Washington Post Article

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The decision is made at the county-level. MCPS is just really big, so even if things are fine in one area, it may not be fine in another ... just like when they close for a snow day because it's snowing in Damascus while there's nothing in Silver Spring.

The western MD counties aren't seeing pockets of outbreaks, and they are smaller to begin with, so it's more likely they can make a decision to open, compared to MCPS.

Are you, in Silver Spring, really going to go about your daily life normally and serenely, based on the idea that you're safe from an outbreak in far-away...Damascus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're interested in an independent school, call now. I work in one and we're getting a ton of interest. We unexpectedly have a few spots, too -- though not many -- because it's working both way. Some families are out of work or furloughed and returning to public for economic reasons.

Is your school planning to be online in the fall or open for in-person instruction? What are the conversations like around this topic at your school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think here will be any energy behind the idea of breaking up the big districts like MCPS? Friends in other states (CT, NY, MA) where the school districts are town-based have been pretty happy with the distance learning. I think it’s just easier in districts that aren’t trying to roll it out for so many students at one time. MD seems to be failing under the weight of its gigantic systems.

I agree that MoCo is way too big. It should be broken up, or at the very least, educational sub-districts creates that can operate independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think here will be any energy behind the idea of breaking up the big districts like MCPS? Friends in other states (CT, NY, MA) where the school districts are town-based have been pretty happy with the distance learning. I think it’s just easier in districts that aren’t trying to roll it out for so many students at one time. MD seems to be failing under the weight of its gigantic systems.

I agree that MoCo is way too big. It should be broken up, or at the very least, educational sub-districts creates that can operate independently.

Also, the moon should be brighter, and rain is too wet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're interested in an independent school, call now. I work in one and we're getting a ton of interest. We unexpectedly have a few spots, too -- though not many -- because it's working both way. Some families are out of work or furloughed and returning to public for economic reasons.

Is your school planning to be online in the fall or open for in-person instruction? What are the conversations like around this topic at your school?

No one has a crystal ball, but yes, the plan is to do whatever necessary to get the kids back in school physically if at all possible. I don’t want to say where I work, but call the smaller independent schools in MD and DC. No one can promise anything, but our administrators have been clear that they don’t intend to follow MCPS/DCPS when making that call. There is some concern we might start and then need to move to distance learning again, but there’s a big push to start the year at in person. I’m feeling optimistic and wish I felt the same way about my own kids’ public school, and that might pose a different issue for independents like the one where I work — what do you do if you can open but your teaching staff has kids at schools that don’t open? There may be some who need to continue to work remotely for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're interested in an independent school, call now. I work in one and we're getting a ton of interest. We unexpectedly have a few spots, too -- though not many -- because it's working both way. Some families are out of work or furloughed and returning to public for economic reasons.

Is your school planning to be online in the fall or open for in-person instruction? What are the conversations like around this topic at your school?

No one has a crystal ball, but yes, the plan is to do whatever necessary to get the kids back in school physically if at all possible. I don’t want to say where I work, but call the smaller independent schools in MD and DC. No one can promise anything, but our administrators have been clear that they don’t intend to follow MCPS/DCPS when making that call. There is some concern we might start and then need to move to distance learning again, but there’s a big push to start the year at in person. I’m feeling optimistic and wish I felt the same way about my own kids’ public school, and that might pose a different issue for independents like the one where I work — what do you do if you can open but your teaching staff has kids at schools that don’t open? There may be some who need to continue to work remotely for a while.

Thank you for this information. I am going to make some calls for my middle school kid. My other kid is already going private next year. I can’t let the kid endure another moment of this joke self taught online learning with zero teacher instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great article. Precisely what we need in these times is another public platform for random loudmouth Bethesda parents and the Westland MS PTA president to continue griping and whining about how MCPS is not adequately catering to their child. A brief respite from hearing them griping and whining about boundary changes and the traumatic possibility of having more of "those" kids in their school. Slap in a sentence about "equity" to appear balanced, ignore all other issues, and call it a day. The article reads like a DCUM thread, right down to anonymously slamming MCEA, but with slightly better formatting.

Screw you. Do you actually think any of the kids at any of the schools are actually learning? It is great that mcps is feeding the kids who need it and giving out chromebooks and hotspots. But they should be doing that so that kids can learn at home. All kids. And right now, as evidenced by what is going on with my 3 kids (1 in MS, 2 in HS), there is not much of that happening and mcps does not seem to care.

MCPS does need to figure this out before the Fall. They get a pass for the final marking period, but if it's not much improved, we are out of here. Working from home, people can now work from anywhere, amd we intend to do just that. We originally moved to MC for the schools. We can leave because of them too.

