debate, but the city as a whole. We DO NOT need more race baiting in a city that arguably has some of the worst race issues in the country. The school "segregation" that has been referenced so much that it's actually accepted as a reality is not even representative of reality. Look at the stats for Murch:

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
(2013-14)

Enrollment: 626
Black: 12%
Hispanic/Latino: 8%
White: 66%
Asian: 9%
Pacific/Hawaiian: 0%
Native/Alaskan: 0%
Multiple races: 5%

I would hardly say this is a white, segregated school. But why bother with the facts when spewing fiction with the knowledge that it will create a perception more powerful than facts is so much more effective at achieving political and social goals? What's going on here is so BS and so far from logical analysis and informed decision making that it would be funny if it weren't so serious. None of us could get away with any of this in our jobs (you know, coming up with recommendations based on no research and with no goal of increased success). Only in DC...

Interesting that Murch is 66% white and also 66% inbounds. I suspect those percentages will grow roughly in tandem over the next few years.

[Anonymous]

There are many in bounds students that are not white, so that is another BS correlation. Many neighborhood black, Asian and Hispanic. That would be another easy cop-out for Kaya and DME though. Another "fact" that really isn't...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While most OOB kid in my Ward 3 ES are from just EoP or Downtown, i.e. come from socio-economic background similar to the average IB family, there's also a few kids who commute from very disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I am very familiar with one, a boy, who has been in my younger kid's class for the past two years (1st, 2nd grades).
Despite the nice, inclusive (and unaware) attitude of his classmate, as a mother I can clearly see that this kid feels dis-integrated with the rest of the community: at bake sales, he's always the one who arrives at school without the pocket money for the cakes; at a school where 90% of kids bring food from home, he's the one served with school meals; at the class-parent reading day, this boy was the only kid with no parents attending. He never comes to birthday parties (I can ensure that he is indeed invited) nor has ever celebrated his birthday at school (normally kids bring cupcakes and juices on their birthday). He was the only missing kids at the school recital (which was held at 6:00 pm); none of his parents ever came as a "surprise morning reader". I have the impression that he irregularly submits homework and I see that he often arrives at school late, running from the bus stop.
[b]This boy is very unhappy in my school. This boy belongs to a community which is miles away and hours away from our school. He belongs to there, where maybe his parents or other relatives could be a bit more involved and present in his activities, where he could be picked up , maybe once a week, by a parent or have a playdate after school, rather than being picked up by an old lady, who runs away with him soon after dismissal.
I found KH's message irritating. If the new ways to pursue integration she's referring to are OOB spots, than she's being naive and writing in bad faith.
Parents in those Wards can compile lists of DCPS failures in local ES, which include , as we know, corruption and direct contracting of educational social services to friends and relatives without the necessary qualifications.
OOB rights, not only do nothing to solve those problems. They offer an escape route to a few kids and active parents to run away , and leave the local schools for the most marginal kids and families. But the landing of these kids to Upper NW schools is not always a soft landing or a happy ending story, as for the young boy in our class.

did the boy tell you that, or is this what you assume? If he were in his 'home community' you've got no bona fide reason to believe he would attend birthday parties or stay on the playgrund after school...maybe granma would still whisk him away for his african drumming or salsa or t-ball league... and if you, as a non-parent or school employee can accurately track his homework completion, you are excessively inquisitive AND the school is failing to maintain his confidentiality


fwiw, my own kids rarely had playdates etc after school, because that would have made them late for piano or gymnastics...it's not an exclusion from school but an inclusion in extracurriculars at play

WTF! "This boy is very unhappy in MY school". It is HIS school or you can say OUR school. You really are part of the problem. It is clear you want this kid away from your kids.

+1000. The "my school" PP is looking for whatever reason to shift blame to this poor child and his family.

