HB Woodlawn slots

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

It’s not punitive to match it to the other schools capacity utilization rather than protect it by a cap. I’m not saying dump on it more than other schools just let it share the pain

Have you seen the site? It's a postage stamp. No place to put trailers. If you wanted HB to grow, should have thought of this back when they kicked HB out of its big parcel of land and squeezed it onto the tiny urban plot of land that the regular school parents rejected.

The original plan was for 1300 seat middle school at that site, for the neighborhood school. They can grow HB from 700.

So let's knock it down and start over? Build some sort of addition? We don't have money for that. The building is what is is, even if it was misguided, it's not getting changed now.

They can reconfigure space, move walls. There are a lot of wide hallways and other waster space to make it airy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

It’s not punitive to match it to the other schools capacity utilization rather than protect it by a cap. I’m not saying dump on it more than other schools just let it share the pain

Have you seen the site? It's a postage stamp. No place to put trailers. If you wanted HB to grow, should have thought of this back when they kicked HB out of its big parcel of land and squeezed it onto the tiny urban plot of land that the regular school parents rejected.

The original plan was for 1300 seat middle school at that site, for the neighborhood school. They can grow HB from 700.

So let's knock it down and start over? Build some sort of addition? We don't have money for that. The building is what is is, even if it was misguided, it's not getting changed now.

I was referring to “postage stamp” size lot.

And honestly renovating and adding seats may be the best option for APS. Or leasing vacant office space next door for senior level classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

It’s not punitive to match it to the other schools capacity utilization rather than protect it by a cap. I’m not saying dump on it more than other schools just let it share the pain

Have you seen the site? It's a postage stamp. No place to put trailers. If you wanted HB to grow, should have thought of this back when they kicked HB out of its big parcel of land and squeezed it onto the tiny urban plot of land that the regular school parents rejected.

The original plan was for 1300 seat middle school at that site, for the neighborhood school. They can grow HB from 700.

So let's knock it down and start over? Build some sort of addition? We don't have money for that. The building is what is is, even if it was misguided, it's not getting changed now.

I was referring to “postage stamp” size lot.

And honestly renovating and adding seats may be the best option for APS. Or leasing vacant office space next door for senior level classes.

In not aware of APS being short of HS seats at the moment. They just built seats at WL and are expanding ArlTech, which has demand. Why would they spend money on this? Because you're annoyed HB is smaller than the other HS?

[Anonymous]

I have a SN kids at HB and neighborhood high school. The difference is night and day. I need to talk to a teacher at HB, I rarely wait 24 hours. But I rarely call b/c they reach out to me. OTOH, I had to request a meeting 3 times for a kid failing one class in neighbor high school. If I email teachers, it takes about a week, if they respond at all. Case carrier difference is...astounding.

But not everybody needs SN services so let's cancel that benifit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

It’s not punitive to match it to the other schools capacity utilization rather than protect it by a cap. I’m not saying dump on it more than other schools just let it share the pain

Have you seen the site? It's a postage stamp. No place to put trailers. If you wanted HB to grow, should have thought of this back when they kicked HB out of its big parcel of land and squeezed it onto the tiny urban plot of land that the regular school parents rejected.

The original plan was for 1300 seat middle school at that site, for the neighborhood school. They can grow HB from 700.

So let's knock it down and start over? Build some sort of addition? We don't have money for that. The building is what is is, even if it was misguided, it's not getting changed now.

They can reconfigure space, move walls. There are a lot of wide hallways and other waster space to make it airy.

I find that building not airy but confusing AF and I feel sort of claustrophobic in some of it. Maybe that's me. W&L on the other hand, spacious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a SN kids at HB and neighborhood high school. The difference is night and day. I need to talk to a teacher at HB, I rarely wait 24 hours. But I rarely call b/c they reach out to me. OTOH, I had to request a meeting 3 times for a kid failing one class in neighbor high school. If I email teachers, it takes about a week, if they respond at all. Case carrier difference is...astounding.

But not everybody needs SN services so let's cancel that benifit!

This isn't going to help your case, as HB isn't available to those who need it but only to the select few who win the lottery. APS has to educate all students, not those who have the luck to get a good lotto number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

Oh okay. Because you are one person who doesn't like HB's pedagogy, even though you don't really know anything about it, I guess that's decided then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

It’s not punitive to match it to the other schools capacity utilization rather than protect it by a cap. I’m not saying dump on it more than other schools just let it share the pain

Have you seen the site? It's a postage stamp. No place to put trailers. If you wanted HB to grow, should have thought of this back when they kicked HB out of its big parcel of land and squeezed it onto the tiny urban plot of land that the regular school parents rejected.

