class action against APS what are our options?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So now that everyone must be able to walk to their closest school, the neighborhoods that are zoned in such a way that their schools aren't as likely to become overcrowded due to lower density of housing/higher housing costs are just going to be able to remain under capacity in perpetuity. Sounds equitable to me.

Proximity has always been a primary factor in school assignments. That isn’t new.

And planning for a program at WB to draw students from across the county is no more harebrained than gerrymandering boundaries or extensive busing schemes. There’s no “in perpetuity” here.

That's the problem their is one group that can walk and is being forced elsewhere.

Where? In Option A? No, there's not.

I'm really sick of hearing about some people being "forced" elsewhere. Yeah, that's what happens in a boundary reassignment. And sometimes, it will be you and other times not. And because we didn't build the schools in perfect locations, you may have to be moved to a school that isn't the exact closest one, in order to balance enrollment and other community concerns.

I think pp is referring to kids who are going to Kenmore in this map and are outside of the official walk zone for Swanson, but can cut down the bike path and it's feasible to walk so their parents want them zoned for Swanson instead. Nevermind that APS would still need to send a bus through its full route in those neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:itle VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. All federal agencies that provide grants of assistance are required to enforce Title VI. The U.S. Department of Education gives grants of financial assistance to schools and colleges and to certain other entities, including vocational rehabilitation programs.

Examples of discrimination covered by Title VI include racial harassment, school segregation, and denial of language services to English learners. A fuller list of Title VI issues OCR addresses appears here. The U.S. Department of Education Title VI regulation (Code of Federal Regulations at 34 CFR 100) is enforced by the Department's Office for Civil Rights.

The Title VI regulation prohibits retaliation for filing an OCR complaint or for advocacy for a right protected by Title VI. Title VI also prohibits employment discrimination, but the protection against employment discrimination under Title VI is limited. As a result, most complaints OCR receives raising race, color, or national-origin discrimination in employment are referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

For more information on Education and Title VI please click here.

Links to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its implementing regulations:

42 U.S.C. 2000d ; 78 Stat. 252 (USCode.house.gov)
34 CFR Part 100 and the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

None of this means what you seem to think it does. And it certainly doesn't mean others have to be inconvenienced so the FARMS rate at your school goes down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What are you talking about? Under revised Option A, Stratford will be an appropriately diverse school; by 2022, it's projected to have 21% ED, 24% EL and 46% non-white. If they'd put the middle school on the Wilson site instead, that would have shifted the richer/whiter PUs currently slated for Stratford back to WB while lumping the poorer/less-white Stratford PUs to the Wilson MS along with similar populations currently slated for Jefferson (and maybe a little slice of the less-affluent part of Swanson). Under that scenario, there's most likely a general clockwise shift in the boundaries (except for Gunston, which probably doesn't change much at all) that means WB doesn't get meaningfully more diverse, Swanson probably gets substantially less diverse, Kenmore might get a little relief, but you've effectively created a second Kenmore on the other side of the county, which isn't really an improvement overall.

Please try to look beyond the current MS zoning options and at APS' record of drawing boundaries and building schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What are you talking about? Under revised Option A, Stratford will be an appropriately diverse school; by 2022, it's projected to have 21% ED, 24% EL and 46% non-white. If they'd put the middle school on the Wilson site instead, that would have shifted the richer/whiter PUs currently slated for Stratford back to WB while lumping the poorer/less-white Stratford PUs to the Wilson MS along with similar populations currently slated for Jefferson (and maybe a little slice of the less-affluent part of Swanson). Under that scenario, there's most likely a general clockwise shift in the boundaries (except for Gunston, which probably doesn't change much at all) that means WB doesn't get meaningfully more diverse, Swanson probably gets substantially less diverse, Kenmore might get a little relief, but you've effectively created a second Kenmore on the other side of the county, which isn't really an improvement overall.

Please try to look beyond the current MS zoning options and at APS' record of drawing boundaries and building schools.

If you have a point, make it. I was responding to a very specific assertion about what APS should have done in choosing a site for the middle school.

