SSFS Closing

[Anonymous]

Public Statement from Friends of SSFS Coalition
April 19, 2025 9:50pm

We’re writing after another long day of hard work on so many fronts. The way this
community has shown up is soul-stirring.
We’re so relieved and grateful to share that the Board of Trustees has issued an official
statement that they are working with us, Friends of SSFS, on a path forward
to keep the school open. This is a “pause,” a full reversal will take longer, as legal and
financial details are worked through, but we are on the right path.
The banner on the school’s website stating that the school is closing is down! This is a
small but meaningful sign of the shift that’s underway.
That said, we know that every moment without a firm, final reversal is actively working
against us. Families are making other plans. Staff are being recruited elsewhere. It’s a race
against the clock, and we want you to know we are working as fast as humanly possible.
The legal and financial process is complex and frustratingly slow. Progress is happening.
Thank you for your continued patience, trust, and care.
As we move forward, we ask that everyone stay grounded and kind. Various systemic
problems have been in the making for a long time. People on all sides are working in good
faith to bring this school back to life.
We truly believe we’ll come through this not just intact, but with a deeper sense of who we
are, what we stand for, and how powerful we can be when we move together with clarity
and purpose.

(sorry for formatting, this was quickly copy-pasted)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SSFS Board of Trustees sent out the following message this evening:

The Board of Trustees of Sandy Spring Friends School is grateful for the outpouring of love and commitment to SSFS and welcomes the offers of financial support and leadership. The Board and the Friends of SSFS are collaborating closely with the shared purpose of enabling the school to continue operations.

We are hopeful that a path can be found.

Additional information will be shared when it is appropriate; we are working tirelessly with the Friends of SSFS and other interested supporters and hope to have concrete details very soon.

This is such encouraging news!

[Anonymous]

Any news re summer camp?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who is mocking? We're just pointing out that his communication style and priorities maybe weren't super aligned with SSFS'. I guess all those dozens of families and teachers who left were just racist and didn't want to put in the work?

19:49 here. I apologize that the sarcasm in my post didn't come through. Of course all those families and staff who left aren't racist; that was my point. In fact, most racist folks would likely be turned off by SSFS (all the talk of diversity on their website etc.) and choose to send their kids elsewhere!

I'm not saying everything is RG's fault. We know there were already financial problems brewing before he came in. But it seems he failed to fix those problems and also added on culture/image problems that caused families and teachers to jump ship.

However, thrilled to heard the news that the Board and the coalition are working together. Especially after so many posters here said it will never happen. Cautiously optimistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The coalition’s efforts to save SSFS show the heart and determination of the community but it’s a fool’s errand.

The die was cast the moment the Board announced the closure. Even the *appearance* (to be kind) of mismanagement and the negative social media threads and news coverage leave them even less able to attract new students than when the ship was silently sinking. The cat is out of the bag and not going back in, unfortunately.

Agreed. I don’t see how SSFS could attract enough new students after this PR debacle and the loss of confidence and trust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the school reopens they need to replace the Board, or at minimum 75% of the Board.

Agreed. This board has proved to be grossly incompetent.

[jsteele]

Folks, as a general rule we are uncomfortable with, and therefore are likely to delete, posts from anonymous posters that criticize identifiable individuals. Invariably, the targets of such anonymous posts complain that they are being defamed. We receive subpoenas requiring us to provide the IP addresses of posters on a fairly regular basis. It is my experience that some individuals who believe that they have been libeled are willing to go to great expense pursuiing legal action. Posters who believed that they were anonymous have, in fact, been identified and subject to legal action in the past.

As a result, to save ourselves the headache of responding to subpoenas and the posters here from being dragged into court, we try to remove posts that criticize identifiable individuals. Lately posters appear to have been under the impression that using initials somehow avoids this issue. It does not.

You are free to say whatever you want about whomever you want on this website as long as you identify yourself in a verifiable manner. As long as a lawyer can contact you directly and leave me out if it, I'll let you write whatever you want (with a few exceptions such as death threats). But I am not going to be your legal protection.

All of you, of course, have free speech rights. You are welcome to exercise those rights on your own website. On this website, you are expected to abide by our rules. A failure to do so will likely result, in a minimum, of your posts being removed

[Anonymous]

Looks like 3 pages worth of messages have been deleted.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Folks, as a general rule we are uncomfortable with, and therefore are likely to delete, posts from anonymous posters that criticize identifiable individuals. Invariably, the targets of such anonymous posts complain that they are being defamed. We receive subpoenas requiring us to provide the IP addresses of posters on a fairly regular basis. It is my experience that some individuals who believe that they have been libeled are willing to go to great expense pursuiing legal action. Posters who believed that they were anonymous have, in fact, been identified and subject to legal action in the past.

As a result, to save ourselves the headache of responding to subpoenas and the posters here from being dragged into court, we try to remove posts that criticize identifiable individuals. Lately posters appear to have been under the impression that using initials somehow avoids this issue. It does not.

You are free to say whatever you want about whomever you want on this website as long as you identify yourself in a verifiable manner. As long as a lawyer can contact you directly and leave me out if it, I'll let you write whatever you want (with a few exceptions such as death threats). But I am not going to be your legal protection.

All of you, of course, have free speech rights. You are welcome to exercise those rights on your own website. On this website, you are expected to abide by our rules. A failure to do so will likely result, in a minimum, of your posts being removed

Good for your Jeff. Very reasonable approach.

[Anonymous]

If you are actually a stakeholder at the school and have not filled out the coalition Google form, do that. (Parents, the PA clerks sent it in a email.) That is the way to stay in the loop.