Not blaming anyone but the DC school administrators . This boy just does not feel integrated , his family is unable to participate to any of the school activities since they work too far away , and he looks exhausted , I am sure from the commuting. Guys we are talking about 3 hours a day! Philadelphia by train is closer than this!
A PP suggested that I do not want him in the school. C'mon... I am too much of an experienced mother with 3 kids + 2 step-kids. This boy does not pose threats of any types , the unpleasant presences at school (bullies) show significantly different if not opposite attitude. I can just see that he's not happy of the school experience and that DCPS is serving him in the worse possible way. And for the PP who said that unfulfillment of homework reflects a privacy leakage from the school.. odd comment from a parent... don't your kids report and tell you all type of stories from the day in the classroom? Mine certainly do!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While most OOB kid in my Ward 3 ES are from just EoP or Downtown, i.e. come from socio-economic background similar to the average IB family, there's also a few kids who commute from very disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I am very familiar with one, a boy, who has been in my younger kid's class for the past two years (1st, 2nd grades).
Despite the nice, inclusive (and unaware) attitude of his classmate, as a mother I can clearly see that this kid feels dis-integrated with the rest of the community: at bake sales, he's always the one who arrives at school without the pocket money for the cakes; at a school where 90% of kids bring food from home, he's the one served with school meals; at the class-parent reading day, this boy was the only kid with no parents attending. He never comes to birthday parties (I can ensure that he is indeed invited) nor has ever celebrated his birthday at school (normally kids bring cupcakes and juices on their birthday). He was the only missing kids at the school recital (which was held at 6:00 pm); none of his parents ever came as a "surprise morning reader". I have the impression that he irregularly submits homework and I see that he often arrives at school late, running from the bus stop.
[b]This boy is very unhappy in my school. This boy belongs to a community which is miles away and hours away from our school. He belongs to there, where maybe his parents or other relatives could be a bit more involved and present in his activities, where he could be picked up , maybe once a week, by a parent or have a playdate after school, rather than being picked up by an old lady, who runs away with him soon after dismissal.
I found KH's message irritating. If the new ways to pursue integration she's referring to are OOB spots, than she's being naive and writing in bad faith.
Parents in those Wards can compile lists of DCPS failures in local ES, which include , as we know, corruption and direct contracting of educational social services to friends and relatives without the necessary qualifications.
OOB rights, not only do nothing to solve those problems. They offer an escape route to a few kids and active parents to run away , and leave the local schools for the most marginal kids and families. But the landing of these kids to Upper NW schools is not always a soft landing or a happy ending story, as for the young boy in our class.

did the boy tell you that, or is this what you assume? If he were in his 'home community' you've got no bona fide reason to believe he would attend birthday parties or stay on the playgrund after school...maybe granma would still whisk him away for his african drumming or salsa or t-ball league... and if you, as a non-parent or school employee can accurately track his homework completion, you are excessively inquisitive AND the school is failing to maintain his confidentiality


fwiw, my own kids rarely had playdates etc after school, because that would have made them late for piano or gymnastics...it's not an exclusion from school but an inclusion in extracurriculars at play

WTF! "This boy is very unhappy in MY school". It is HIS school or you can say OUR school. You really are part of the problem. It is clear you want this kid away from your kids.

+1000. The "my school" PP is looking for whatever reason to shift blame to this poor child and his family.

Not blaming anyone but the DC school administrators . This boy just does not feel integrated , his family is unable to participate to any of the school activities since they work too far away , and he looks exhausted , I am sure from the commuting. Guys we are talking about 3 hours a day! Philadelphia by train is closer than this!
A PP suggested that I do not want him in the school. C'mon... I am too much of an experienced mother with 3 kids + 2 step-kids. This boy does not pose threats of any types , the unpleasant presences at school (bullies) show significantly different if not opposite attitude. I can just see that he's not happy of the school experience and that DCPS is serving him in the worse possible way. And for the PP who said that unfulfillment of homework reflects a privacy leakage from the school.. odd comment from a parent... don't your kids report and tell you all type of stories from the day in the classroom? Mine certainly do!

and I'm still telling you that your interest in this boy is borderline stalking, if not crossing the line....you know whether or not he has money in his pocket for bake-sales (maybe he's going to spend his money at the ice cream truck, maybe he's allergic to eggs, lots of reasons he may not be plunking down 2 dollars for a muffin). You seem to know not only what he eats for lunch but what everyone else at school eats. You know who picks him up and appear to have decided it's not a parent/parental figure...Except for my kids' close friends, I couldn't tell you who is a parent or not; just fyi some kids have older parents or are raised by grandparents. You say he's never had a school birthday party (again, many reasons for this other than parents uninvolved....summer birthday? jehovah's witness? don't want to lug juice and cupcakes on a bus?
It seems like an unhealthy amount of interest in a child who isn't your own, and isn't a good friend of your own child....

