According to WTOP: DCPS schools are late or optional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear teachers, You are a babysitter. Signed, DCPS.

Oh, come on. They are trying to walk the line between two vastly different groups of families - those who can easily walk to school and are eager to get back to work, and those who legitimately can't make it due to the lack of plowing or bus access. They think most kids can make it, but aren't going to punish those who can't. Teachers got one more day off than all other DC government employees.

THIS! You selfish bunch of ninnies. Imagine if you cleaned hotel rooms for a living and would lose your job over these damn snow days.

So teachers become babysitters? Clearly no instruction is expected to occur. DPR should have some special snow day camps/ drop offs. I think it's a slap in teachers face to minimize them to just babysitting.

The streets around our school are clear, and the major bus line that many people take is running. I anticipate that most people will be there tomorrow

You should be so lucky. There is only one passable lane, no parking/kiss and ride, and the nearby bus stops are still covered at our DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great. So we'll see a bunch of thugs and hoodlums roaming around tomorrow, knowing that no one cares if they're really in school.

Besides being black, what makes them "thugs and hoodlums"?

PP didn't mention color. Have you missed the groups of teens running amok in DC lately? That's what makes them thugs and hoodlums.

Oh spare me! You know what the fuck PP meant. I'm sure a group of loud, rowdy, white teens wouldn't be referred to as such.

That chip on your shoulder will cripple you if you let it.

[Anonymous]

You guys complain if the schools are closed ("Doesn't DC take education seriously? NYC was open Monday"). You complain when they are open ("Our street hasn't been plowed, and I can't get the SUV out of the heated garage. Little Sebastian's feet must never touch pavement."). You complain when they say absences will be excused ("It can't possibly count as a real school day. Teachers are treated as babysitters.")

Most of you couldn't organize a car wash, let alone a school system. Complain if you will, but know that this perpetual negativity bleeds into the rest of your life. It's why some people avoid you. It's why some of you move your kids from school to school every year, despite research that says that kind of perpetual switching is really detrimental to kids. It's why you are so tired all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys complain if the schools are closed ("Doesn't DC take education seriously? NYC was open Monday"). You complain when they are open ("Our street hasn't been plowed, and I can't get the SUV out of the heated garage. Little Sebastian's feet must never touch pavement."). You complain when they say absences will be excused ("It can't possibly count as a real school day. Teachers are treated as babysitters.")

Most of you couldn't organize a car wash, let alone a school system. Complain if you will, but know that this perpetual negativity bleeds into the rest of your life. It's why some people avoid you. It's why some of you move your kids from school to school every year, despite research that says that kind of perpetual switching is really detrimental to kids. It's why you are so tired all the time.

Take a breath, take your meds, then take a break. You are ranting, and it's not an effective form of communication.

[Anonymous]

Teachers are the least of your all's concerns? Really? I know children come first but who do you think teaches your children daily? Those teachers whom you do not care about sacrifice their own family time at home (without being paid I may add) to grade your child's papers, to plan their lessons, to think about how to reach a child who may be struggling, figuring out what they can persinally do without in order to provide extra classroom materials that the school board won't give them money for, etc.... Some of these teachers would lay down their own life for your child. Whom ever made that statement about the teachers really needs to go back and re-evaluate what they said. Who taught you how to read and write so you can help your child with the homework they just brought home or so you can hold a job to provide a roof over your child's head. Let that one sink in.

[Anonymous]

Some people do appreciate you, 23:18!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are the least of your all's concerns? Really? I know children come first but who do you think teaches your children daily? Those teachers whom you do not care about sacrifice their own family time at home (without being paid I may add) to grade your child's papers, to plan their lessons, to think about how to reach a child who may be struggling, figuring out what they can persinally do without in order to provide extra classroom materials that the school board won't give them money for, etc.... Some of these teachers would lay down their own life for your child. Whom ever made that statement about the teachers really needs to go back and re-evaluate what they said. Who taught you how to read and write so you can help your child with the homework they just brought home or so you can hold a job to provide a roof over your child's head. Let that one sink in.

1. That's all called doing their damned jobs! It's what they signed up for.

2. I made the comment re: transportation and safety. The safety of the CHILDREN should be a school's district's primary concern. If the roads & conditions are safe for them to navigate, one can assume teachers- the ADULTS can do so too.

3. If you choose to live in MD but work in DC and by some fluke 100 ft of snow hits your town only w/o one flake touching a DC street, schools should not close b/c you can't get there. That's a risk you took when deciding where to live vs work. Safety of ALL children should be the determining factor in school closure decisions.

[Anonymous]

Haven't read all of the crazy replies in this thread. But this was exactly the solution that I (independently) thought they should come up with. Open the schools for those that can get there and have kids that need to get out of the house or parents that need to go to work. Let people stay home and not ruin their attendance records if they can't make it.