The effort and talent going into this is astonishing. In PR, legal, finance, governance, ethics, organizing… The doubts and concerns I’ve seen on this thread are openly acknowledged; this isn’t just naive hello people throwing money at the school. I have been dubious and now having been added to the coalition’s daily emails, and being on the Slack, I am genuinely optimistic that there is a REALISTIC plan forward here. I will still want to see more proof before deciding to re-enroll my kid, but I am strongly leaning that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are actually a stakeholder at the school and have not filled out the coalition Google form, do that. (Parents, the PA clerks sent it in a email.) That is the way to stay in the loop.

The effort and talent going into this is astonishing. In PR, legal, finance, governance, ethics, organizing… The doubts and concerns I’ve seen on this thread are openly acknowledged; this isn’t just naive hello people throwing money at the school. I have been dubious and now having been added to the coalition’s daily emails, and being on the Slack, I am genuinely optimistic that there is a REALISTIC plan forward here. I will still want to see more proof before deciding to re-enroll my kid, but I am strongly leaning that way.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any news re summer camp?

We just got one email that says they were blindsided and we’ll get another email by Tuesday. Not holding our breath. Thankfully we just have to cover two weeks, and I found a spot for one. I’m not inclined to wait and see. I’d rather double pay than have nothing. It’s a bummer.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Folks, as a general rule we are uncomfortable with, and therefore are likely to delete, posts from anonymous posters that criticize identifiable individuals. Invariably, the targets of such anonymous posts complain that they are being defamed. We receive subpoenas requiring us to provide the IP addresses of posters on a fairly regular basis. It is my experience that some individuals who believe that they have been libeled are willing to go to great expense pursuiing legal action. Posters who believed that they were anonymous have, in fact, been identified and subject to legal action in the past.

As a result, to save ourselves the headache of responding to subpoenas and the posters here from being dragged into court, we try to remove posts that criticize identifiable individuals. Lately posters appear to have been under the impression that using initials somehow avoids this issue. It does not.

You are free to say whatever you want about whomever you want on this website as long as you identify yourself in a verifiable manner. As long as a lawyer can contact you directly and leave me out if it, I'll let you write whatever you want (with a few exceptions such as death threats). But I am not going to be your legal protection.

All of you, of course, have free speech rights. You are welcome to exercise those rights on your own website. On this website, you are expected to abide by our rules. A failure to do so will likely result, in a minimum, of your posts being removed

You have removed posts with one particular person's initials. Can you also remove posts containing others' initials and job titles? Lots of talk here about older heads of school, division heads, interim heads, admissions staff, athletic director, etc. Would be very easy to look in the school's faculty directory and see exactly who those people are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why anyone would stay after this debacle is mind-blowing to me. People care romanticizing an SSFS they WANT to remember, not the one that exists. Saving this particular version of SSFS is a noble endeavor, but not responsible. IF the money is actually put forth to run the school for the next few years, what about the actual repairs that the school is in dire need of. Will kids still be in jackets in the athletic center in the winter and have fans in the summer? The HVAC system won’t replace itself. They are one more repair from closure.

Keep trying to hold this place on by its shoestrings. I taught there. I know the dysfunction you are trying to resurrect. You will need full pay families to keep you afloat. You have too many families there bleeding you dry. You also have too many families there that don’t actually align with the Quaker values and were there for athletics or a reduced education and it actively took away from those students and families who walked the walked and believed in the SPICES.

I don’t want anyone to be without a job or a school, but I think it’s time to move on from that cesspool. I am so glad I have. The stress is now gone. While I know RG wasn’t the full cause of the debt, he WAS the cause of the recent mass exodus of talented teachers and administrators that lead to families pulling out. Add in a terrible admissions employee at key grades from 6-9 that was alienating to families and staff and you have yourself a million reasons why this school is failing.

It’s time to move on.
Anyone who stays gets what they deserve - leftovers.

If we are going there then we should also say a factor was teachers talking inappropriately and gossiping at parent teacher conferences and encroaching families to leave, especially those teachers who weee leaving that year. I know several parents who experienced this. Frankly, some of those teachers needed to leave in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Folks, as a general rule we are uncomfortable with, and therefore are likely to delete, posts from anonymous posters that criticize identifiable individuals. Invariably, the targets of such anonymous posts complain that they are being defamed. We receive subpoenas requiring us to provide the IP addresses of posters on a fairly regular basis. It is my experience that some individuals who believe that they have been libeled are willing to go to great expense pursuiing legal action. Posters who believed that they were anonymous have, in fact, been identified and subject to legal action in the past.

As a result, to save ourselves the headache of responding to subpoenas and the posters here from being dragged into court, we try to remove posts that criticize identifiable individuals. Lately posters appear to have been under the impression that using initials somehow avoids this issue. It does not.

You are free to say whatever you want about whomever you want on this website as long as you identify yourself in a verifiable manner. As long as a lawyer can contact you directly and leave me out if it, I'll let you write whatever you want (with a few exceptions such as death threats). But I am not going to be your legal protection.

All of you, of course, have free speech rights. You are welcome to exercise those rights on your own website. On this website, you are expected to abide by our rules. A failure to do so will likely result, in a minimum, of your posts being removed

You have removed posts with one particular person's initials. Can you also remove posts containing others' initials and job titles? Lots of talk here about older heads of school, division heads, interim heads, admissions staff, athletic director, etc. Would be very easy to look in the school's faculty directory and see exactly who those people are.

To be fair, there are still posts with that person’s initials and identifiable references to that person.