[Anonymous]

oh, and you know the length of his bus commute too?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Much of what Kaya, DME, etc. are doing and communicating is very irresponsible. They're stirring the race pot to support their personal social goals. This is damaging not only to the school debate, but the city as a whole. We DO NOT need more race baiting in a city that arguably has some of the worst race issues in the country. The school "segregation" that has been referenced so much that it's actually accepted as a reality is not even representative of reality. Look at the stats for Murch:

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
(2013-14)

Enrollment: 626
Black: 12%
Hispanic/Latino: 8%
White: 66%
Asian: 9%
Pacific/Hawaiian: 0%
Native/Alaskan: 0%
Multiple races: 5%

I would hardly say this is a white, segregated school. But why bother with the facts when spewing fiction with the knowledge that it will create a perception more powerful than facts is so much more effective at achieving political and social goals? What's going on here is so BS and so far from logical analysis and informed decision making that it would be funny if it weren't so serious. None of us could get away with any of this in our jobs (you know, coming up with recommendations based on no research and with no goal of increased success). Only in DC...

Interesting that Murch is 66% white and also 66% inbounds. I suspect those percentages will grow roughly in tandem over the next few years.

No, the IB/OOB will stay mostly the same. In the lower grades, Murch is virtually 100% IB and the minority kids come almost all from the neighborhood. In the upper grades, some IB leave for private or charter, which opens up OOB. The rezone might alter the picture because that is where many of the IB minority at Murch live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While most OOB kid in my Ward 3 ES are from just EoP or Downtown, i.e. come from socio-economic background similar to the average IB family, there's also a few kids who commute from very disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I am very familiar with one, a boy, who has been in my younger kid's class for the past two years (1st, 2nd grades).
Despite the nice, inclusive (and unaware) attitude of his classmate, as a mother I can clearly see that this kid feels dis-integrated with the rest of the community: at bake sales, he's always the one who arrives at school without the pocket money for the cakes; at a school where 90% of kids bring food from home, he's the one served with school meals; at the class-parent reading day, this boy was the only kid with no parents attending. He never comes to birthday parties (I can ensure that he is indeed invited) nor has ever celebrated his birthday at school (normally kids bring cupcakes and juices on their birthday). He was the only missing kids at the school recital (which was held at 6:00 pm); none of his parents ever came as a "surprise morning reader". I have the impression that he irregularly submits homework and I see that he often arrives at school late, running from the bus stop.
[b]This boy is very unhappy in my school. This boy belongs to a community which is miles away and hours away from our school. He belongs to there, where maybe his parents or other relatives could be a bit more involved and present in his activities, where he could be picked up , maybe once a week, by a parent or have a playdate after school, rather than being picked up by an old lady, who runs away with him soon after dismissal.
I found KH's message irritating. If the new ways to pursue integration she's referring to are OOB spots, than she's being naive and writing in bad faith.
Parents in those Wards can compile lists of DCPS failures in local ES, which include , as we know, corruption and direct contracting of educational social services to friends and relatives without the necessary qualifications.
OOB rights, not only do nothing to solve those problems. They offer an escape route to a few kids and active parents to run away , and leave the local schools for the most marginal kids and families. But the landing of these kids to Upper NW schools is not always a soft landing or a happy ending story, as for the young boy in our class.

did the boy tell you that, or is this what you assume? If he were in his 'home community' you've got no bona fide reason to believe he would attend birthday parties or stay on the playgrund after school...maybe granma would still whisk him away for his african drumming or salsa or t-ball league... and if you, as a non-parent or school employee can accurately track his homework completion, you are excessively inquisitive AND the school is failing to maintain his confidentiality


fwiw, my own kids rarely had playdates etc after school, because that would have made them late for piano or gymnastics...it's not an exclusion from school but an inclusion in extracurriculars at play

WTF! "This boy is very unhappy in MY school". It is HIS school or you can say OUR school. You really are part of the problem. It is clear you want this kid away from your kids.

+1000. The "my school" PP is looking for whatever reason to shift blame to this poor child and his family.

