Appeals process- DCC

[Anonymous]

OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could you plead transport woes given your new address? Or family circumstances? I can think of reasons why families couldn't do a longer commute (are you guaranteed a bus from your new address?) or would need to be home faster (e.g., younger sibs to watch).

Op here, they won’t let me plead anything or submit any appeals because my first one was already rejected and the 15 day deadline passed. I don’t know how else to send my daughter to Blair this year because of this so any help would be appreciated thanks

Ask for individual meetings with BOE members

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

I’ve been in the DCC for only this year. My daughter was in a private es/ms and when she graduated we decided to go to a public hs (northwood). My daughter got severely bullied at northwood, and she told me in late May that she wanted to transfer, so at that point it was already too late to transfer schools. It was her idea to transfer so I wanted to respect her decision by trying to make it possible any way I can. I moved into the Blair zone thinking that she would be automatically assigned to her base school because the same thing happened to her at Northwood (She didn’t do any “choice process”). I don’t care what I have to do as long as she doesn’t have to go to northwood for next year, so anybody that could help me figure out some way to make that happen I would really appreciate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

I’ve been in the DCC for only this year. My daughter was in a private es/ms and when she graduated we decided to go to a public hs (northwood). My daughter got severely bullied at northwood, and she told me in late May that she wanted to transfer, so at that point it was already too late to transfer schools. It was her idea to transfer so I wanted to respect her decision by trying to make it possible any way I can. I moved into the Blair zone thinking that she would be automatically assigned to her base school because the same thing happened to her at Northwood (She didn’t do any “choice process”). I don’t care what I have to do as long as she doesn’t have to go to northwood for next year, so anybody that could help me figure out some way to make that happen I would really appreciate

**It was already too late to transfer schools using the choice process is what I meant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long will you unenroll for? 3 weeks? That is going to look weird. Especially since schools are not in session now. Is your child going into 9th grade? Why not just do 9th at your assigned school and then apply for a transfer for next year. One year at any of the DCC schools should be completely fine and your child might unexpectedly end up liking the assigned school.

Because OP has mistakenly convinced herself that her kid is special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How long will you unenroll for? 3 weeks? That is going to look weird. Especially since schools are not in session now. Is your child going into 9th grade? Why not just do 9th at your assigned school and then apply for a transfer for next year. One year at any of the DCC schools should be completely fine and your child might unexpectedly end up liking the assigned school.

Because OP has mistakenly convinced herself that her kid is special.

Did you read the thread and see my explanation why I want to transfer my daughter? I hate when people like you come online just to act dense and fuel misinformation. I already clarified my daughter is not in 9th grade, and nowhere here did I ever act like she’s special or above any other student in the district. Also, don’t assume I’m a woman. I’m her father.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

I’ve been in the DCC for only this year. My daughter was in a private es/ms and when she graduated we decided to go to a public hs (northwood). My daughter got severely bullied at northwood, and she told me in late May that she wanted to transfer, so at that point it was already too late to transfer schools. It was her idea to transfer so I wanted to respect her decision by trying to make it possible any way I can. I moved into the Blair zone thinking that she would be automatically assigned to her base school because the same thing happened to her at Northwood (She didn’t do any “choice process”). I don’t care what I have to do as long as she doesn’t have to go to northwood for next year, so anybody that could help me figure out some way to make that happen I would really appreciate

I’m sorry to hear that your daughter got bullied at Northwood. Did you try having a meeting with the principal there? He is pretty responsive. The 9th grade assistant principal at Northwood was also very strong although she took a new job for the upcoming year and I don’t know the new person. Also, the registrar at Northwood is nice and has been with MCPS forever. You should email her and request a meeting. She knows everything there is to know about the DCC. She is a straight talker and will let you know what your options are. Finally, go see the head of the counseling office at Northwood. She is all about student mental health and is a huge student advocate. If your daughter stays at Northwood, she will be a tremendous help. Good luck

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

I’ve been in the DCC for only this year. My daughter was in a private es/ms and when she graduated we decided to go to a public hs (northwood). My daughter got severely bullied at northwood, and she told me in late May that she wanted to transfer, so at that point it was already too late to transfer schools. It was her idea to transfer so I wanted to respect her decision by trying to make it possible any way I can. I moved into the Blair zone thinking that she would be automatically assigned to her base school because the same thing happened to her at Northwood (She didn’t do any “choice process”). I don’t care what I have to do as long as she doesn’t have to go to northwood for next year, so anybody that could help me figure out some way to make that happen I would really appreciate

This is the important part you left out originally. Did your daughter report the bullying or speak with a counselor about the problems? MCPS takes bullying seriously, but you have to use the process and report it. Also, there is a difference between between bullying and conflict. Is part of the problem that your daughter has had a hard time socially adjusting from private to public school? Does she have friends at Northwood? If she is having difficulty fitting in and finding "her people", just transferring to Blair won't make that better.

