What happens to charter students who leave the area temporarily?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BASIS DC policy on leaving temporarily isn't that cut and dried. Permission to leave temporarily can be granted by the HoS. Indeed, to my knowledge, permission to come and go has been granted by past heads. Problem is, the current head has been less open-minded about students taking leaves of absence (and almost everything else) than recent previous heads. He's also been much longer lasting, going into his 5th year. I've heard of the case where a family asked for support from Ward 6 and the OSA chief student advocate after taking leave for half a school year. Since this family has able to stay at BASIS DC, apparently over the objection of the HoS, he would probably think twice about hassling families asking to take leaves of absence in the future.

"Leave of absence"? Wow, people feel really entitled.

BASIS DC has a waiting list. A BASIS DC education is a scarce resource, each year builds on the previous year, and they don't backfill.

If parents want to pull a kid out to homeschool on a yacht and head to St. Barts for a year or two, they should go elsewhere for school in DC.

Give another kid a chance.

Exactly right. Stop trying to bully the admins and just go away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BASIS DC policy on leaving temporarily isn't that cut and dried. Permission to leave temporarily can be granted by the HoS. Indeed, to my knowledge, permission to come and go has been granted by past heads. Problem is, the current head has been less open-minded about students taking leaves of absence (and almost everything else) than recent previous heads. He's also been much longer lasting, going into his 5th year. I've heard of the case where a family asked for support from Ward 6 and the OSA chief student advocate after taking leave for half a school year. Since this family has able to stay at BASIS DC, apparently over the objection of the HoS, he would probably think twice about hassling families asking to take leaves of absence in the future.

"Leave of absence"? Wow, people feel really entitled.

BASIS DC has a waiting list. A BASIS DC education is a scarce resource, each year builds on the previous year, and they don't backfill.

If parents want to pull a kid out to homeschool on a yacht and head to St. Barts for a year or two, they should go elsewhere for school in DC.

Give another kid a chance.

I don't get this post and I don't get BASIS' hostility to family's taking a brief leave of absence. It's BASIS that isn't giving another kid a chance. Your kid gets in for 5th grade, or takes one of the handful of 6th grade spots available (almost always going to younger sibs) or your kid can't go. If your kid leaves after 6th grade, they won't be replaced.

Why would BASIS block a family that left the area temporarily after 6th grade from leaving and returning if the student had kept up academically? Why would they want to lose the funding for that student through 12th grade?

Life happens. Sometimes parents need to take a leave of absence for good reason, not to tool around on a yacht.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BASIS DC policy on leaving temporarily isn't that cut and dried. Permission to leave temporarily can be granted by the HoS. Indeed, to my knowledge, permission to come and go has been granted by past heads. Problem is, the current head has been less open-minded about students taking leaves of absence (and almost everything else) than recent previous heads. He's also been much longer lasting, going into his 5th year. I've heard of the case where a family asked for support from Ward 6 and the OSA chief student advocate after taking leave for half a school year. Since this family has able to stay at BASIS DC, apparently over the objection of the HoS, he would probably think twice about hassling families asking to take leaves of absence in the future.

"Leave of absence"? Wow, people feel really entitled.

BASIS DC has a waiting list. A BASIS DC education is a scarce resource, each year builds on the previous year, and they don't backfill.

If parents want to pull a kid out to homeschool on a yacht and head to St. Barts for a year or two, they should go elsewhere for school in DC.

Give another kid a chance.

I don't get this post and I don't get BASIS' hostility to family's taking a brief leave of absence. It's BASIS that isn't giving another kid a chance. Your kid gets in for 5th grade, or takes one of the handful of 6th grade spots available (almost always going to younger sibs) or your kid can't go. If your kid leaves after 6th grade, they won't be replaced.

Why would BASIS block a family that left the area temporarily after 6th grade from leaving and returning if the student had kept up academically? Why would they want to lose the funding for that student through 12th grade?

Life happens. Sometimes parents need to take a leave of absence for good reason, not to tool around on a yacht.

Then make that case to BASIS. If a family was committed to staying there but had no choice but to relocate for a year, I expect they could discuss it with the HoS and perhaps come up with a plan for ensuring their kid could stay on track with the BASIS curriculum. I would approach the conversation with a collaborative spirit.

But that’s not really what OP and others are suggesting. They are talking about situations, in many cases, where the relocation is completely optional and may be for recreational reasons. And they are arguing that once they have a spot at a charter, they should be entitled to come and go at will. I suspect they would also expect to be able to use sibling preference for these schools, even if they’d been away for the previous year.