Not blaming anyone but the DC school administrators . This boy just does not feel integrated , his family is unable to participate to any of the school activities since they work too far away , and he looks exhausted , I am sure from the commuting. Guys we are talking about 3 hours a day! Philadelphia by train is closer than this!
A PP suggested that I do not want him in the school. C'mon... I am too much of an experienced mother with 3 kids + 2 step-kids. This boy does not pose threats of any types , the unpleasant presences at school (bullies) show significantly different if not opposite attitude. I can just see that he's not happy of the school experience and that DCPS is serving him in the worse possible way. And for the PP who said that unfulfillment of homework reflects a privacy leakage from the school.. odd comment from a parent... don't your kids report and tell you all type of stories from the day in the classroom? Mine certainly do!

and I'm still telling you that your interest in this boy is borderline stalking, if not crossing the line....you know whether or not he has money in his pocket for bake-sales (maybe he's going to spend his money at the ice cream truck, maybe he's allergic to eggs, lots of reasons he may not be plunking down 2 dollars for a muffin). You seem to know not only what he eats for lunch but what everyone else at school eats. You know who picks him up and appear to have decided it's not a parent/parental figure...Except for my kids' close friends, I couldn't tell you who is a parent or not; just fyi some kids have older parents or are raised by grandparents. You say he's never had a school birthday party (again, many reasons for this other than parents uninvolved....summer birthday? jehovah's witness? don't want to lug juice and cupcakes on a bus?
It seems like an unhealthy amount of interest in a child who isn't your own, and isn't a good friend of your own child....

You are being un-necessarily nasty and have a bad attitude. You do not know anything about me, what I do for living and my study/professional background beyond being a mom. Yes, I notice things about several of my kids' classmates and in a couple of occasions I also took the liberty to share with the parents what I was observing . Indeed it happens that, more often involuntarily than voluntarily, I detect behaviors and dynamics when I volonter at school or at drop off or pick-up (when I can be there) and I do it because I do care, because it is part of my professional training and because with 3+2 kids you do recognize patterns in kids.
You are free to think that OOB spots, which randomly spread OOB kids to school regardless of where they live, are a good idea and efficient and honest response by DCPS to the semi-derelict conditions they have left some schools into. I do not think so, in principle, and in practical and concrete terms -- seeing how wrong this outcome can be for some vulnerable kids.

[Anonymous]

OOB spots send kids to schools their parents choose. Your approach would target kids who 'fit' the social group and demographics of the accepting school, and is really offensive as well as exclusionary. You aren't the parent, how are you qualified to judge if the outcome is 'wrong' for the child?
your distress over the 'plight' of the child comes across like crocodile tears

I've made efforts to ensure that my kids are socially comfortable in their schools, but if I had to make the choice between close to home/poor scores and far from home/decent scores, I know the option I'd pick

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You are being un-necessarily nasty and have a bad attitude. You do not know anything about me, what I do for living and my study/professional background beyond being a mom. Yes, I notice things about several of my kids' classmates and in a couple of occasions I also took the liberty to share with the parents what I was observing . Indeed it happens that, more often involuntarily than voluntarily, I detect behaviors and dynamics when I volonter at school or at drop off or pick-up (when I can be there) and I do it because I do care, because it is part of my professional training and because with 3+2 kids you do recognize patterns in kids.
You are free to think that OOB spots, which randomly spread OOB kids to school regardless of where they live, are a good idea and efficient and honest response by DCPS to the semi-derelict conditions they have left some schools into. I do not think so, in principle, and in practical and concrete terms -- seeing how wrong this outcome can be for some vulnerable kids.

oh brother...I hope you aren't 'sharing' your views of the child with other parents or in front of his schoolmates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While most OOB kid in my Ward 3 ES are from just EoP or Downtown, i.e. come from socio-economic background similar to the average IB family, there's also a few kids who commute from very disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I am very familiar with one, a boy, who has been in my younger kid's class for the past two years (1st, 2nd grades).
Despite the nice, inclusive (and unaware) attitude of his classmate, as a mother I can clearly see that this kid feels dis-integrated with the rest of the community: at bake sales, he's always the one who arrives at school without the pocket money for the cakes; at a school where 90% of kids bring food from home, he's the one served with school meals; at the class-parent reading day, this boy was the only kid with no parents attending. He never comes to birthday parties (I can ensure that he is indeed invited) nor has ever celebrated his birthday at school (normally kids bring cupcakes and juices on their birthday). He was the only missing kids at the school recital (which was held at 6:00 pm); none of his parents ever came as a "surprise morning reader". I have the impression that he irregularly submits homework and I see that he often arrives at school late, running from the bus stop.
[b]This boy is very unhappy in my school. This boy belongs to a community which is miles away and hours away from our school. He belongs to there, where maybe his parents or other relatives could be a bit more involved and present in his activities, where he could be picked up , maybe once a week, by a parent or have a playdate after school, rather than being picked up by an old lady, who runs away with him soon after dismissal.
I found KH's message irritating. If the new ways to pursue integration she's referring to are OOB spots, than she's being naive and writing in bad faith.
Parents in those Wards can compile lists of DCPS failures in local ES, which include , as we know, corruption and direct contracting of educational social services to friends and relatives without the necessary qualifications.
OOB rights, not only do nothing to solve those problems. They offer an escape route to a few kids and active parents to run away , and leave the local schools for the most marginal kids and families. But the landing of these kids to Upper NW schools is not always a soft landing or a happy ending story, as for the young boy in our class.

