Daughter hates her middle school

[Anonymous]

I just want to tell you I’m really sorry to hear this your daughter’s experience and I hope her situation gets better soon.

[Anonymous]

Hey OP, we are in Clarksburg - like another poster I'm assuming you got redistricted to Neelsville or Rocky Hill. It's totally crap that mcps did the rezoning in that area, especially if you start looking at the maps and how not contiguous they are. Some of our friends in that area applied late to the "choice" magnets (like parkland or loiderman or argyle) and got in as 7th/8th graders. Would that be an option?

And hate to suggest doing something unscrupulous, but I'd borrow an address and switch her to the better middle school in the area if moving is not an option.

We are at Hallie Wells. There are fights and tons of cursing here too, but there's also a large number of academically inclined students, so my 7th grader has found her people (though 6th was still hard).

[Anonymous]

If your daughter was seeing a therapist and or doctor that would write a recommendation, that would be the best way to get the COSA. And they start accepting them on a certain date each spring. you should track that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a longtime mcps parent, I’m shocked by the lack of discipline in middle and high schools.

The schools seemingly have control in elementary, and then they lose it in middle school.

My theory is they set the tone for a big free for all by not enforcing order as kids switch classes. There’s no control. Once you’ve lost control, you can’t get it back.

Private schools don’t have these issues—even inner city parochial schools.

Yes, it helps when you can just dump any student you don't want onto the public schools.

Lots of us went to public school and did not experience lack of discipline. The actual problem is mainstreaming everyone. There is no other option to send kids to, so they have no fear.

I'm not sure blaming kids with special needs is the way forward here. Other potential issues include widening income inequalities, the impossibility of making ends meet on minimum wage, the "war on drugs" and its disproportionate impact on families of color, and a fraying social safety net.

The social justice laundry list you give names things that have all been present for a long long time. What is new is the bad disciplinary policies.

[Anonymous]

There is a ton of cursing at all MCPS middle schools. Those W kids are not afraid to practice all the bad words, trust me. That said, I think another poster hit the nail on the head - it's about a peer group of academically inclined kids. I would move my child if she didn't have that at her school.

[Anonymous]

DD was bullied so much in middle school we got the police involved. And her COSA was still denied! This was in 7th grade.

Somehow the bully was able to transfer to a W school middle school, though. I was so happy when DD moved on to high school and out of the horror that is middle school.

[Anonymous]

I mean, does anyone really love middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD was bullied so much in middle school we got the police involved. And her COSA was still denied! This was in 7th grade.

Somehow the bully was able to transfer to a W school middle school, though. I was so happy when DD moved on to high school and out of the horror that is middle school.

This was our experience too. I had to blink to make sure I didn't write it. We did actually transfer out for eighth, however. Cosa was denied, but DD got a SN placement.

That was one of the things that killed me about the entire process. The middle school where the bullying happened let a SN student be repeatedly assaulted. Changed schools... The problems vanished completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
DP. Just no. For starters, MCPS should require that all schools have some level of behavior expectation from their students and implement repercussions for not following them. Some schools do a much better job at doing that.

Bingo! 100% that.
Subbed, including many long-term gigs, in MCPS for years. The number one correlation with behavioral problems in schools was NOT the makeup of the student body, it was NOT the quality of the teachers; the most important was the the competency of the school administrators. The difference between different school behaviors was vast, and had little to do with the racial/economic makeup of the school.

Most likely the problem with the school isn't the students; it's the administrative team. Not that knowing that helps you
The old saying "those who can't do, teach" needs an addendum: "and those who can neither do nor teach become school administrators"

So to OP...try for the COSA - but for a school you are ABSOLUTELY certain will be better. Middle school is tough. Most MCPS are emotional and behavioral sinkholes, so a change of scenery may not make a difference. But it sounds like you have an idea for an acceptable MS. Good luck.