[Anonymous]

At this point private. The demographics of the overcrowding do not match with our plans. I'm not a Fairfax fan but its not hard to reach a better school district and leave Arlington to the 20 somethings .

The wheels are coming off in FCPS, mark my words. It's too big, too unwieldy, and they can't adequately serve Rt. 1 schools that are choked by MS-13 and McLean schools that are choked by Tiger parents.

[Anonymous]

I went to very ordinary public school and was able to get Master's in a specialized field. The way I see it, poor people, rich people, not so poor people, all have been provided access to a school, what you do with your life from there is up to you and your parents. To demand that now the low performing students should be placed in high performing schools is the height of entitlement. If you as a family care amount education, then your kids will do fine anywhere. Stop whining and start working.

I am tired of gazillion demands of super rich and poor alike, folks like us in the middle can't catch a break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to very ordinary public school and was able to get Master's in a specialized field. The way I see it, poor people, rich people, not so poor people, all have been provided access to a school, what you do with your life from there is up to you and your parents. To demand that now the low performing students should be placed in high performing schools is the height of entitlement. If you as a family care amount education, then your kids will do fine anywhere. Stop whining and start working.

I am tired of gazillion demands of super rich and poor alike, folks like us in the middle can't catch a break.

What break do you think you’re entitled to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The courts had shifted towards allowing de facto resegregation and this isn't the Obama Administration, either. You'd be wasting your time. Vote in a different School Board if you want change.

Arlington is a very liberal county.

They should put their money where their mouth is and rezone may more poor kids and apartments into the North Arlington schools where all the wealthy liberal live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The courts had shifted towards allowing de facto resegregation and this isn't the Obama Administration, either. You'd be wasting your time. Vote in a different School Board if you want change.

Arlington is a very liberal county.

They should put their money where their mouth is and rezone may more poor kids and apartments into the North Arlington schools where all the wealthy liberal live.

Which circles us back to busing. I see that you are new to this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So now that everyone must be able to walk to their closest school, the neighborhoods that are zoned in such a way that their schools aren't as likely to become overcrowded due to lower density of housing/higher housing costs are just going to be able to remain under capacity in perpetuity. Sounds equitable to me.

Proximity has always been a primary factor in school assignments. That isn’t new.

And planning for a program at WB to draw students from across the county is no more harebrained than gerrymandering boundaries or extensive busing schemes. There’s no “in perpetuity” here.

That's the problem their is one group that can walk and is being forced elsewhere.

Where? In Option A? No, there's not.

I'm really sick of hearing about some people being "forced" elsewhere. Yeah, that's what happens in a boundary reassignment. And sometimes, it will be you and other times not. And because we didn't build the schools in perfect locations, you may have to be moved to a school that isn't the exact closest one, in order to balance enrollment and other community concerns.

From OCR

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tviassgn.html

"Assignment to School
School districts may not segregate students on the basis of race, color, or national origin in assigning students to schools. In some areas, the population distribution of a school district enrolling large numbers of minority and nonminority students may result in schools with substantially disproportionate enrollments of students of one race. Although school districts must ensure that students are not assigned on the basis of race, color, or national origin, the law does not require that each school within a district have a racially balanced student population."

If Arlington is like FCPS minority students get more resources . https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-resourcecomp-201410.pdf
But OP is asserting that Arlington could draw boundaries to increase diversity at schools-see p 6 of 14. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/guidance-ese-201111.pdf

" For example, a school district could draw attendance zones based on the racial composition of particular neighborhoods, as well as on race-neutral factors such as the average household income and average parental education level of particular neighborhoods within the school district. All students within those zones would be treated the same regardless of their race."

Continue reading and see all of it is not done with constraints on budgets-transfers between urban and suburban districts in partnerships etc.

Bottom line is who pays for it and did Arlington bus minorities or anyone away from a closer school? If a child lives 3 walkable blocks from a school who pays for a bus to another school?

Note the potential elimination of deduction of state and local taxes. Time to go with fiscally responsible.
Unless you want to reimburse the school division for it's legal expenses in a law suit OR any extra costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The courts had shifted towards allowing de facto resegregation and this isn't the Obama Administration, either. You'd be wasting your time. Vote in a different School Board if you want change.

