Feedback on Hearst for 2nd and K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain the trailers? Not following how everyone says the school is small but then needs trailers. Are the trailers temporary due to a renovation or?

Pre-pandemic, Hearst class sizes were getting large at the lower grades. One year we had 30 kids busting the seams in two second grade classes. K would see a big surge as well. There's been a long recognition that the school is outgrowing its space and in the next 1-2 years, there will be an additional 1,400 residential units zoned for Hearst. City Ridge is coming online in early 2022. The trailers were a way to get ahead of the expected enrollment boom at the school. Long-term, the school will need to add capacity but trailers are a first step in the process.

I haven't seen just how many OOB kids have been enrolled at Hearst but I'd imagine it's limited to K-2 right now, which is where the 3rd classes are being offered. That isn't surprising but it seems likely that some IB families left for private school and there may be fewer embassy families due to the pandemic. Enrollment is a tricky thing, more so at a small school like Hearst. My kids class once had a manageable 20 kid number a couple of weeks before the start of the school year and then by the start of school was up to 25-26 because of late enrollees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When trailers are added, how does that affect the use of common spaces like cafeteria? How many grades have three classes now?

+1

+1. The problem is that these trailers are ultimately detrimental because they ALWAYS have growth inducing effects. So let’s say you add a few trailers to relieve crowding in the building but don’t have enough IB to kids to fill them, but you need to pay for the teacher salary so you have to add OOB kids. This increases crowding in the gym, library, cafeteria, further incapacitates Deal/Wilson, etc. And when in a few months the COVID capacity restrictions return you have even more IB families shut out of in person learning. That leads to the toxic environment that currently exists. DCPS knows all this of course, but as long as the OOB pipeline continues to flow they are satisfied.

Do you know how many OOB children are at Hearst? Or at any of the Ward 3 schools? Of course we know that there are ppl who claim IB residence that are OOB. But I'm talking how many OOB via the lottery are we really talking about that's presenting such a huge problem for the IB families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:How do people know which students are IB or OOB? Is there a directory that lists everyone’s address? Are people speculating IB vs OOB based on race? I ask bc we have a low lottery number for Hearst. If offered a spot and we accept, will my 1st grader be ostracized because she lives EOTP? Do kids talk about where they live? Or are there that many parents with free time standing around at drop off speculating?

Can any current IB parents answer this? How do you know if a student is IB or OOB? Is the information shared or presumed?

m

It is often presumed by race, which is completely ridiculous and totally unwarranted. Out of Boundary covers a lot of ground: it might be someone on the other side of McLean Gardens, zoned for Eaton, or it might be someone from SE DC who makes a long daily commute in search of what they see as a better education for their child. It’s rude and presumptuous and unfortunately not uncommon for parents to assume that if someone is Black or Latino they “must” be” out of boundary but never make the same assumptions about middle-class where kids. A lot of people showed their asses during the pandemic, that is for sure!

This is reckless speculation. The kids all know where each other live. Maybe not the kids in PK or K, but the kids all talk and they know who lives nearby and who has to drive or take the bus to school. Then they talk to their parents and the parents hear about it. No parent I know is making OOB or IB assumptions based on race. That is ridiculous.

It is definitely presumed by race by some parents. My kids were OOB for Hearst (we lived EOTP) and we’re white as can be. A few years ago, the anti-OOB sentiment really got started when the K classes had a lot of in-boundary kids who hadn’t attended for PK so the K class sizes were much larger than expected. I didn’t have a kid in K at the time, but I was involved in multiple conversations on the playground with parents who assumed I was IB and it was ok to complain about all of those OOB (non-white) kids making their classes overcrowded.

The PP is also 100% correct that a lot more people (or maybe just the same ones who were so upset about the large K classes) showed their true colors last year with the complaints about which kids were given in-person learning seats. I do think that Hearst has been a great community in some ways, but it was much more inclusive and welcoming back when it was majority-OOB, as others said much earlier in the thread.

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

You have misplayed your race card, again. And it’s getting old. Its 2021 and most OOB kids are from white HHI families living in $1M homes across the park that are desperate to flee their majority AA neighborhood schools. And deep down you know this. The IB families just want their kids to be able to actually physically attend their neighborhood school that is 4 blocks away. So if anyone has a problem with race, it ain’t the IB families. OOB is code for white families that refuse to invest in their AA majority neighborhood school or are too cheap to pay for private. Sorry.

DP but neighborhood families are guaranteed a spot in their neighborhood school. Historically, Hearst had so many OOB families bc a majority of those who lived in the neighborhood didn’t start sending their kids to the IB option until the school started to look pretty.

