HB Admissions are rigged

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very skeptical about claims that some kids get in to HB through back door finagling, but then a kid who is a friend of our family got in. It just so happens that her mom is a close friend of an APS administrator who is perfectly situated to do just that kind of finagling. The kid's parents have grumbled about APS for a long time and have considered going private. It all seems like a bit more than a coincidence.

I wouldn't claim to know that this kind of thing happens, but there is a bit of smoke there for me now.

Do you have actual knowledge that the child didn't get in through the lottery? Or is this just rank speculation?

Does the bolded answer your question?

It would tend to, but I wanted to give the poster an opportunity to clarify before jumping to the conclusion that they have no idea what they're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very skeptical about claims that some kids get in to HB through back door finagling, but then a kid who is a friend of our family got in. It just so happens that her mom is a close friend of an APS administrator who is perfectly situated to do just that kind of finagling. The kid's parents have grumbled about APS for a long time and have considered going private. It all seems like a bit more than a coincidence.

I wouldn't claim to know that this kind of thing happens, but there is a bit of smoke there for me now.

Do you have actual knowledge that the child didn't get in through the lottery? Or is this just rank speculation?

Does the bolded answer your question?

It would tend to, but I wanted to give the poster an opportunity to clarify before jumping to the conclusion that they have no idea what they're talking about.

HB supporters seem so defensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very skeptical about claims that some kids get in to HB through back door finagling, but then a kid who is a friend of our family got in. It just so happens that her mom is a close friend of an APS administrator who is perfectly situated to do just that kind of finagling. The kid's parents have grumbled about APS for a long time and have considered going private. It all seems like a bit more than a coincidence.

I wouldn't claim to know that this kind of thing happens, but there is a bit of smoke there for me now.

Do you have actual knowledge that the child didn't get in through the lottery? Or is this just rank speculation?

You sound pretty exercised about legitimate questions about rigged admissions. What's your stake in this?

My personal stake is none; like I said, my child didn't get in so there's no benefit to us in keeping the program. I will speak up against baseless gossievup and speculation when I see it, though.

So that's your stake. Mine is my money. I think my suspicons are reasonable. I think something is rotten here. If you don't like to read the comments, you're free to move onto another post.

And I'm asking you to provide evidentiary support for your allegations. Do you know someone who was rejected in the lottery and got in through other means? Do you know what that other means/reason was? You're making broader claims about the school based on something that happens, on average, about once a grade level, and providing no support for your claim that it's inappropriate. Surely you're capable of better reasoning than that.

Yes, I know of one case this year and one case last year. And I'm just one person. This isn't court, I don't need evidence, just discussion points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very skeptical about claims that some kids get in to HB through back door finagling, but then a kid who is a friend of our family got in. It just so happens that her mom is a close friend of an APS administrator who is perfectly situated to do just that kind of finagling. The kid's parents have grumbled about APS for a long time and have considered going private. It all seems like a bit more than a coincidence.

I wouldn't claim to know that this kind of thing happens, but there is a bit of smoke there for me now.

Do you have actual knowledge that the child didn't get in through the lottery? Or is this just rank speculation?

Does the bolded answer your question?

It would tend to, but I wanted to give the poster an opportunity to clarify before jumping to the conclusion that they have no idea what they're talking about.

The post is pretty clear, and makes no claims. Perhaps you are the one who doesn't know what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was very skeptical about claims that some kids get in to HB through back door finagling, but then a kid who is a friend of our family got in. It just so happens that her mom is a close friend of an APS administrator who is perfectly situated to do just that kind of finagling. The kid's parents have grumbled about APS for a long time and have considered going private. It all seems like a bit more than a coincidence.

I wouldn't claim to know that this kind of thing happens, but there is a bit of smoke there for me now.

Do you have actual knowledge that the child didn't get in through the lottery? Or is this just rank speculation?

Does the bolded answer your question?

It would tend to, but I wanted to give the poster an opportunity to clarify before jumping to the conclusion that they have no idea what they're talking about.

HB supporters seem so defensive.

Because they know the system is rotten.

[Anonymous]

8 kids total through both middle and high school getting in via means other than the lottery doesn't suggest such a huge problem. As a PP noted, some (all?) may have other legitimate reasons which would justify their admission (other than simply knowing someone).

