Public School Event Held at Private Swim Club - Is this allowed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid attends an MCPS ES that is considered a Focus school. It's a racially and socioeconomically diverse school.

The local, private Swim Club is holding an event this month. Popsicles with teachers/staff. But, you HAVE to be a member or a guest of a member (and pay) to attend.

Swim club memberships cost about $500/family. Event is not being advertised on our ES website. Not advertised on the PTA website. Only posted for members of the Swim Club to see.

What do parents/teachers on here think? Makes me a little uncomfortable, but maybe I'm overly sensitive because of my own background.

This is confusing to me. I belong to a "local, private Swim Club" (that happens to cost about $500/year!). The families that belong to our club must attend twenty or more different public and private elementary, middle and high schools. I doubt that any one school would have more than twenty kids or so that are members. We host "back to school" and "end of school year" events every year, but they are never exclusively for students of a specific school. And teachers and staff from any particular school aren't there unless they happen to be members.

Are you sure something didn't get lost in translation here? Is this an event only for students of a particular school, and are the teachers and staff from that school really going to be there? Are you sure this isn't just your typical "hear ye, hear ye, come one, come all, students, teachers and staff, to our annual back to school popsicle party?"

[Anonymous]

I imagine that it isn't really the pool that is sponsoring it but instead members of the pool (who also have kids in the school) organizing a get together. Sometimes I've seen these in parks before kindergarten. So it's not really that different than a birthday party at the pool, for example. However, the different part, I suppose, is that some teachers are going to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it wrong to not want people can't afford your club and might not respect it's rules to not attend an event. Don't people join swim clubs to avoid the chaos, lack of class and community of public pools?

Social Justice nuts can't have it both ways. You can't demand that all areas integrate by SES by stuffing poor people in nice areas they can't afford and then expect the well off to dumb down their exclusivity so everybody can participate in everything. If you make well off people live like poor people they will stop living in places like Aspen Hill or Silver Spring and only cluster around other like well off people. I find the hypocrisy of the OP galling.

Historically, of course, people (meaning: white people) joined private pools to avoid black people, when public pools had to start letting black people enter. Speaking of integration. But perhaps you think that's "social engineering" too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here from a Title One school. What's wrong with a Back to School popsicle pool party at a swim club for the members/guests of the swim club? If it is in place of an open event held previously for everyone, that is not cool. Does the school host their own BTS event? If not, why not?

OP here

Yes, our school has a Back to School thing in the fall that everyone can attend. But, it seems like it's meant for students/parents. Have never seen teachers there.

Teacher here. I never stay for the BTS picnic at my school because it is during daycare pickup for my son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who is bringing in the teachers? Are they guests of members?

Is this in Silver Spring?

Rockville/Aspen Hill area. Close to Silver Spring

Not exactly sure who's bringing the teachers!

Is it the swim club near Earle B. Wood MS?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here from a Title One school. What's wrong with a Back to School popsicle pool party at a swim club for the members/guests of the swim club? If it is in place of an open event held previously for everyone, that is not cool. Does the school host their own BTS event? If not, why not?

OP here

Yes, our school has a Back to School thing in the fall that everyone can attend. But, it seems like it's meant for students/parents. Have never seen teachers there.

Teacher here. I never stay for the BTS picnic at my school because it is during daycare pickup for my son.

OP again

To be clear, I was in no way trying to portray that as a negative. Was just commenting that teachers do NOT usually attend, since the PP asked. I wouldn't expect teachers to attend a BTS picnic! You all put in a lot of time and energy at your jobs, and deserve your own time with your family after school. It should never be expected that teachers attend after school / outside of school events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid attends an MCPS ES that is considered a Focus school. It's a racially and socioeconomically diverse school.

The local, private Swim Club is holding an event this month. Popsicles with teachers/staff. But, you HAVE to be a member or a guest of a member (and pay) to attend.

Swim club memberships cost about $500/family. Event is not being advertised on our ES website. Not advertised on the PTA website. Only posted for members of the Swim Club to see.

What do parents/teachers on here think? Makes me a little uncomfortable, but maybe I'm overly sensitive because of my own background.

This is confusing to me. I belong to a "local, private Swim Club" (that happens to cost about $500/year!). The families that belong to our club must attend twenty or more different public and private elementary, middle and high schools. I doubt that any one school would have more than twenty kids or so that are members. We host "back to school" and "end of school year" events every year, but they are never exclusively for students of a specific school. And teachers and staff from any particular school aren't there unless they happen to be members.

Are you sure something didn't get lost in translation here? Is this an event only for students of a particular school, and are the teachers and staff from that school really going to be there? Are you sure this isn't just your typical "hear ye, hear ye, come one, come all, students, teachers and staff, to our annual back to school popsicle party?"

The event is definitely being advertised specifically for families from this particular ES. The motto of the ES is at the top of the flyer. It is not a general 'back to school' popsicle party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid attends an MCPS ES that is considered a Focus school. It's a racially and socioeconomically diverse school.