Actually, “historically” Hearst, which has been around for almost 90 years, has always been a neighborhood school. There was the period in the 90s through the early 2000s where that was not the case. But it is now back to the neighborhood school is has been for the majority of existence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people know which students are IB or OOB? Is there a directory that lists everyone’s address? Are people speculating IB vs OOB based on race? I ask bc we have a low lottery number for Hearst. If offered a spot and we accept, will my 1st grader be ostracized because she lives EOTP? Do kids talk about where they live? Or are there that many parents with free time standing around at drop off speculating?

Can any current IB parents answer this? How do you know if a student is IB or OOB? Is the information shared or presumed?

m

It is often presumed by race, which is completely ridiculous and totally unwarranted. Out of Boundary covers a lot of ground: it might be someone on the other side of McLean Gardens, zoned for Eaton, or it might be someone from SE DC who makes a long daily commute in search of what they see as a better education for their child. It’s rude and presumptuous and unfortunately not uncommon for parents to assume that if someone is Black or Latino they “must” be” out of boundary but never make the same assumptions about middle-class where kids. A lot of people showed their asses during the pandemic, that is for sure!

This is reckless speculation. The kids all know where each other live. Maybe not the kids in PK or K, but the kids all talk and they know who lives nearby and who has to drive or take the bus to school. Then they talk to their parents and the parents hear about it. No parent I know is making OOB or IB assumptions based on race. That is ridiculous.

It is definitely presumed by race by some parents. My kids were OOB for Hearst (we lived EOTP) and we’re white as can be. A few years ago, the anti-OOB sentiment really got started when the K classes had a lot of in-boundary kids who hadn’t attended for PK so the K class sizes were much larger than expected. I didn’t have a kid in K at the time, but I was involved in multiple conversations on the playground with parents who assumed I was IB and it was ok to complain about all of those OOB (non-white) kids making their classes overcrowded.

The PP is also 100% correct that a lot more people (or maybe just the same ones who were so upset about the large K classes) showed their true colors last year with the complaints about which kids were given in-person learning seats. I do think that Hearst has been a great community in some ways, but it was much more inclusive and welcoming back when it was majority-OOB, as others said much earlier in the thread.

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

You have misplayed your race card, again. And it’s getting old. Its 2021 and most OOB kids are from white HHI families living in $1M homes across the park that are desperate to flee their majority AA neighborhood schools. And deep down you know this. The IB families just want their kids to be able to actually physically attend their neighborhood school that is 4 blocks away. So if anyone has a problem with race, it ain’t the IB families. OOB is code for white families that refuse to invest in their AA majority neighborhood school or are too cheap to pay for private. Sorry.

DP but neighborhood families are guaranteed a spot in their neighborhood school. Historically, Hearst had so many OOB families bc a majority of those who lived in the neighborhood didn’t start sending their kids to the IB option until the school started to look pretty.

Actually, “historically” Hearst, which has been around for almost 90 years, has always been a neighborhood school. There was the period in the 90s through the early 2000s where that was not the case. But it is now back to the neighborhood school is has been for the majority of existence.

I am surprised Hearst would accept OOB when at capacity. Most DCPS do not. It must be part of some greater growth vision- but again- most schools that have enough IB to fill seats and not create extra logistics hurdles stop there.

[Anonymous]

Is there any recent social media or video showing Hearst school life someone could point me too? The stuff on the official FB page is like 5 years old..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do people know which students are IB or OOB? Is there a directory that lists everyone’s address? Are people speculating IB vs OOB based on race? I ask bc we have a low lottery number for Hearst. If offered a spot and we accept, will my 1st grader be ostracized because she lives EOTP? Do kids talk about where they live? Or are there that many parents with free time standing around at drop off speculating?

Can any current IB parents answer this? How do you know if a student is IB or OOB? Is the information shared or presumed?

m

It is often presumed by race, which is completely ridiculous and totally unwarranted. Out of Boundary covers a lot of ground: it might be someone on the other side of McLean Gardens, zoned for Eaton, or it might be someone from SE DC who makes a long daily commute in search of what they see as a better education for their child. It’s rude and presumptuous and unfortunately not uncommon for parents to assume that if someone is Black or Latino they “must” be” out of boundary but never make the same assumptions about middle-class where kids. A lot of people showed their asses during the pandemic, that is for sure!

This is reckless speculation. The kids all know where each other live. Maybe not the kids in PK or K, but the kids all talk and they know who lives nearby and who has to drive or take the bus to school. Then they talk to their parents and the parents hear about it. No parent I know is making OOB or IB assumptions based on race. That is ridiculous.

It is definitely presumed by race by some parents. My kids were OOB for Hearst (we lived EOTP) and we’re white as can be. A few years ago, the anti-OOB sentiment really got started when the K classes had a lot of in-boundary kids who hadn’t attended for PK so the K class sizes were much larger than expected. I didn’t have a kid in K at the time, but I was involved in multiple conversations on the playground with parents who assumed I was IB and it was ok to complain about all of those OOB (non-white) kids making their classes overcrowded.