The original plan was for 1300 seat middle school at that site, for the neighborhood school. They can grow HB from 700.

So let's knock it down and start over? Build some sort of addition? We don't have money for that. The building is what is is, even if it was misguided, it's not getting changed now.

I was referring to “postage stamp” size lot.

And honestly renovating and adding seats may be the best option for APS. Or leasing vacant office space next door for senior level classes.

hahahah with what money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

No the cost per student at HB is literally not higher. I have looked it up. Clearly you have not, you just spout fake news.

HB doesn't get any more teachers or other positions per student than any other school. And the kids don't have a lot of amenities that other high schools do.

+1

There are advantages and disadvantages to HB compared to the regular high schools. Some things are better, some things are worse. The parents who complain about not getting into HB would probably complain if their kids were at HB once they realized all the things their snowflakes miss out on.

I think HB is a colossal waste and I would never send my children there, and I totally agree with you there are some pluses and minuses. A big one for a lot of people is the having to be bussed to sports. But, look, you aren’t acknowledging that for most families in Arlington, they want smaller than a 2,000+ high school experience for their kid. THAT is the primary draw for most people to HB and it’s a huge desirable thing for many — not every — family in Arlington. The fact that you have a lottery for this relatively tiny program means you better be able to justify the heck out of it since your premise is EXCLUDING most families. And no one can do so with HB because its only thing is small. It defines itself by its size. Nothing else.

So I see you're sticking to your false claim that the only unique thing about HB is its size. I guess you didn't read the website huh? Well, that's your loss, can't do much for willful ignorance.

You can’t even quote what is unique about it, just pretending the website as anything but weasel words. I’ve been to information night and read everything, and all I see is that it’s an open campus for all high schoolers.

I can't help you if you can't read.

Thanks for admitting it says nothing

HB would not be the right fit for you. It's a school full of nice kids. Nice kids usually come from nice parents. You wouldn't know much about that.

I am honestly amazed that you continue with the ad Harmon attacks rather than simply posting what the philosophy that makes HB unique is, which you say is readily available on the website?

Also, very interested that you consider yourself nice. I’ve simply asked you to post something that I can’t find on the website, maybe I’m just a bad web browser. You instead just start attacking me.

Your efforts will never bear fruit because there is absolutely nothing that makes HB’s educational experience unique or difference beyond the fact that it’s small. It’s all nonsense.

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program is built upon four foundational pillars:

1. Caring Community: The school fosters an environment where individual differences are respected and valued, establishing a foundation of trust. This trust empowers students to make choices, take responsibility, and contribute positively to the community. Mutual respect between teachers and students is emphasized, with practices like active listening, collaboration, and restorative justice being integral components.
2. Equity: H-B Woodlawn is committed to providing each student with the tools and opportunities necessary for academic, social, and emotional success. Recognizing the uniqueness of each student’s path, the school strives to create an environment where all students feel seen and heard. This includes incorporating culturally responsive curricula, differentiating instruction based on student needs, and implementing equitable grading and assessment practices.
3. Self-Directed Learning: Students are encouraged to take ownership of their educational journey, developing independence and self-motivation. The school provides opportunities for students to make choices about their learning, fostering personal responsibility and intrinsic motivation.
4. Self-Governance: Through structures like weekly Town Meetings, where each student, teacher, and parent in attendance has an equal voice, the community collaboratively makes decisions, reflecting a commitment to shared responsibility and democratic principles.

Can someone give concrete examples of how 3 & 4 are implemented. They still have to use APS curriculum so it’s unclear to me how much happens?

1&2 are just feel good “let’s be nice and fair” statements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

No the cost per student at HB is literally not higher. I have looked it up. Clearly you have not, you just spout fake news.

HB doesn't get any more teachers or other positions per student than any other school. And the kids don't have a lot of amenities that other high schools do.

+1

There are advantages and disadvantages to HB compared to the regular high schools. Some things are better, some things are worse. The parents who complain about not getting into HB would probably complain if their kids were at HB once they realized all the things their snowflakes miss out on.

