MCPS letter today - So sad this is still happening

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, when they watch the idiots from January 6th with a lot of them skating off with little consequences.... that sets a precedent. They are learning that people do not care about minorities from mainstream media. Just think about it...

Perhaps their beatings should be more frequent? Or maybe dump another 1000 rats into their jail cells?

Take your pick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that, in all of the discussions around race, fairness, college admissions, etc is it the case that the overrepresentation of the Jewish population in Ivy League schools is never discussed?

“40% of students at Columbia and UPenn are now Jewish.“

https://www.jta.org/archive/doors-of-ivy-league-colleges-reported-wide-open-for-jewish-students

“2.2% of US adult population has some basis for Jewish self-identification”

Should we be drawing swastikas on school grounds? Hell no. Should we have an open discussion around the systemic issues that are leading to one group being so remarkably over overrepresented and the level of suppressed antagonistic thoughts that may be brewing under the surface and leading to these aggressive behaviors?

Let’s see how the board responds to such a thought.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#:~:text=According%20to%20Gallup%20and%20Pew,demographers%20Arnold%20Dashefsky%20%26%20Ira%20M.



I mean these stats are remarkable.

I can't even express how angry this post makes me. Are you trying to justify anti-antisemitism by saying that people are aggrieved that Jews are "over represented"? Kind of like "we brought it on ourselves"? Thank you for trolling in typical antisemitic tropes! Pathetic-you sound paranoid and jealous on top of blatantly antisemitic.

The PP is pointing out a resentment that is partially fueling the antisemitic wave and is dismissed and personally attacked as antisemitic because of it. Whether or not Ivy overrepresentation is true, I've observed this kind of resentment goes much deeper than that. Calmer heads are needed for solutions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, when they watch the idiots from January 6th with a lot of them skating off with little consequences.... that sets a precedent. They are learning that people do not care about minorities from mainstream media. Just think about it...

This is kind of a random unrelated tangent, yes? Around 1,000 people have been arrested after Jan. 6. Hundreds in jail, people convicted for sedition etc. And lots of mainstream media coverage of the trials. Bad example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that, in all of the discussions around race, fairness, college admissions, etc is it the case that the overrepresentation of the Jewish population in Ivy League schools is never discussed?

“40% of students at Columbia and UPenn are now Jewish.“

https://www.jta.org/archive/doors-of-ivy-league-colleges-reported-wide-open-for-jewish-students

“2.2% of US adult population has some basis for Jewish self-identification”

Should we be drawing swastikas on school grounds? Hell no. Should we have an open discussion around the systemic issues that are leading to one group being so remarkably over overrepresented and the level of suppressed antagonistic thoughts that may be brewing under the surface and leading to these aggressive behaviors?

Let’s see how the board responds to such a thought.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#:~:text=According%20to%20Gallup%20and%20Pew,demographers%20Arnold%20Dashefsky%20%26%20Ira%20M.



I mean these stats are remarkable.

I can't even express how angry this post makes me. Are you trying to justify anti-antisemitism by saying that people are aggrieved that Jews are "over represented"? Kind of like "we brought it on ourselves"? Thank you for trolling in typical antisemitic tropes! Pathetic-you sound paranoid and jealous on top of blatantly antisemitic.

The PP is pointing out a resentment that is partially fueling the antisemitic wave and is dismissed and personally attacked as antisemitic because of it. Whether or not Ivy overrepresentation is true, I've observed this kind of resentment goes much deeper than that. Calmer heads are needed for solutions.

Yes, precisely. In the public discourse, there exists an overwhelming amount of support for “increasing diversity” - such discourse naturally has the unintended consequence of leading to resentment - whether it be through college admissions, work promotions, etc. These situations are often described in skits, comedy shows, etc and provide a sort of comedic relief to us all surrounding the issue.

Through the narrow eyes of one individual, increasing diversity come to be viewed as a zero-sun game. On the aggregate, it is not. However, the appeal of thinking it negatively impacted one’s life would be difficult for one to evade when XXX student got into this school despite having inferior YYY parts of their application or so-and-so got promoted despite their inferior skillset. Such resentment boils over time and leads to demagoguery as the people turn to a strong man/woman to restore their place in society (sound familiar at all?). No society is immune to such patterns. Decentralized power has historically been the most ideal way to prevent such extremes from manifesting fully, but power has consolidated immensely in recent years.

However, certain topics, it seems, remain simply forbidden from discussion. The automatic “load the gun and scream anti-semite” knee-jerk response to broaching the discussion demonstrates exactly how the topic and thoughts are forced into the hidden self. Thoughts that grow in isolation are the most dangerous thoughts indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents, We Need Your Help!
FEBRUARY 17, 2023
Dear MCPS Community,

Far too many families and communities across MCPS have come home over the past several weeks to letters from their school condemning acts of antisemitism. A concerning number of students have drawn Nazi symbols on desks, verbally assaulted Jewish peers, spoken anti-Jewish tropes, and glorified Naziism via pictures broadcasted on social media. These acts have left me – and so many of you – feeling angry, dismayed, and horrified.

