Call to discuss the state of Hardy 05/15/23
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Anonymous
Wow I did not even know that. Not to reopen that issue, but that was a huge loss to DCPS. |
Anonymous
Lol. The fact that that white parents dominate the PTO, LSAT, and class liaison positions in a school that is 2/3 BIPOC is already hugely problematic and definitely not anti-racist. The PTO is not representative of the student population. It is not anti-racist to have white parents and a PTO that does not reflect the student body (in a 2/3 BIPOC school) decide to remove the first black principal in years with little to no engagement with BIPOC families. Now I’m not saying it’s necessarily racist-but it sure as sh** ain’t anti-racist. I saw one black PTO member…during that Zoom call. Everyone else who spoke was white. How many of those 400 signatures came from BIPOC families? Really how many? While we are at it…How many of the 400 signatures represented unique families? I bet good money on the fact that half those signatures represented the same household. |
Anonymous
Touche! Thanks for the laugh! |
Anonymous
Yikes. I know who you are talking about. |
Anonymous
Excellent points, thank you. |
Anonymous
I am thankful we have a PTO, LSAT and class liaisons that are committed to the school and willing to fight for change when needed. I couldn’t give a damn what color they are. That there are people out there like you taking note of speakers’ skin complexion like a damn bingo card instead of assessing the merits of what they have to say is really pathetic. That you think what you are doing is “anti-racist” is kinda crazy. |
Anonymous
The PTO encourages (begs?) people to volunteer for officer positions, welcomes everybody to meetings, seeks to hear all views. It's no exclusive cabal. If there are people who want their voice heard, the opportunity is there for the taking. |
Anonymous
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The PTO encourages (begs?) people to volunteer for officer positions, welcomes everybody to meetings, seeks to hear all views. It's no exclusive cabal. If there are people who want their voice heard, the opportunity is there for the taking. Is that really true - that you listen to other factions? Did you listen to the voices of the teachers who had to call for emergency staff meetings to express opposition to this decision? |
Anonymous
The PTO encourages (begs?) people to volunteer for officer positions, welcomes everybody to meetings, seeks to hear all views. It's no exclusive cabal. If there are people who want their voice heard, the opportunity is there for the taking. Is that really true - that you listen to other factions? Did you listen to the voices of the teachers who had to call for emergency staff meetings to express opposition to this decision? A) The petition process was not conducted by the PTO. B) *I* don't listen to any factions. I am one of the ones who reads all the emails seeking participation but doesn't show up. I've never been to a PTO meeting. I am hugely appreciative of the people who undertake these roles. |
Anonymous
See, to me, that’s a problem. You should care that your PTO in no way reflects the demographics of your school. You should care that the many different voices are not represented in these meetings. You could also ask yourselves why these parents don’t show up or participate. Are there obstacles to their participation? But you all don’t do much self reflection. This thread has made that abundantly clear. You are always right. I was listening to what people were saying in the meeting (not playing bingo). I found the meeting very uncomfortable and disliked what several parents had to say. I never said I was being ANTI-RACIST. I was disagreeing with the poster who said that white parents taking charge to remove PJ in a school that is 2/3 BIPOC is somehow “by definition” anti-racist. |
Anonymous
Is that really true - that you listen to other factions? Did you listen to the voices of the teachers who had to call for emergency staff meetings to express opposition to this decision? A) The petition process was not conducted by the PTO. B) *I* don't listen to any factions. I am one of the ones who reads all the emails seeking participation but doesn't show up. I've never been to a PTO meeting. I am hugely appreciative of the people who undertake these roles. Thanks for the reply. The people who deserve the most appreciation, IMO, are those who are in the trenches everyday at school. I don't see much appreciation for them throughout this entire thread. As a community member and lifelong Ward 3 resident, a graduate of DCPS, and a public school teacher...I am deeply concerned by the way in which this was handled, and equally troubled by the acrimony it has created. It appears that the parents seek to run the school - where does it stop? |
Anonymous
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Well, for what it’s worth, my DC has had a wonderful time at Hardy. We’re white, for those who would like to know, since we seem to be separating the white vs. black experience at the school (so sad).
DC and friends love the school and their teachers. I’m involved with my child and have seen the work from class. It is not busy work and they go in depth in some subjects. The vitriol I’m seeing here towards teachers is really unfair. Two fundamental constituents were missing from the meetings, letter, etc: teachers and students. Now, in terms of safety, transitions seem to be an issue. Are there people on duty at various times? Like dismissal? Another thing to consider is that we are now on a post-covid era and seeing how much we’ve all suffered from it. However, expectations seem to have gone back exactly to where we were before covid. Lastly, scheduling is a mess in most school until right before school starts. And to the single dad, I’m a Hardy mom, single too. Are you cute? 
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Anonymous
Actually, I think people have done that reflection, which is why there are meetings in the evenings in person but also with a Zoom option plus free coffee at drop-off a couple of times a month plus multiple regular communications from the PTO and grade liaisons. Notifications about the PTO meetings literally end with the line, "We encourage you to attend the meeting, and we want to ensure that everyone's voice is heard." A lot has been done to minimize barriers. The Hardy PTO is quite well run and and thougthful. One thing people cannot do is force others to engage. |
Anonymous
I am at a different DCPS where despite a lot of effort for recruitment, there is very little BIPOC participation on LSAT and PTO. My sense is the wealthy black parents have better things to do (like apply to private schools) and working class parents are working. Meanwhile the white parents are supposed to do nothing, and that’s somehow better for everyone? Again, you need to get your theories straight for what white parents are supposed to do. STFU and “hoard privilege” and get our kids tutors, or actually try to make the diverse school better? Or move to an all-white school? |
Anonymous
Are you intentionally misunderstanding my point? I clearly meant that Hardy is nowhere near a hellscape and that having “kids in the halls” is not a a sign of a school on the brink of collapse. Have you spent much time in the halls of Hardy? Some posters continue to exaggerate what is happening at Hardy and I was saying that not everyone believes this version of Hardy. |