I think HB is a colossal waste and I would never send my children there, and I totally agree with you there are some pluses and minuses. A big one for a lot of people is the having to be bussed to sports. But, look, you aren’t acknowledging that for most families in Arlington, they want smaller than a 2,000+ high school experience for their kid. THAT is the primary draw for most people to HB and it’s a huge desirable thing for many — not every — family in Arlington. The fact that you have a lottery for this relatively tiny program means you better be able to justify the heck out of it since your premise is EXCLUDING most families. And no one can do so with HB because its only thing is small. It defines itself by its size. Nothing else.

So I see you're sticking to your false claim that the only unique thing about HB is its size. I guess you didn't read the website huh? Well, that's your loss, can't do much for willful ignorance.

You can’t even quote what is unique about it, just pretending the website as anything but weasel words. I’ve been to information night and read everything, and all I see is that it’s an open campus for all high schoolers.

I can't help you if you can't read.

Thanks for admitting it says nothing

HB would not be the right fit for you. It's a school full of nice kids. Nice kids usually come from nice parents. You wouldn't know much about that.

I am honestly amazed that you continue with the ad Harmon attacks rather than simply posting what the philosophy that makes HB unique is, which you say is readily available on the website?

Also, very interested that you consider yourself nice. I’ve simply asked you to post something that I can’t find on the website, maybe I’m just a bad web browser. You instead just start attacking me.

Your efforts will never bear fruit because there is absolutely nothing that makes HB’s educational experience unique or difference beyond the fact that it’s small. It’s all nonsense.

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program is built upon four foundational pillars:

1. Caring Community: The school fosters an environment where individual differences are respected and valued, establishing a foundation of trust. This trust empowers students to make choices, take responsibility, and contribute positively to the community. Mutual respect between teachers and students is emphasized, with practices like active listening, collaboration, and restorative justice being integral components.
2. Equity: H-B Woodlawn is committed to providing each student with the tools and opportunities necessary for academic, social, and emotional success. Recognizing the uniqueness of each student’s path, the school strives to create an environment where all students feel seen and heard. This includes incorporating culturally responsive curricula, differentiating instruction based on student needs, and implementing equitable grading and assessment practices.
3. Self-Directed Learning: Students are encouraged to take ownership of their educational journey, developing independence and self-motivation. The school provides opportunities for students to make choices about their learning, fostering personal responsibility and intrinsic motivation.
4. Self-Governance: Through structures like weekly Town Meetings, where each student, teacher, and parent in attendance has an equal voice, the community collaboratively makes decisions, reflecting a commitment to shared responsibility and democratic principles.

Can someone give concrete examples of how 3 & 4 are implemented. They still have to use APS curriculum so it’s unclear to me how much happens?

1&2 are just feel good “let’s be nice and fair” statements.

A lot happens, but I have neither the time or inclination to explain HB to the HB haters. And there are places to get info. Go to an info session next time they hold one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

Oh okay. Because you are one person who doesn't like HB's pedagogy, even though you don't really know anything about it, I guess that's decided then.

Perhaps you could contribute substance? You're not creating a good look for HB.

There are lots of people unhappy with the current HB system (see this and other threads) and I think it's time to reevaluate. Keep the good parts and fix the bits that aren't working. I've heard complaints about the mixed AP and non-AP classes at HB, as well as fewer options. It sounds like that would be solved by nixing the middle school and enlarging the HS. It would also allow for students to choose between HB, ArlTech, IB and their neighborhood HS at the same time. That timing makes a lot more sense to me than parents making the decision for kids in 5th grade, largely based on fear of big schools and the desire to have access to a scarce resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

Oh okay. Because you are one person who doesn't like HB's pedagogy, even though you don't really know anything about it, I guess that's decided then.

Perhaps you could contribute substance? You're not creating a good look for HB.

There are lots of people unhappy with the current HB system (see this and other threads) and I think it's time to reevaluate. Keep the good parts and fix the bits that aren't working. I've heard complaints about the mixed AP and non-AP classes at HB, as well as fewer options. It sounds like that would be solved by nixing the middle school and enlarging the HS. It would also allow for students to choose between HB, ArlTech, IB and their neighborhood HS at the same time. That timing makes a lot more sense to me than parents making the decision for kids in 5th grade, largely based on fear of big schools and the desire to have access to a scarce resource.