did the boy tell you that, or is this what you assume? If he were in his 'home community' you've got no bona fide reason to believe he would attend birthday parties or stay on the playgrund after school...maybe granma would still whisk him away for his african drumming or salsa or t-ball league... and if you, as a non-parent or school employee can accurately track his homework completion, you are excessively inquisitive AND the school is failing to maintain his confidentiality


fwiw, my own kids rarely had playdates etc after school, because that would have made them late for piano or gymnastics...it's not an exclusion from school but an inclusion in extracurriculars at play

WTF! "This boy is very unhappy in MY school". It is HIS school or you can say OUR school. You really are part of the problem. It is clear you want this kid away from your kids.

+1000. The "my school" PP is looking for whatever reason to shift blame to this poor child and his family.

Not blaming anyone but the DC school administrators . This boy just does not feel integrated , his family is unable to participate to any of the school activities since they work too far away , and he looks exhausted , I am sure from the commuting. Guys we are talking about 3 hours a day! Philadelphia by train is closer than this!
A PP suggested that I do not want him in the school. C'mon... I am too much of an experienced mother with 3 kids + 2 step-kids. This boy does not pose threats of any types , the unpleasant presences at school (bullies) show significantly different if not opposite attitude. I can just see that he's not happy of the school experience and that DCPS is serving him in the worse possible way. And for the PP who said that unfulfillment of homework reflects a privacy leakage from the school.. odd comment from a parent... don't your kids report and tell you all type of stories from the day in the classroom? Mine certainly do!

and I'm still telling you that your interest in this boy is borderline stalking, if not crossing the line....you know whether or not he has money in his pocket for bake-sales (maybe he's going to spend his money at the ice cream truck, maybe he's allergic to eggs, lots of reasons he may not be plunking down 2 dollars for a muffin). You seem to know not only what he eats for lunch but what everyone else at school eats. You know who picks him up and appear to have decided it's not a parent/parental figure...Except for my kids' close friends, I couldn't tell you who is a parent or not; just fyi some kids have older parents or are raised by grandparents. You say he's never had a school birthday party (again, many reasons for this other than parents uninvolved....summer birthday? jehovah's witness? don't want to lug juice and cupcakes on a bus?
It seems like an unhealthy amount of interest in a child who isn't your own, and isn't a good friend of your own child....

You are being un-necessarily nasty and have a bad attitude. You do not know anything about me, what I do for living and my study/professional background beyond being a mom. Yes, I notice things about several of my kids' classmates and in a couple of occasions I also took the liberty to share with the parents what I was observing . Indeed it happens that, more often involuntarily than voluntarily, I detect behaviors and dynamics when I volonter at school or at drop off or pick-up (when I can be there) and I do it because I do care, because it is part of my professional training and because with 3+2 kids you do recognize patterns in kids.
You are free to think that OOB spots, which randomly spread OOB kids to school regardless of where they live, are a good idea and efficient and honest response by DCPS to the semi-derelict conditions they have left some schools into. I do not think so, in principle, and in practical and concrete terms -- seeing how wrong this outcome can be for some vulnerable kids.

Your poor step kids. They didn't even get to pick you and are now stuck with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OOB spots send kids to schools their parents choose. Your approach would target kids who 'fit' the social group and demographics of the accepting school, and is really offensive as well as exclusionary. You aren't the parent, how are you qualified to judge if the outcome is 'wrong' for the child?
your distress over the 'plight' of the child comes across like crocodile tears

I've made efforts to ensure that my kids are socially comfortable in their schools, but if I had to make the choice between close to home/poor scores and far from home/decent scores, I know the option I'd pick

False. Ob spots send kids to school based on parents' assessment of chances of being accepted at that school, mixed to school preferences.

[Anonymous]

Whatever the PPs, KH's mail annoyed me, I found it inappropriate, and I never gave DCPS my email to receive Kaya's private rants.