Halfway through my 21st year working in MCPS, I have seen waves of hate strike our system. They do not, and have not ever, represented who we are. I know that we are so much better than this. And as with so many of the challenges we face, I also know that our community can and will rise up and collectively act upon our core values: learning, relationships, respect, excellence, and equity.

Our schools and staff are committed to being a safe and nurturing home to every student—every day. But we cannot achieve that goal alone. I need you – our parents, guardians, caregivers, and community leaders – to join me in saying NO MORE, to remind one another that the ties that unite us are much stronger than the forces that divide us.

In a message the Board of Education president and I shared on Jan. 21, after a series of antisemitic incidents, we wrote, “As we fight these repeated acts of hate, we must challenge one another to learn and understand what antisemitism, hatred, and racism are and the harm they cause.” That challenge inspired real action. But so long as this ugly problem persists, we must do more.

What MCPS is doing

Leaders in schools and offices across the district have come together to do what we do best: educate. MCPS educators took up the challenge and partnered with advocates and experts in the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), among others, to deepen awareness of antisemitism, increase age-appropriate curriculum teaching about the Holocaust, restore community in the aftermath of antisemitic acts, and listen to family concerns.

When an act of antisemitic hate-bias occurs, we administer serious and appropriate discipline in accordance with the student code of conduct. But we will not punish our way out of the spike we face. Whenever possible, we must turn to education – because when our students know better, they do better.

Let’s be clear, demonstrations of hate – antisemitism – have victims.

Written symbols, gestures, and performative imitations invoking the Nazi regime and its leader Adolf Hitler are painful, frightening, and traumatic for Jewish people. They directly reference the systematic, genocidal mass murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust, which occurred less than 100 years ago. Many Jewish MCPS students have personal, familial connections to the Holocaust, both through grandparents or other relatives who survived and those who perished. The horrors of the Nazi death camps were preceded by the proliferation and normalization of blunt antisemitic images, gestures, and words -- the same images, words and gestures being casually mimicked by students today. This behavior results in Jewish students and many others feeling unsafe and threatened in their own schools and communities.

Our children must not be victims.

To learn and achieve at high levels, all students must feel physically and emotionally safe. Anxiety or pain caused by acts of hatred holds students back from bringing their best to the classroom. ALL of our children, at ALL times, must BE safe. No person should feel invalidated by the actions of another, intentionally or unintentionally.

What you can do at home

It’s easy. As the trusted and loved adults in our children’s lives, join us in educating our children. Take time to remind our students that:

Hate is wrong
Hate has victims
Hate divides us, and
Hate has consequences in civil society
Instruct your children that prejudice, discrimination, and marginalization in the form of hateful words, and symbols, have no place in school, at home, or in the community. The antidote to such hate comes from the power of friendship, love, and respect.

As parental figures, you aren’t in this alone. Many resources, like those at the bottom of this message, can help you with these difficult discussions.

Let’s challenge each other to do better.

As a community, we must speak loudly, clearly and together against antisemitism and all acts of hate and racism. Whatever your race, background, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion, when we are inclusive and welcoming, when we embrace our differences rather than let them tear us apart, we move our community one step closer to reaching our full potential. I believe we can and will reach that potential – but if we are to do so, there is no room for hate. Let us stand in solidarity to condemn antisemitism, hate, and racism. Let us do this together.

… The ADL? Why are special interests groups deciding what our community leaders should do? No wonder the county is a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems more of a community issue than a MCPS issue.
Even if the family never indulges in racial or ethnic slurs and promotes respect for all religions and cultures, I imagine some teenagers fall down the rabbit hole of the dark side of the internet. They get influenced by conspiracy theories and who knows what else.
Unless a student physically defaces a sign on MCPS property or says something offensive at school, I don’t believe MCPS has the legal authority to punish the student.

MCPS punishes no one. In cases of bullying, harassment, and assault, most of the time it is the VICTIM who ends up leaving the school.

They just sweep everything under the rug and kids know it and continue to do what they want. It is embarrassing.

MCPS's job is to educate. If laws are being broken, it's MCPD's job to deal with it.

Not if they don’t call the MCPD, which they rarely do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that, in all of the discussions around race, fairness, college admissions, etc is it the case that the overrepresentation of the Jewish population in Ivy League schools is never discussed?