A few very bitter people want the school to be something other than it is. You don't seem to have any idea what you're talking about re the class options. APS doesn't need high school seats, and the HB middle school seats do serve a needed purpose. If you don't like APS services that only some students receive and others do not, let's start cutting out school sports and theater and IB and AP programs, as other posters have noted.

My special needs kid lotteried into HB in middle school and it has really helped them. They had gone through a lot of bullying in elementary. Now they have found their people. We don't have any particular connections, just managed to lottery in. Not sure why some parents who don't have kids at HB are so focused on it, but why not spend that attention making your home middle and/or high schools better instead of weirdly focusing on messing up something you're not familiar with? HB is great and has lots of involved parents, really doesn't need people who understand nothing about the school, just looking in from the outside, suggesting how to "improve" it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

Oh okay. Because you are one person who doesn't like HB's pedagogy, even though you don't really know anything about it, I guess that's decided then.

Perhaps you could contribute substance? You're not creating a good look for HB.

There are lots of people unhappy with the current HB system (see this and other threads) and I think it's time to reevaluate. Keep the good parts and fix the bits that aren't working. I've heard complaints about the mixed AP and non-AP classes at HB, as well as fewer options. It sounds like that would be solved by nixing the middle school and enlarging the HS. It would also allow for students to choose between HB, ArlTech, IB and their neighborhood HS at the same time. That timing makes a lot more sense to me than parents making the decision for kids in 5th grade, largely based on fear of big schools and the desire to have access to a scarce resource.

A few very bitter people want the school to be something other than it is. You don't seem to have any idea what you're talking about re the class options. APS doesn't need high school seats, and the HB middle school seats do serve a needed purpose. If you don't like APS services that only some students receive and others do not, let's start cutting out school sports and theater and IB and AP programs, as other posters have noted.

My special needs kid lotteried into HB in middle school and it has really helped them. They had gone through a lot of bullying in elementary. Now they have found their people. We don't have any particular connections, just managed to lottery in. Not sure why some parents who don't have kids at HB are so focused on it, but why not spend that attention making your home middle and/or high schools better instead of weirdly focusing on messing up something you're not familiar with? HB is great and has lots of involved parents, really doesn't need people who understand nothing about the school, just looking in from the outside, suggesting how to "improve" it.

So your response is that if you're not in the HB club, you wouldn't understand? Nonsense. It's not that special that other parents can't understand it.

Nothing I proposed would change it being a smaller HS option and having involved parents and excellent teachers. Special needs kids could still lotto in. Keep the good, remember?

You also didn't actually respond to the comment about the mixed AP and non-AP classes. It's an issue.

I'm absolutely not bitter about anything. Where exactly did you get bitter? By defending HB and saying capacity shouldn't be used as a weapon against students who attend option school?

Btw, people are focused on HB on this thread because the thread is about HB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have an issue with the whiteness of HB. I have zero idea how white it is. This was a huge problem in the past for HB, which is one of the primary reasons for the double blind lottery system. It used to be very driven by parent/teacher demand—that is, a lot of dyslexia and ADHD kids who “could not handle” a normal school day but were considered “smart” got sent there. It was very white. And it served as a great safety valve before all this IEP/504 world, and was discriminatory in the sense that it wasn’t for problem kids in the really bad sense ... just kids who needed a different structure. Then it was deemed racist and they revised the lottery.

Now, I have a problem with HB because its mission is completely opaque. It doesn’t mean anything for kids to be “independent” and “self-directed”. That’s just a load of education jargon; it’s not like Spanish immersion where kids are taught in Spanish.

And it does have a HUGE benefit—or at least what most people in our community consider one—its size. Most of us want a smaller HS experience for our children. Given, not every single person, but most of us. And, you get to send your kid there to learn absolutely the same things as every other general public school. Nonsense.

I have one kid at HB and another at a regular APS school. Trust me, the independent self directed program is very real, and very different from regular schools. Just because you don't know what it is doesn't mean it's not real.

Literally the opposite of what they say at information night.

Can you give a concrete example of what it means, I think you are just defending your turf like all HB “Fight Club” Parents

Exactly! What specific differences can you describe between the educational pedagogy of the two programs?

When I’ve asked this question before, moreover, I get responses that described differences endemic to a smaller HS but that don’t actually evidence a distinct educational program that the public should be funding.