The local, private Swim Club is holding an event this month. Popsicles with teachers/staff. But, you HAVE to be a member or a guest of a member (and pay) to attend.

Swim club memberships cost about $500/family. Event is not being advertised on our ES website. Not advertised on the PTA website. Only posted for members of the Swim Club to see.

What do parents/teachers on here think? Makes me a little uncomfortable, but maybe I'm overly sensitive because of my own background.

I don’t think OP is necessarily being excluded. He/she did not say whether they are members; however, if it is only being advertised to members, then that is likely how OP knows about it. If they are not members but know about it anyway, that means other non-members will know about it too.

OP, this would make me uncomfortable as well. Yes, a private club can have members-only parties and even members-only parties for certain member groups such as the dive team or kids who go to Anytown ES. The element that makes me uncomfortable is that it is being billed as popsicles with teachers/staff. This gives the appearance of being a school-sanctioned event that is only available to members of the school community that can be and are members of a private club.

So I would ask: what is the point of the teacher/staff part of this event? Why not have it just for the kids who go to Anytown ES and leave it at that?

[Anonymous]

I'm familiar with the flyer referenced, though don't have kids at the school. To answer a PPs question, most kids at that swim club come from one of two local public schools, or local religious schools.

I have no direct knowledge of the event, but if I had to guess, this probably came to be when a couple of parents who are friends with teachers (and I think at least one teacher is a pool member) thought "hey, now that swim team is over and the pool is quiet, wouldn't it be fun to have a meet and greet to gear up for the new school year for all the kids here at the pool" - and then put together the flyers.

I have no problem with that, and actually like the fact that it seeks to be inclusive of all kids from the school - beyond groups of friends/swim team kids who might regularly socialize. However, the way it is advertised with the teachers being present does make it seem like more of a school sponsored event, and thus I can see where your concerns about exclusivity for non-pool members arise. It probably would have been more appropriate just to say something like "Mrs. Jones and Mr. Walter may stop by to say hi too!"

Presumably, if a group of parents at one of the lower SES apartment complexes wanted to have a back to school Popsicle party nobody would complain - the issue just becomes who has access to school staff.

[Anonymous]

It is also unequal access. Only those who can pay can play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it wrong to not want people can't afford your club and might not respect it's rules to not attend an event. Don't people join swim clubs to avoid the chaos, lack of class and community of public pools?

Social Justice nuts can't have it both ways. You can't demand that all areas integrate by SES by stuffing poor people in nice areas they can't afford and then expect the well off to dumb down their exclusivity so everybody can participate in everything. If you make well off people live like poor people they will stop living in places like Aspen Hill or Silver Spring and only cluster around other like well off people. I find the hypocrisy of the OP galling.

The ability to afford a private pool has nothing to do with one’s ability to respect rules or have class. You sound like an awful person. I hope you express these views in real life and not just as an online troll so that I can avoid you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This seems like it is a Teacher Appreciation event, not a "Meet and Greet."

Which...I think it is really nice of parents to leverage their privilege (and a pool membership is a privilege) in order to support teachers and staff.

Nice try.
If your work colleague belonged to a country club, as did some other colleagues, but you didn’t, and they invited your newly-hired company head to an event at the club to “meet the new boss,” how would you feel? Left out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is also unequal access. Only those who can pay can play.

Some of us can afford it and choose not to. Our child looked at our local pool and didn't like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems like it is a Teacher Appreciation event, not a "Meet and Greet."

Which...I think it is really nice of parents to leverage their privilege (and a pool membership is a privilege) in order to support teachers and staff.

Nice try.
If your work colleague belonged to a country club, as did some other colleagues, but you didn’t, and they invited your newly-hired company head to an event at the club to “meet the new boss,” how would you feel? Left out?

I think this is a useful analogy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm familiar with the flyer referenced, though don't have kids at the school. To answer a PPs question, most kids at that swim club come from one of two local public schools, or local religious schools.

I have no direct knowledge of the event, but if I had to guess, this probably came to be when a couple of parents who are friends with teachers (and I think at least one teacher is a pool member) thought "hey, now that swim team is over and the pool is quiet, wouldn't it be fun to have a meet and greet to gear up for the new school year for all the kids here at the pool" - and then put together the flyers.

I have no problem with that, and actually like the fact that it seeks to be inclusive of all kids from the school - beyond groups of friends/swim team kids who might regularly socialize. However, the way it is advertised with the teachers being present does make it seem like more of a school sponsored event, and thus I can see where your concerns about exclusivity for non-pool members arise. It probably would have been more appropriate just to say something like "Mrs. Jones and Mr. Walter may stop by to say hi too!"

Presumably, if a group of parents at one of the lower SES apartment complexes wanted to have a back to school Popsicle party nobody would complain - the issue just becomes who has access to school staff.

Ironic that you find this type of event ‘inclusive’ when they are very obviously leaving out a good chunk of the school population.

If the event was meant to be inclusive, it should be held somewhere where any family at the school can attend. Why not have a Meet and greet with the teachers at a local playground? Why hold it at a Private Pool?