ACPS Schools Opinions on Here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ACPS continues to be a mess. Teachers that didn’t return to classrooms this week were forced to resign. There are now all these vacancies in at least one of the middle schools with just a few weeks of school left. Only now are they trying to find long-term subs. How does this benefit students who lost their teachers with no replacement lined up?

And regardless of what one thinks about the teachers who didn't return and their reasons for that, Hutchings and central office said multiple times in the summer & fall that everything would be fine and teachers wouldn't be fired for not returning. That turned out to be as truthful as his reassurances in December that the hybrid/virtual survey wouldn't be a binding decision. Parents and teachers can't trust Hutchings and central office.

If only there were an association or associations that represented parents and teachers that could speak out about these kinds of issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ACPS continues to be a mess. Teachers that didn’t return to classrooms this week were forced to resign. There are now all these vacancies in at least one of the middle schools with just a few weeks of school left. Only now are they trying to find long-term subs. How does this benefit students who lost their teachers with no replacement lined up?

And regardless of what one thinks about the teachers who didn't return and their reasons for that, Hutchings and central office said multiple times in the summer & fall that everything would be fine and teachers wouldn't be fired for not returning. That turned out to be as truthful as his reassurances in December that the hybrid/virtual survey wouldn't be a binding decision. Parents and teachers can't trust Hutchings and central office.

If only there were an association or associations that represented parents and teachers that could speak out about these kinds of issues.

Ah ACPS - if there's a wrong way to do it, you always find it. Yes, I was disappointed at the reports of teachers being forced to resign - that really doesn't serve anyone. Except Hutchings and his narrative to blame Open ACPS for all of his failures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people not like ACPS schools because they are failing racial / ethnic minority and low-income students? For our children TC Williams (Alexandria City) is a 10/10 on college readiness and a 7/10 on test scores because they are white and not low-income. Do people not send children to ACPS schools out of protest of the poor education for minority/low-income students or because they are worried about their own children? New to having older children (new full custody of teenagers), so I am genuinely curious and not trying to troll. We are a military family moving with teenagers for the first time, and I am trying to gauge what the sentiment and reasons are for not sending children to certain schools (outside COVID).

Translation, you and your family will get yours, despite an apartheid education system (within a system). Ironic or may not for a supposedly progressive city dominated by Democrats.

TC and now Alexandria High is overcrowded which transcends race and class lines. In theory there is one campus. In actuality there are two 9-10 and 11-12, and in any event they are internally segregated. As long as you don’t teach your children that it’s the ideal and not a failure of Democrat policies, it’s probably fine.

OP here. I agree that the apartheid system is horrifying, and it is also systemic and apparent across schools in this country. I have ideas as to how to fix it, but that does not address immediate needs of my children. Interestingly, military kids, often, get exposed to the opposite if they are lucky enough to go to schools on military installations. I am sure we will have new conversations at dinner, and I am looking forward to my kiddos insights. I hope that they can, through sports and activities, make a diverse group of friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people not like ACPS schools because they are failing racial / ethnic minority and low-income students? For our children TC Williams (Alexandria City) is a 10/10 on college readiness and a 7/10 on test scores because they are white and not low-income. Do people not send children to ACPS schools out of protest of the poor education for minority/low-income students or because they are worried about their own children? New to having older children (new full custody of teenagers), so I am genuinely curious and not trying to troll. We are a military family moving with teenagers for the first time, and I am trying to gauge what the sentiment and reasons are for not sending children to certain schools (outside COVID).

Translation, you and your family will get yours, despite an apartheid education system (within a system). Ironic or may not for a supposedly progressive city dominated by Democrats.

TC and now Alexandria High is overcrowded which transcends race and class lines. In theory there is one campus. In actuality there are two 9-10 and 11-12, and in any event they are internally segregated. As long as you don’t teach your children that it’s the ideal and not a failure of Democrat policies, it’s probably fine.