THAT is entitled. A charter is not a private school, nor is it a competitive application school. Seats are awarded randomly via lottery, and you don’t “earn” your seat. There is nothing unfair about telling a family that no, their seat will not be held while they go sailing or while dad takes an optional sabbatical in Italy. There is nothing unfair about a school saying “we have a rigid curriculum progression and you can’t leave and come back unless you are willing to repeat the grade.” There is nothing unfair about saying charter spots are use or lose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BASIS DC policy on leaving temporarily isn't that cut and dried. Permission to leave temporarily can be granted by the HoS. Indeed, to my knowledge, permission to come and go has been granted by past heads. Problem is, the current head has been less open-minded about students taking leaves of absence (and almost everything else) than recent previous heads. He's also been much longer lasting, going into his 5th year. I've heard of the case where a family asked for support from Ward 6 and the OSA chief student advocate after taking leave for half a school year. Since this family has able to stay at BASIS DC, apparently over the objection of the HoS, he would probably think twice about hassling families asking to take leaves of absence in the future.

"Leave of absence"? Wow, people feel really entitled.

BASIS DC has a waiting list. A BASIS DC education is a scarce resource, each year builds on the previous year, and they don't backfill.

If parents want to pull a kid out to homeschool on a yacht and head to St. Barts for a year or two, they should go elsewhere for school in DC.

Give another kid a chance.

I don't get this post and I don't get BASIS' hostility to family's taking a brief leave of absence. It's BASIS that isn't giving another kid a chance. Your kid gets in for 5th grade, or takes one of the handful of 6th grade spots available (almost always going to younger sibs) or your kid can't go. If your kid leaves after 6th grade, they won't be replaced.

Why would BASIS block a family that left the area temporarily after 6th grade from leaving and returning if the student had kept up academically? Why would they want to lose the funding for that student through 12th grade?

Life happens. Sometimes parents need to take a leave of absence for good reason, not to tool around on a yacht.

They don't. They flex the 5th grade class to achieve full enrollment. In the unlikely event they needs to they will then go to the WL in 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The BASIS DC policy on leaving temporarily isn't that cut and dried. Permission to leave temporarily can be granted by the HoS. Indeed, to my knowledge, permission to come and go has been granted by past heads. Problem is, the current head has been less open-minded about students taking leaves of absence (and almost everything else) than recent previous heads. He's also been much longer lasting, going into his 5th year. I've heard of the case where a family asked for support from Ward 6 and the OSA chief student advocate after taking leave for half a school year. Since this family has able to stay at BASIS DC, apparently over the objection of the HoS, he would probably think twice about hassling families asking to take leaves of absence in the future.

"Leave of absence"? Wow, people feel really entitled.

BASIS DC has a waiting list. A BASIS DC education is a scarce resource, each year builds on the previous year, and they don't backfill.

If parents want to pull a kid out to homeschool on a yacht and head to St. Barts for a year or two, they should go elsewhere for school in DC.

Give another kid a chance.

I don't get this post and I don't get BASIS' hostility to family's taking a brief leave of absence. It's BASIS that isn't giving another kid a chance. Your kid gets in for 5th grade, or takes one of the handful of 6th grade spots available (almost always going to younger sibs) or your kid can't go. If your kid leaves after 6th grade, they won't be replaced.

Why would BASIS block a family that left the area temporarily after 6th grade from leaving and returning if the student had kept up academically? Why would they want to lose the funding for that student through 12th grade?

Life happens. Sometimes parents need to take a leave of absence for good reason, not to tool around on a yacht.

Then make that case to BASIS. If a family was committed to staying there but had no choice but to relocate for a year, I expect they could discuss it with the HoS and perhaps come up with a plan for ensuring their kid could stay on track with the BASIS curriculum. I would approach the conversation with a collaborative spirit.

But that’s not really what OP and others are suggesting. They are talking about situations, in many cases, where the relocation is completely optional and may be for recreational reasons. And they are arguing that once they have a spot at a charter, they should be entitled to come and go at will. I suspect they would also expect to be able to use sibling preference for these schools, even if they’d been away for the previous year.

THAT is entitled. A charter is not a private school, nor is it a competitive application school. Seats are awarded randomly via lottery, and you don’t “earn” your seat. There is nothing unfair about telling a family that no, their seat will not be held while they go sailing or while dad takes an optional sabbatical in Italy. There is nothing unfair about a school saying “we have a rigid curriculum progression and you can’t leave and come back unless you are willing to repeat the grade.” There is nothing unfair about saying charter spots are use or lose.

At bottom, the inane "support yachting" proposal asks a DC charter school to reserve a spot for someone who is no longer a taxpayer.

[Anonymous]

Not necessarily. As an American, you normally pay taxes where you maintain a permanent residence. You’re really splitting hairs here.

[Anonymous]

The current HoS has made growing the HS a priority. I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that he’d veto a leave of absence for a rising 9th grader+.