FWIW, I don't have a dog in this fight. My oldest never sniffed admission through the lottery and my youngest didn't apply.

[Anonymous]

What if the lottery itself is rigged? My kids went to an ES with fairly high demand for HB. The waiting list for the four available spots is typically 30-40+ each year. And yet, one family send 3 siblings there (through the lottery and not a backdoor process) over about a six year period. That's quite a coincidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only way they can get away with limited enrollment is to make it fair. But it isn't. APS should shut the whole program down.

What determines fair? How do you know that the reasons for the small number of students who get in other than through the application process weren't placed there for very good reasons? It truly is a small number, last school year, of the 244 middle school students at HB Woodlawn, 241 came in through the application process and 3 through administrative placement. At the high school level, out of 443 total students, 4 were there by administrative/special placement, and 439 by the countywide lottery. I'm sorry your child didn't make it into HB Woodlawn, but the placements of these students in the school weren't the reason.

We didn't even apply. I am so opposed to this school I wouldn't want it if we did get in. I think it stinks, and I don't like paying for your snowflake to go there.

Were you born an awful person or is this learned behavior after living in this area? Serious question.

You worry about you.

I don't think my behavior is awful, and I think I'm pretty nice. I'm just tired of paying this program that we can't afford where some kids are more equal than others. It's bad enough when admissions are fair, but if it's not fair, it's unacceptable. I think most people would agree with me.

How much more is H-B per student than other MSs/HSs?

Costs aside, there should be more fairness and transparency around the lottery/admissions.

[Anonymous]

Another poster here - I also know a kid who got in for middle school because child was being bullied. Parent also happened to be a county employee but I don't know if that made a difference. Child thrived and blossomed at HB.

I also think that families who already have one child at HB get some kind of admissions bump because I know many, many families whose second child got in despite the huge odds. It seems to me more than coincidence. JMO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another poster here - I also know a kid who got in for middle school because child was being bullied. Parent also happened to be a county employee but I don't know if that made a difference. Child thrived and blossomed at HB.

I also think that families who already have one child at HB get some kind of admissions bump because I know many, many families whose second child got in despite the huge odds. It seems to me more than coincidence. JMO

True, but they're not supposed to as laid out in the lottery process.

[Anonymous]

There could also be a few special ed placements-maybe kids with ASD who really need a certain classroom environment or something. Hard to resent that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another poster here - I also know a kid who got in for middle school because child was being bullied. Parent also happened to be a county employee but I don't know if that made a difference. Child thrived and blossomed at HB.

I also think that families who already have one child at HB get some kind of admissions bump because I know many, many families whose second child got in despite the huge odds. It seems to me more than coincidence. JMO

Twins who are applying the same year get groups together in the lottery so that they either both get in or neither gets in; otherwise, I don't believe there is any sibling preference. That said, for families who have an older sibling there and are happy with the program, they're probably going to also apply for the younger siblings as well, which means an awfully big part of the applicant pool is going to be younger siblings of HB students. That you end up with a bunch of families with more than one sibling at the school is not inherently noteworthy from a statistical standpoint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There could also be a few special ed placements-maybe kids with ASD who really need a certain classroom environment or something. Hard to resent that.

'

HB Woodlawn has a dedicated autism program within the school, so some placements are for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another poster here - I also know a kid who got in for middle school because child was being bullied. Parent also happened to be a county employee but I don't know if that made a difference. Child thrived and blossomed at HB.

I also think that families who already have one child at HB get some kind of admissions bump because I know many, many families whose second child got in despite the huge odds. It seems to me more than coincidence. JMO

True, but they're not supposed to as laid out in the lottery process.

Who's not supposed to? The bullied child? There are explicit policies in place administrative placements outside of the lottery, and it can cover situations like this (e.g., if the bullied child has autism and is being moved into the HB autism program). It's not a secret.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the new hybrid, APS should expand IB at the Ed Center and make HB #2 at the Career Center. They won't have to rezone, and in-demand programs basically double their slots.

But of course, they won't create a second HB.

I wish they would creat HB2. And HB3, HB4, etc until it meets the need.