OP here. I agree that the apartheid system is horrifying, and it is also systemic and apparent across schools in this country. I have ideas as to how to fix it, but that does not address immediate needs of my children. Interestingly, military kids, often, get exposed to the opposite if they are lucky enough to go to schools on military installations. I am sure we will have new conversations at dinner, and I am looking forward to my kiddos insights. I hope that they can, through sports and activities, make a diverse group of friends.

And in their classes make friends too, as I hope this apartheid is not as bad as people make it out to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ACPS continues to be a mess. Teachers that didn’t return to classrooms this week were forced to resign. There are now all these vacancies in at least one of the middle schools with just a few weeks of school left. Only now are they trying to find long-term subs. How does this benefit students who lost their teachers with no replacement lined up?

And regardless of what one thinks about the teachers who didn't return and their reasons for that, Hutchings and central office said multiple times in the summer & fall that everything would be fine and teachers wouldn't be fired for not returning. That turned out to be as truthful as his reassurances in December that the hybrid/virtual survey wouldn't be a binding decision. Parents and teachers can't trust Hutchings and central office.

If only there were an association or associations that represented parents and teachers that could speak out about these kinds of issues.

Ah ACPS - if there's a wrong way to do it, you always find it. Yes, I was disappointed at the reports of teachers being forced to resign - that really doesn't serve anyone. Except Hutchings and his narrative to blame Open ACPS for all of his failures.

At his final school board meeting last year, Hutchings took a swipe at his critics, urging the board and others to ignore parents who complain.

“Most of my time is spent dealing with the ignorance that comes from adults,” he said. - 2019 Washington Post piece on Shaker Heights where Hutchings worked before ACPS

ACPS' problems and Hutchings blaming parents didn't start in March of 2020. And it certainly didn't begin with Open ACPS.

[Anonymous]

Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

I think it's this. Direct from admin at one of the middle schools was that they were not forced to resign. So I think they were just made to either take leave or soemthing else. Still, a very stupid thing to do with only 6 weeks left. Introducing inconsistency and upheaval to kdis who've had plenty of it. This, from a superintendent who didn't want to reorganize classes so all all-person students could have a live human teacher because he wanted "consistency" in their experience. They ahve made one bad decision after another this year. What a disappointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

I think it's this. Direct from admin at one of the middle schools was that they were not forced to resign. So I think they were just made to either take leave or soemthing else. Still, a very stupid thing to do with only 6 weeks left. Introducing inconsistency and upheaval to kdis who've had plenty of it. This, from a superintendent who didn't want to reorganize classes so all all-person students could have a live human teacher because he wanted "consistency" in their experience. They ahve made one bad decision after another this year. What a disappointment.

It was absolutely this. Take leave without pay was the only option...They gave three weeks to find childcare in Northern Virginia...there arent alot of places who have vacancies for elementary aged kids, which many teachers have. So they had to chose to either take leave the rest of the year, retire early or quit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's going on with TAG? All I could find was an article about needing to address disproportionate demographics.

It's going away. Then VA is planning to offer only one diploma type to HS graduates. Betting AP is next. We can't have systemic inequities. SJW -- it's gotten out of hand, and will continue to do so.

I believe you, but can you point me to a source on TAG going away?

You can begin here and then look for the related docs. You need to read between the lines a little too — for obvious reasons.

https://www.acps.k12.va.us/Page/2488

So I read the link you provided. Either your reading comprehension skills are zero or you’re trying to push some bizarre agenda. Which one is it?

NP. So you are too lazy to do your own research and PP does some quick research for you to get you started and then you insult her because she doesn’t go all the way and bring something to you saying “ACPS is Ending TAG.” What kind of lazy *^#! are you?

Whoa, I'm the PP who requested a source after not finding much by googling and I responded "Thank you." That's a completely different poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

No, they have to take leave or use FMLA. Other staff can also donate leave to help out. Definitely not ideal. but their jobs will still be there next September if they still want to work for this circus. Glad there is at least one 13-year-old paying attention!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

No, they have to take leave or use FMLA. Other staff can also donate leave to help out. Definitely not ideal. but their jobs will still be there next September if they still want to work for this circus. Glad there is at least one 13-year-old paying attention!