“40% of students at Columbia and UPenn are now Jewish.“

https://www.jta.org/archive/doors-of-ivy-league-colleges-reported-wide-open-for-jewish-students

“2.2% of US adult population has some basis for Jewish self-identification”

Should we be drawing swastikas on school grounds? Hell no. Should we have an open discussion around the systemic issues that are leading to one group being so remarkably over overrepresented and the level of suppressed antagonistic thoughts that may be brewing under the surface and leading to these aggressive behaviors?

Let’s see how the board responds to such a thought.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#:~:text=According%20to%20Gallup%20and%20Pew,demographers%20Arnold%20Dashefsky%20%26%20Ira%20M.



I mean these stats are remarkable.

I can't even express how angry this post makes me. Are you trying to justify anti-antisemitism by saying that people are aggrieved that Jews are "over represented"? Kind of like "we brought it on ourselves"? Thank you for trolling in typical antisemitic tropes! Pathetic-you sound paranoid and jealous on top of blatantly antisemitic.

The PP is pointing out a resentment that is partially fueling the antisemitic wave and is dismissed and personally attacked as antisemitic because of it. Whether or not Ivy overrepresentation is true, I've observed this kind of resentment goes much deeper than that. Calmer heads are needed for solutions.

Yes, precisely. In the public discourse, there exists an overwhelming amount of support for “increasing diversity” - such discourse naturally has the unintended consequence of leading to resentment - whether it be through college admissions, work promotions, etc. These situations are often described in skits, comedy shows, etc and provide a sort of comedic relief to us all surrounding the issue.

Through the narrow eyes of one individual, increasing diversity come to be viewed as a zero-sun game. On the aggregate, it is not. However, the appeal of thinking it negatively impacted one’s life would be difficult for one to evade when XXX student got into this school despite having inferior YYY parts of their application or so-and-so got promoted despite their inferior skillset. Such resentment boils over time and leads to demagoguery as the people turn to a strong man/woman to restore their place in society (sound familiar at all?). No society is immune to such patterns. Decentralized power has historically been the most ideal way to prevent such extremes from manifesting fully, but power has consolidated immensely in recent years.

However, certain topics, it seems, remain simply forbidden from discussion. The automatic “load the gun and scream anti-semite” knee-jerk response to broaching the discussion demonstrates exactly how the topic and thoughts are forced into the hidden self. Thoughts that grow in isolation are the most dangerous thoughts indeed.

Cool. So let’s say someone harbored “resentment” toward an entire group of people based on a cherry picked statistic. What would you call that person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that, in all of the discussions around race, fairness, college admissions, etc is it the case that the overrepresentation of the Jewish population in Ivy League schools is never discussed?

“40% of students at Columbia and UPenn are now Jewish.“

https://www.jta.org/archive/doors-of-ivy-league-colleges-reported-wide-open-for-jewish-students

“2.2% of US adult population has some basis for Jewish self-identification”

Should we be drawing swastikas on school grounds? Hell no. Should we have an open discussion around the systemic issues that are leading to one group being so remarkably over overrepresented and the level of suppressed antagonistic thoughts that may be brewing under the surface and leading to these aggressive behaviors?

Let’s see how the board responds to such a thought.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#:~:text=According%20to%20Gallup%20and%20Pew,demographers%20Arnold%20Dashefsky%20%26%20Ira%20M.



I mean these stats are remarkable.

I can't even express how angry this post makes me. Are you trying to justify anti-antisemitism by saying that people are aggrieved that Jews are "over represented"? Kind of like "we brought it on ourselves"? Thank you for trolling in typical antisemitic tropes! Pathetic-you sound paranoid and jealous on top of blatantly antisemitic.

The PP is pointing out a resentment that is partially fueling the antisemitic wave and is dismissed and personally attacked as antisemitic because of it. Whether or not Ivy overrepresentation is true, I've observed this kind of resentment goes much deeper than that. Calmer heads are needed for solutions.

Yes, precisely. In the public discourse, there exists an overwhelming amount of support for “increasing diversity” - such discourse naturally has the unintended consequence of leading to resentment - whether it be through college admissions, work promotions, etc. These situations are often described in skits, comedy shows, etc and provide a sort of comedic relief to us all surrounding the issue.

Through the narrow eyes of one individual, increasing diversity come to be viewed as a zero-sun game. On the aggregate, it is not. However, the appeal of thinking it negatively impacted one’s life would be difficult for one to evade when XXX student got into this school despite having inferior YYY parts of their application or so-and-so got promoted despite their inferior skillset. Such resentment boils over time and leads to demagoguery as the people turn to a strong man/woman to restore their place in society (sound familiar at all?). No society is immune to such patterns. Decentralized power has historically been the most ideal way to prevent such extremes from manifesting fully, but power has consolidated immensely in recent years.