We moved to MOCO for schools too. Then left for private. It gets worse as you go along.

Glad to see you go.

Envy is not a good look. I am sure PP is glad to be gone. They have options and maybe you don’t. Good for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're interested in an independent school, call now. I work in one and we're getting a ton of interest. We unexpectedly have a few spots, too -- though not many -- because it's working both way. Some families are out of work or furloughed and returning to public for economic reasons.

Is your school planning to be online in the fall or open for in-person instruction? What are the conversations like around this topic at your school?

No one has a crystal ball, but yes, the plan is to do whatever necessary to get the kids back in school physically if at all possible. I don’t want to say where I work, but call the smaller independent schools in MD and DC. No one can promise anything, but our administrators have been clear that they don’t intend to follow MCPS/DCPS when making that call. There is some concern we might start and then need to move to distance learning again, but there’s a big push to start the year at in person. I’m feeling optimistic and wish I felt the same way about my own kids’ public school, and that might pose a different issue for independents like the one where I work — what do you do if you can open but your teaching staff has kids at schools that don’t open? There may be some who need to continue to work remotely for a while.

That's helpful -- thanks. My feeling is that privates in the area would close or not close based on what publics do. Otherwise, can you imagine if there's a breakout in a private school -- the parents will sue the school for negligence, and say "Hey, MCPS was closed, why did you stay open and take the risk?!"

Or has there been talk by the state to offer liability indemnity to schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Envy is not a good look. I am sure PP is glad to be gone. They have options and maybe you don’t. Good for them.

DP.

Who said anything about envy? The one PP is glad to be gone, the other PP is glad to have a "I'm going private" person gone, it's a win-win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The decision is made at the county-level. MCPS is just really big, so even if things are fine in one area, it may not be fine in another ... just like when they close for a snow day because it's snowing in Damascus while there's nothing in Silver Spring.

The western MD counties aren't seeing pockets of outbreaks, and they are smaller to begin with, so it's more likely they can make a decision to open, compared to MCPS.

Are you, in Silver Spring, really going to go about your daily life normally and serenely, based on the idea that you're safe from an outbreak in far-away...Damascus?

I think the point is, even if large sections of MoCo are fine, MCPS has to make decisions-county wide. It may be 5x safer (based on corona stats) to go to school in Damascus compared to Silver Spring, but MCPS needs to look at the entire county and make a decision county-wide, so if Silver Spring infection rates are bad, that holds the entire county back.

[Anonymous]

I truly hope more disappointed parents will take their snowflake kids out of MCPS and go private. Fewer children in public schools = better teaching and learning.

-- signed, MCPS teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The decision is made at the county-level. MCPS is just really big, so even if things are fine in one area, it may not be fine in another ... just like when they close for a snow day because it's snowing in Damascus while there's nothing in Silver Spring.

The western MD counties aren't seeing pockets of outbreaks, and they are smaller to begin with, so it's more likely they can make a decision to open, compared to MCPS.

Are you, in Silver Spring, really going to go about your daily life normally and serenely, based on the idea that you're safe from an outbreak in far-away...Damascus?

I think the point is, even if large sections of MoCo are fine, MCPS has to make decisions-county wide. It may be 5x safer (based on corona stats) to go to school in Damascus compared to Silver Spring, but MCPS needs to look at the entire county and make a decision county-wide, so if Silver Spring infection rates are bad, that holds the entire county back.

Because people don't stay within their zip codes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think here will be any energy behind the idea of breaking up the big districts like MCPS? Friends in other states (CT, NY, MA) where the school districts are town-based have been pretty happy with the distance learning. I think it’s just easier in districts that aren’t trying to roll it out for so many students at one time. MD seems to be failing under the weight of its gigantic systems.

I agree that MoCo is way too big. It should be broken up, or at the very least, educational sub-districts creates that can operate independently.

Absolutely.

This situation highlights that. Much easier for a smaller district to make changes and make them in a timely fashion.

MCPS is bulky and it’s too hard to make changes when a unique situation, like Covid, arises.

A smaller district can do what’s best for that particular district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I truly hope more disappointed parents will take their snowflake kids out of MCPS and go private. Fewer children in public schools = better teaching and learning.

-- signed, MCPS teacher

Really?

You would like to see involved, engaged parents leave the school system just so you can have smaller class sizes? Weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I truly hope more disappointed parents will take their snowflake kids out of MCPS and go private. Fewer children in public schools = better teaching and learning.

-- signed, MCPS teacher

Really?

You would like to see involved, engaged parents leave the school system just so you can have smaller class sizes? Weird.

No, that's not what the PP said.