I think the point is they were forced to abandon teaching their classes and finishing out the school year. That’s a lose-lose situation, especially for students. True consistency for the final quarter would have been better. I hear many classes still don’t even have substitutes lined up. Terrible decision by ACPS. I’m sure they’ll somehow claim this promotes “equity.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

No, they have to take leave or use FMLA. Other staff can also donate leave to help out. Definitely not ideal. but their jobs will still be there next September if they still want to work for this circus. Glad there is at least one 13-year-old paying attention!

I think the point is they were forced to abandon teaching their classes and finishing out the school year. That’s a lose-lose situation, especially for students. True consistency for the final quarter would have been better. I hear many classes still don’t even have substitutes lined up. Terrible decision by ACPS. I’m sure they’ll somehow claim this promotes “equity.”

Not sure September is going to be much different than now. In ACPS’s defense, it’s not as if returning to teaching in the classroom came out of the blue. The only reason teachers were prioritized for vaccinations was so they would get back into the classrooms. The teachers knew about this eventuality for months. Some of these teachers are just enjoying being paid well and not being in the classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

No, they have to take leave or use FMLA. Other staff can also donate leave to help out. Definitely not ideal. but their jobs will still be there next September if they still want to work for this circus. Glad there is at least one 13-year-old paying attention!

I think the point is they were forced to abandon teaching their classes and finishing out the school year. That’s a lose-lose situation, especially for students. True consistency for the final quarter would have been better. I hear many classes still don’t even have substitutes lined up. Terrible decision by ACPS. I’m sure they’ll somehow claim this promotes “equity.”

Not sure September is going to be much different than now. In ACPS’s defense, it’s not as if returning to teaching in the classroom came out of the blue. The only reason teachers were prioritized for vaccinations was so they would get back into the classrooms. The teachers knew about this eventuality for months. Some of these teachers are just enjoying being paid well and not being in the classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

No, they have to take leave or use FMLA. Other staff can also donate leave to help out. Definitely not ideal. but their jobs will still be there next September if they still want to work for this circus. Glad there is at least one 13-year-old paying attention!

I think the point is they were forced to abandon teaching their classes and finishing out the school year. That’s a lose-lose situation, especially for students. True consistency for the final quarter would have been better. I hear many classes still don’t even have substitutes lined up. Terrible decision by ACPS. I’m sure they’ll somehow claim this promotes “equity.”

Not sure September is going to be much different than now. In ACPS’s defense, it’s not as if returning to teaching in the classroom came out of the blue. The only reason teachers were prioritized for vaccinations was so they would get back into the classrooms. The teachers knew about this eventuality for months. Some of these teachers are just enjoying being paid well and not being in the classrooms.

What, 90k a year, 4 months off and a pension is poor compensation?

Only a privileged person would look down on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Were teachers forced to resign? My son was under the impression that his teacher who did not return was allowed to take some sort of COVID-related or medical leave (and thus is not teaching). But he's only 13, so he may be wrong.

No, they have to take leave or use FMLA. Other staff can also donate leave to help out. Definitely not ideal. but their jobs will still be there next September if they still want to work for this circus. Glad there is at least one 13-year-old paying attention!

I think the point is they were forced to abandon teaching their classes and finishing out the school year. That’s a lose-lose situation, especially for students. True consistency for the final quarter would have been better. I hear many classes still don’t even have substitutes lined up. Terrible decision by ACPS. I’m sure they’ll somehow claim this promotes “equity.”

Not sure September is going to be much different than now. In ACPS’s defense, it’s not as if returning to teaching in the classroom came out of the blue. The only reason teachers were prioritized for vaccinations was so they would get back into the classrooms. The teachers knew about this eventuality for months. Some of these teachers are just enjoying being paid well and not being in the classrooms.

Many burn out around year 5, so this delays making a career change during uncertain times.