Arlington is a very liberal county.

They should put their money where their mouth is and rezone may more poor kids and apartments into the North Arlington schools where all the wealthy liberal live.

Build apartments in the north and send the kids to the schools. The lower SES families surveyed this fall were clear that they don’t want their kids bussed birth any more than families in the north want their kids bussed south. This is how we got to the current map. People for the most part want their kids at their neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

If you are serious about this, you need to be focusing on the CB and figure our how to stop electing people whose main focus is MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So now that everyone must be able to walk to their closest school, the neighborhoods that are zoned in such a way that their schools aren't as likely to become overcrowded due to lower density of housing/higher housing costs are just going to be able to remain under capacity in perpetuity. Sounds equitable to me.

Proximity has always been a primary factor in school assignments. That isn’t new.

And planning for a program at WB to draw students from across the county is no more harebrained than gerrymandering boundaries or extensive busing schemes. There’s no “in perpetuity” here.

That's the problem their is one group that can walk and is being forced elsewhere.

Where? In Option A? No, there's not.

I'm really sick of hearing about some people being "forced" elsewhere. Yeah, that's what happens in a boundary reassignment. And sometimes, it will be you and other times not. And because we didn't build the schools in perfect locations, you may have to be moved to a school that isn't the exact closest one, in order to balance enrollment and other community concerns.

I think pp is referring to kids who are going to Kenmore in this map and are outside of the official walk zone for Swanson, but can cut down the bike path and it's feasible to walk so their parents want them zoned for Swanson instead. Nevermind that APS would still need to send a bus through its full route in those neighborhoods.

But there aren't any kids N of 50 going to Kenmore in Option A who aren't already zoned Kenmore. Instead of sending some Swanson PU's to Kenmore, they're sending one or two to Williamsburg, which doesn't really accomplish anything other than sending a few kids to a school farther away, turning them from walkers to bus rides while doing nothing for diversity.

Again, this isn't going to work out perfectly and some kids are going to have to be moved to schools further away unless we're just not going to bother to balance capacity at all. At least when they do send kids to schools further away, it should be in furtherance of an additional goal. There are schools being split to 3 different MS in South Arlington, and PU's being sent to schools that are further away then their current ones. Where's the outrage over that?

[Anonymous]

But there aren't any kids N of 50 going to Kenmore in Option A who aren't already zoned Kenmore. Instead of sending some Swanson PU's to Kenmore, they're sending one or two to Williamsburg, which doesn't really accomplish anything other than sending a few kids to a school farther away, turning them from walkers to bus rides while doing nothing for diversity.

Again, this isn't going to work out perfectly and some kids are going to have to be moved to schools further away unless we're just not going to bother to balance capacity at all. At least when they do send kids to schools further away, it should be in furtherance of an additional goal. There are schools being split to 3 different MS in South Arlington, and PU's being sent to schools that are further away then their current ones. Where's the outrage over that?

Ask the parents of the kids at those schools. Who else do you expect to muster outrage over it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:itle VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. All federal agencies that provide grants of assistance are required to enforce Title VI. The U.S. Department of Education gives grants of financial assistance to schools and colleges and to certain other entities, including vocational rehabilitation programs.

Examples of discrimination covered by Title VI include racial harassment, school segregation, and denial of language services to English learners. A fuller list of Title VI issues OCR addresses appears here. The U.S. Department of Education Title VI regulation (Code of Federal Regulations at 34 CFR 100) is enforced by the Department's Office for Civil Rights.

The Title VI regulation prohibits retaliation for filing an OCR complaint or for advocacy for a right protected by Title VI. Title VI also prohibits employment discrimination, but the protection against employment discrimination under Title VI is limited. As a result, most complaints OCR receives raising race, color, or national-origin discrimination in employment are referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

For more information on Education and Title VI please click here.

Links to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its implementing regulations:

42 U.S.C. 2000d ; 78 Stat. 252 (USCode.house.gov)
34 CFR Part 100 and the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

None of this means what you seem to think it does. And it certainly doesn't mean others have to be inconvenienced so the FARMS rate at your school goes down.

Cute. I'm not talking about FARMS. That would be you.