That the public should be funding? The public is paying for these kids to go to high school no matter which one they go to or what they study. It pays for IEPs, after school sports, band, counseling, busing...all kinds of things that the comprehensive high schools offer to thousands of kids, some of which are also available at H-B and many of which are not. And if you're talking about the capital costs of the building; again, all three comprehensive high schools were rebuilt since 2000 and we took out enormous bonds to pay for them.

The cost per student at HB is higher, and they still participate in school sports and have whole county busing.

Moreover, they don’t allowed overcrowding like at other high schools which places a burden on neighboring schools.

What are you proposing? We need the high school seats so we can't just shutter it. And the campus doesn't have the facilities to be an all purpose high school. I'm not sure what you think should happen?

Make it high school only and allow it be over capacity by as much as the most over capacity neighborhood school. No longer capped as “small” and at capacity

I'm the one who posted up thread that it should be HS only and focus on the arts. I don't like the open schools pedagogy and think it's outdated.

I'd defer to APS to decide capacity. I don't think overcrowding should be used punitively, but managed across the district to least affect students. I don't believe in punishing students or teacher for being at an option school.

Oh okay. Because you are one person who doesn't like HB's pedagogy, even though you don't really know anything about it, I guess that's decided then.

Perhaps you could contribute substance? You're not creating a good look for HB.

There are lots of people unhappy with the current HB system (see this and other threads) and I think it's time to reevaluate. Keep the good parts and fix the bits that aren't working. I've heard complaints about the mixed AP and non-AP classes at HB, as well as fewer options. It sounds like that would be solved by nixing the middle school and enlarging the HS. It would also allow for students to choose between HB, ArlTech, IB and their neighborhood HS at the same time. That timing makes a lot more sense to me than parents making the decision for kids in 5th grade, largely based on fear of big schools and the desire to have access to a scarce resource.

A few very bitter people want the school to be something other than it is. You don't seem to have any idea what you're talking about re the class options. APS doesn't need high school seats, and the HB middle school seats do serve a needed purpose. If you don't like APS services that only some students receive and others do not, let's start cutting out school sports and theater and IB and AP programs, as other posters have noted.

My special needs kid lotteried into HB in middle school and it has really helped them. They had gone through a lot of bullying in elementary. Now they have found their people. We don't have any particular connections, just managed to lottery in. Not sure why some parents who don't have kids at HB are so focused on it, but why not spend that attention making your home middle and/or high schools better instead of weirdly focusing on messing up something you're not familiar with? HB is great and has lots of involved parents, really doesn't need people who understand nothing about the school, just looking in from the outside, suggesting how to "improve" it.

So your response is that if you're not in the HB club, you wouldn't understand? Nonsense. It's not that special that other parents can't understand it.

Nothing I proposed would change it being a smaller HS option and having involved parents and excellent teachers. Special needs kids could still lotto in. Keep the good, remember?

You also didn't actually respond to the comment about the mixed AP and non-AP classes. It's an issue.

I'm absolutely not bitter about anything. Where exactly did you get bitter? By defending HB and saying capacity shouldn't be used as a weapon against students who attend option school?

Btw, people are focused on HB on this thread because the thread is about HB.

You are completely ignoring the fact that APS doesn't need high school capacity. You're providing a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, while meanwhile you would be removing HB as a solution to a middle school problem that does exist. But that's no problem for you because when you don't understand the APS school issues it's easy to suggest magical "solutions" lol.

My kid is currently in a class that functions as both a regular and an AP class. The main difference is that they are being exposed to more complex ideas than they can handle right now. They are getting a "B" in the class, but at the end of the year they decide whether to take that "B" in the advanced class or get an "A" in the non advanced class. It's not a big deal., though it's not something my kid would choose on their own. Maybe it's actually good for them to get exposed to the more complex ideas, anyway!

In short: Your "solution" fixes a strawman you have made up in your own head. You're making a big deal about things that are Not A Big Deal to kids at the school, because you want to create weaknesses for your own purposes. Meanwhile, you don't understand the APS landscape or the school at all. Focus on schools where you have your own kids and have a better chance of actually understanding what's going on.

[Anonymous]

Never mind that your suggestions to “improve” the school involve moving walls and reconfiguration expenses — when the school board is already eliminating positions it doesn’t want to because of a budget shortfall. But again, your “solution” to fix a non-existent problem must take precedence over all of this! No wonder why you aren’t focused on your own schools - you just live in crazytown!