The PP is also 100% correct that a lot more people (or maybe just the same ones who were so upset about the large K classes) showed their true colors last year with the complaints about which kids were given in-person learning seats. I do think that Hearst has been a great community in some ways, but it was much more inclusive and welcoming back when it was majority-OOB, as others said much earlier in the thread.

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

You have misplayed your race card, again. And it’s getting old. Its 2021 and most OOB kids are from white HHI families living in $1M homes across the park that are desperate to flee their majority AA neighborhood schools. And deep down you know this. The IB families just want their kids to be able to actually physically attend their neighborhood school that is 4 blocks away. So if anyone has a problem with race, it ain’t the IB families. OOB is code for white families that refuse to invest in their AA majority neighborhood school or are too cheap to pay for private. Sorry.

Translation: NO ONE is welcome at Hearst.

[Anonymous]

OP, did you end up accepting the spot? We are an OOB family that accepted a spot this year and hope the dynamics at the school are not as bad as they seem based on these posts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, did you end up accepting the spot? We are an OOB family that accepted a spot this year and hope the dynamics at the school are not as bad as they seem based on these posts!

I’m a Hearst parent, and unfortunately what I’m seeing here doesn’t surprise me. There are some groups of parents who are making the school pretty miserable for everyone else. But then there are some individual parents who are delightful, and whom I would never have met otherwise. I don’t know why it’s like this right now. Maybe if we had more OOB families the atmosphere would get better! But from the taste the parents on here leave I’m not sure that’s going to happen. If I were a potential OOB family I would be very turned off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, did you end up accepting the spot? We are an OOB family that accepted a spot this year and hope the dynamics at the school are not as bad as they seem based on these posts!

I’m a Hearst parent, and unfortunately what I’m seeing here doesn’t surprise me. There are some groups of parents who are making the school pretty miserable for everyone else. But then there are some individual parents who are delightful, and whom I would never have met otherwise. I don’t know why it’s like this right now. Maybe if we had more OOB families the atmosphere would get better! But from the taste the parents on here leave I’m not sure that’s going to happen. If I were a potential OOB family I would be very turned off.

I'm a Hearst parent and genuinely have no idea what any of these posts are about. I know there was tension about going back to in-person school last year but that was the case with many schools. The statement, "some groups of parents who are making the school pretty miserable for everyone else".... have no idea what that's about.

PP, come join Hearst. It's a great school and your child will enjoy going to school here. Welcome.

[Anonymous]

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

Ugh. I'm sorry folks were shitty to you, and I'm sorry folks are being lousy on this thread. Let me buy you a virtual beer and be here to remind you that lots of us are not okay with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

Ugh. I'm sorry folks were shitty to you, and I'm sorry folks are being lousy on this thread. Let me buy you a virtual beer and be here to remind you that lots of us are not okay with that.

Thank you! That actually cheered me up a little.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

Ugh. I'm sorry folks were shitty to you, and I'm sorry folks are being lousy on this thread. Let me buy you a virtual beer and be here to remind you that lots of us are not okay with that.

Thank you! That actually cheered me up a little.

Another Hearst parent here offering to get the next virtual round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, did you end up accepting the spot? We are an OOB family that accepted a spot this year and hope the dynamics at the school are not as bad as they seem based on these posts!

This is OP - we did and we're looking forward to starting. A lot of the negative comments on this thread sounded like the same poster, so I'm hoping it's a small contingent and will be an overall welcoming environment. We called in for the info session last night and really liked the principal. After reading this thread, I was pleasantly surprised that everyone seemed pretty respectful. We plan to make it the best experience we can for our kids and to contribute to a positive school culture. I guess we'll keep our eyes out for rude people to avoid and nice people to gravitate toward. Were you able to make the new family orientation earlier this week?

[Anonymous]

Hooray!!! And welcome!!!!! It is a super little school and there are lots of nice people - kids, families, teachers. I've been dismayed by these posts but our kiddo is happy there and we have been too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, that’s when my child started Hearst (K). Absurdly, we’re inbounds, but a mixed-race family. There were/are parents in that class who were so rude to me I was gobsmacked. The real problem parents like that have is with race, OOB is just code.

Ugh. I'm sorry folks were shitty to you, and I'm sorry folks are being lousy on this thread. Let me buy you a virtual beer and be here to remind you that lots of us are not okay with that.

Thank you! That actually cheered me up a little.

Another Hearst parent here offering to get the next virtual round.

PP here, THX. It’s funny how a gesture so small as to be virtual can make such a big difference. Perhaps it’ll get me tipsy as well.