People should relax more in this town...this way everyone wins. You don't want kids to go to school because it's hard to get there, then don't go. For those who think they can make it okay because conditions aren't bad in their situation, let them have a chance to attend school today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read all of the crazy replies in this thread. But this was exactly the solution that I (independently) thought they should come up with. Open the schools for those that can get there and have kids that need to get out of the house or parents that need to go to work. Let people stay home and not ruin their attendance records if they can't make it.

People should relax more in this town...this way everyone wins. You don't want kids to go to school because it's hard to get there, then don't go. For those who think they can make it okay because conditions aren't bad in their situation, let them have a chance to attend school today.

....but, but, but I NEED to complain about something....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read all of the crazy replies in this thread. But this was exactly the solution that I (independently) thought they should come up with. Open the schools for those that can get there and have kids that need to get out of the house or parents that need to go to work. Let people stay home and not ruin their attendance records if they can't make it.

People should relax more in this town...this way everyone wins. You don't want kids to go to school because it's hard to get there, then don't go. For those who think they can make it okay because conditions aren't bad in their situation, let them have a chance to attend school today.

+100.

[Anonymous]

I hope everyone will be kind to teachers who have to park in the neighborhoods. I read on the Gtown listserv that someone has their vehicle keyed after parking in a spot that has been cleared out (the person who took that spot cleared out his/her own spot which was taken when he/she returned). Last thing a teacher needs after dealing with the commute to work is property damage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear teachers, You are a babysitter. Signed, DCPS.

Oh, come on. They are trying to walk the line between two vastly different groups of families - those who can easily walk to school and are eager to get back to work, and those who legitimately can't make it due to the lack of plowing or bus access. They think most kids can make it, but aren't going to punish those who can't. Teachers got one more day off than all other DC government employees.

This is so, so unfair to teachers. They'll be docked a day if they don't come in for minimal attendance. Either open all the way or close.

How do you know what attendance is going to be like? DCUM is seething with angry, affluent parents who want their kids back in school so they can get to work. Parents who are wage workers want their kids to be back in school. School is open; teachers need to figure out how to get in.

Teachers are the least of my concern too.

The real issue is that the city is under a snow emergency and all kids can't get to school through no fault of their own. It's not fair to them.

DCPS KNOWS the roads arent safe and ready so why bother?

Because many of the roads are safe, and because students can either walk or take public transportation. Which is the whole point of living in a city.

Many?????

ALL of the roads should be safe before schools are opened.

Public transportation should be FULLY functioning.

And the snow emergency should be lifted.

DC's gonna be more embarrassed tomorrow than they were last Wednesday. The liability they're taking upon themselves is ridiculous.

Oh, please. It is going to be days more before ALL the sidewalks and roads are perfectly clear. At some point you just have to pull the trigger. A snow emergency merely means that you can't park on major arteries, which makes sense because those streets are either not completely at full width or people will be sticking to the big roads versus taking their special cutoffs and using Waze to shave off a few minutes. Giving families who don't want to send their kids the option to keep them home minimizes their liability, not increases it.

Pull the trigger when it's actually safe for all kids. You know like functional, successful schools with great test scores do.

And trust me, in a court of law a half-decent attorney can successfully argue the caveat shows that DCPS KNEW of the dangers. The fact a snow emergency in effect will be the nail.

By that standard, if I'd slipped and fallen on my way to work this morning, I'd be able to sue my employer for not closing? Seems like a bit of a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Haven't read all of the crazy replies in this thread. But this was exactly the solution that I (independently) thought they should come up with. Open the schools for those that can get there and have kids that need to get out of the house or parents that need to go to work. Let people stay home and not ruin their attendance records if they can't make it.

People should relax more in this town...this way everyone wins. You don't want kids to go to school because it's hard to get there, then don't go. For those who think they can make it okay because conditions aren't bad in their situation, let them have a chance to attend school today.

+100.

+1000 Dropped my kid off this morning. Went very smoothly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS, do you people living in your bubble realize that for many, many kids in dcps, school breakfast and lunch are the only two solid meals they get? And how many parents who do not get paid when they don't come into work, but can't afford to miss work, have kids in dcps? Perhaps you don't, but obviously the mayor does. Plenty of streets are fine, especially for walking within the neighborhood. It's ridiculous to continue to put added stress on families and kids when conditions are safe for many to come to school. Yes, some streets are not in good shape, and for those of you who feel that way, keep your kids home and be grateful that you're fortunate enough to have that choice.

I've seen the children in these "underfed" "food desert" neighborhoods. How come they're fat? If you're 13 and your BMI is 31, you can live without a free waffle from DCPS.

How gross. And then people complain about the resentment and hatred.

Why don't you try living on a 7-11 diet and sit in front of a television all day because there's no safe place to play outside.

[Anonymous]

We get it. Some people had an easy commute, while others chose to stay home because of the potential commute.

No one is wrong here.