However, certain topics, it seems, remain simply forbidden from discussion. The automatic “load the gun and scream anti-semite” knee-jerk response to broaching the discussion demonstrates exactly how the topic and thoughts are forced into the hidden self. Thoughts that grow in isolation are the most dangerous thoughts indeed.

Cool. So let’s say someone harbored “resentment” toward an entire group of people based on a cherry picked statistic. What would you call that person?

Cherry-picked? Hardly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that, in all of the discussions around race, fairness, college admissions, etc is it the case that the overrepresentation of the Jewish population in Ivy League schools is never discussed?

“40% of students at Columbia and UPenn are now Jewish.“

https://www.jta.org/archive/doors-of-ivy-league-colleges-reported-wide-open-for-jewish-students

“2.2% of US adult population has some basis for Jewish self-identification”

Should we be drawing swastikas on school grounds? Hell no. Should we have an open discussion around the systemic issues that are leading to one group being so remarkably over overrepresented and the level of suppressed antagonistic thoughts that may be brewing under the surface and leading to these aggressive behaviors?

Let’s see how the board responds to such a thought.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jews#:~:text=According%20to%20Gallup%20and%20Pew,demographers%20Arnold%20Dashefsky%20%26%20Ira%20M.

I mean these stats are remarkable.

That article is from 1967!!!!!!!!!!!

Why is an article that is 56 years old being posted????????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems more of a community issue than a MCPS issue.
Even if the family never indulges in racial or ethnic slurs and promotes respect for all religions and cultures, I imagine some teenagers fall down the rabbit hole of the dark side of the internet. They get influenced by conspiracy theories and who knows what else.
Unless a student physically defaces a sign on MCPS property or says something offensive at school, I don’t believe MCPS has the legal authority to punish the student.

MCPS punishes no one. In cases of bullying, harassment, and assault, most of the time it is the VICTIM who ends up leaving the school.

They just sweep everything under the rug and kids know it and continue to do what they want. It is embarrassing.

MCPS's job is to educate. If laws are being broken, it's MCPD's job to deal with it.

Not if they don’t call the MCPD, which they rarely do.

This is the problem right here.

Parents used to have authority over their kids.

A school used to issue warnings or suspensions with authority and for most it would change the behavior in school because kids were more afraid of parents than school.

But parents now defend actions of their kids and never hold them accountable.

And now kids are no longer scared of school actions.

And now the schools are left with deciding what warrants police time to get certain situations or kids under control and what doesn’t. And either decision gives them a split of parent haters of doing too much or not enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, when they watch the idiots from January 6th with a lot of them skating off with little consequences.... that sets a precedent. They are learning that people do not care about minorities from mainstream media. Just think about it...

Perhaps their beatings should be more frequent? Or maybe dump another 1000 rats into their jail cells?

Take your pick.

You obviously haven't been paying real attention to J6. There are people going to prison for YEARS for walking into the Capitol. Political prisoners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, when they watch the idiots from January 6th with a lot of them skating off with little consequences.... that sets a precedent. They are learning that people do not care about minorities from mainstream media. Just think about it...

Perhaps their beatings should be more frequent? Or maybe dump another 1000 rats into their jail cells?

Take your pick.

You obviously haven't been paying real attention to J6. There are people going to prison for YEARS for walking into the Capitol. Political prisoners.

"walking into the Capitol"? LOL!

Put the maga punch down.

[Anonymous]

The Northwood principal just closed its outdoor facilities to the surrounding community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems more of a community issue than a MCPS issue.
Even if the family never indulges in racial or ethnic slurs and promotes respect for all religions and cultures, I imagine some teenagers fall down the rabbit hole of the dark side of the internet. They get influenced by conspiracy theories and who knows what else.
Unless a student physically defaces a sign on MCPS property or says something offensive at school, I don’t believe MCPS has the legal authority to punish the student.

MCPS punishes no one. In cases of bullying, harassment, and assault, most of the time it is the VICTIM who ends up leaving the school.

They just sweep everything under the rug and kids know it and continue to do what they want. It is embarrassing.

MCPS's job is to educate. If laws are being broken, it's MCPD's job to deal with it.

Not if they don’t call the MCPD, which they rarely do.

If schools are covering up crime then those responsible are complicit and also need to be charged.

This is the problem right here.

Parents used to have authority over their kids.

A school used to issue warnings or suspensions with authority and for most it would change the behavior in school because kids were more afraid of parents than school.

But parents now defend actions of their kids and never hold them accountable.

And now kids are no longer scared of school actions.

And now the schools are left with deciding what warrants police time to get certain situations or kids under control and what doesn’t. And either decision gives them a split of parent haters of doing too much or not enough.

[Anonymous]

If schools are covering up a crime, those responsible are complicit and must be charged. Schools are not magical zones where the rule of law is suspended.