Does anybody know the incident recently happened in Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

Our neighbor's kid a Sidwell student said a few student usernames consisting of swastikas and words against Asians and native Americans appeared on the screen during a student assembly. It remind me the discussion on the other thread about politically conservative families...

[Anonymous]

Email went out from head of school to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Email went out from head of school to parents.

Please share.

[Anonymous]

During an all school meeting/event there was a quiz segment using Kahoot. Some students apparently chose usernames involving racial slurs and/or swastikas, which appeared on large screens as they answered questions.

[Anonymous]

These students need to be expelled. Sidwell has to rise above the Georgetown/Landon/STA morass and send a clear message.

[Anonymous]

The administration is taking this very seriously

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of an accepted student for next academic year, so I will find the information relevant. This morning, There was a meeting in Sidwell for accepted students and (obviously) nothing was mentioned

I have no dog in this fight -- no longer live in DC and our DD went to a different school while we were there -- but I have a genuinely serious question. I obviously don't know how wide-spread this information is or how far the rumors/gossip that could be based off of it could spread, but would there be any expectation that the Head's letter or one from the Admissions office *might* go to accepted student families? I am assuming that if a concerned parent called the school, the AD would be forthright -- I have respect for Sidwell and wouldn't ever expect subterfuge. The challenge (and the basis for my question) is at what point does it benefit a school to address incidents with prospective families, if ever?

I know this could be discussed ad nauseum and I'm not suggesting there's a right or wrong answer -- just genuinely curious about perspectives.

[Anonymous]

Racist idiocy rarely makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Clearly the admissions office is not doing a good job in screening the students they accept. We are not in the application pool this year but I have been surprised by the students that they accept from our K-8. This is something I have observed over the past few years. Nothing scientific, but sometimes, you get this reaction: “Huh? They took —-?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am the parent of an accepted student for next academic year, so I will find the information relevant. This morning, There was a meeting in Sidwell for accepted students and (obviously) nothing was mentioned

I have no dog in this fight -- no longer live in DC and our DD went to a different school while we were there -- but I have a genuinely serious question. I obviously don't know how wide-spread this information is or how far the rumors/gossip that could be based off of it could spread, but would there be any expectation that the Head's letter or one from the Admissions office *might* go to accepted student families? I am assuming that if a concerned parent called the school, the AD would be forthright -- I have respect for Sidwell and wouldn't ever expect subterfuge. The challenge (and the basis for my question) is at what point does it benefit a school to address incidents with prospective families, if ever?

I know this could be discussed ad nauseum and I'm not suggesting there's a right or wrong answer -- just genuinely curious about perspectives.



First rule in life, PP, is that you can respect some individuals and trust they will do the right thing. Never trust an organization, since individuals in it may come and go.
So no, you cannot reflexively "trust" Sidwell, or any other school or institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I am the parent of an accepted student for next academic year, so I will find the information relevant. This morning, There was a meeting in Sidwell for accepted students and (obviously) nothing was mentioned

I have no dog in this fight -- no longer live in DC and our DD went to a different school while we were there -- but I have a genuinely serious question. I obviously don't know how wide-spread this information is or how far the rumors/gossip that could be based off of it could spread, but would there be any expectation that the Head's letter or one from the Admissions office *might* go to accepted student families? I am assuming that if a concerned parent called the school, the AD would be forthright -- I have respect for Sidwell and wouldn't ever expect subterfuge. The challenge (and the basis for my question) is at what point does it benefit a school to address incidents with prospective families, if ever?

I know this could be discussed ad nauseum and I'm not suggesting there's a right or wrong answer -- just genuinely curious about perspectives.

First rule in life, PP, is that you can respect some individuals and trust they will do the right thing. Never trust an organization, since individuals in it may come and go.
So no, you cannot reflexively "trust" Sidwell, or any other school or institution.


That’s a good policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of bad behavior from Sidwell in recent years. Sadder that Sidwell parents are resulting to "deflect and deny" ala Landon parents.

No one is deflecting or denying. Whoever is responsible should be expelled.

[Anonymous]

How many students were involved, ie have the racist usernames?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many students were involved, ie have the racist usernames?

Unknown. I could be just one, but the app used allows for bots that could be named by the same person.

[Anonymous]

The student(s) should be expelled.

If you want to read the letter the whole thing is included in this article
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5c809251e4b06ff26ba59049