If your daughter didn't report the problem to anyone, you don't have any basis to ask for a transfer outside of the normal time frame. Right now, my suggestion is that you review with your daughter all of the information on https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/bullying/ to be sure you understand what is and is not considered bullying, and discuss with your daughter what was actually going on. If there was actual bullying that is documented somewhere (such as on social media) it is not too late to submit the form and documentation https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/contentassets/a6dc980d5563457dabf5c37a951cbc37/bullying-reporting-form-230-35.pdf . Either way reach out to her current counselor at Northwood and request a meeting prior to the start of school to discuss the problems and make a plan for the school year on how to handle different situations. For example, if the issue was a specific student, the counselor could check to see that your daughter doesn't have a class with that student. The counselor can also help your daughter find ways to make more social connections, and can check in periodically with your daughter when the school year starts. If there is another incident of bullying next school year, your daughter needs to report it immediately using the form and telling her counselor and the grade level administrator. Ideally, the problem will be resolved, but if not, you have more documented reasons to support a transfer to Blair at earliest opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

I’ve been in the DCC for only this year. My daughter was in a private es/ms and when she graduated we decided to go to a public hs (northwood). My daughter got severely bullied at northwood, and she told me in late May that she wanted to transfer, so at that point it was already too late to transfer schools. It was her idea to transfer so I wanted to respect her decision by trying to make it possible any way I can. I moved into the Blair zone thinking that she would be automatically assigned to her base school because the same thing happened to her at Northwood (She didn’t do any “choice process”). I don’t care what I have to do as long as she doesn’t have to go to northwood for next year, so anybody that could help me figure out some way to make that happen I would really appreciate

I’m sorry to hear that your daughter got bullied at Northwood. Did you try having a meeting with the principal there? He is pretty responsive. The 9th grade assistant principal at Northwood was also very strong although she took a new job for the upcoming year and I don’t know the new person. Also, the registrar at Northwood is nice and has been with MCPS forever. You should email her and request a meeting. She knows everything there is to know about the DCC. She is a straight talker and will let you know what your options are. Finally, go see the head of the counseling office at Northwood. She is all about student mental health and is a huge student advocate. If your daughter stays at Northwood, she will be a tremendous help. Good luck

This is good advice. You should be able to make Northwood work for your daughter with proper support. And if it still isn’t working, then transfer to Blair for the next year. One issue which might be affecting your transfer request is that lots of Northwood students requested a transfer for this upcoming year because of the impending school construction. Northwood will be moving to a far away holding school after this upcoming school year so many families are trying to get out as they would prefer to stay local and don’t want to deal with the longer commute and all the transition issues. My guess is that the DCC consortia has fielded an avalanche of transfer requests from Northwood families and has been presented with all kinds of excuses why the kid needs to transfer. It is an inevitable result of the temporary move to Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Op, you should talk to the principal of Blair herself. Principals have a lot of power, so it’s worth a shot to just ask and see what she has to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how long have you lived in the DCC? Seems like this process should be understood by someone that made school decisions for Ms and HS already within the DCC. What research did you do before you moved? How are you supporting your child during this time? Are they prepared to continue at their same HS?

I’ve been in the DCC for only this year. My daughter was in a private es/ms and when she graduated we decided to go to a public hs (northwood). My daughter got severely bullied at northwood, and she told me in late May that she wanted to transfer, so at that point it was already too late to transfer schools. It was her idea to transfer so I wanted to respect her decision by trying to make it possible any way I can. I moved into the Blair zone thinking that she would be automatically assigned to her base school because the same thing happened to her at Northwood (She didn’t do any “choice process”). I don’t care what I have to do as long as she doesn’t have to go to northwood for next year, so anybody that could help me figure out some way to make that happen I would really appreciate

You've received some good advice here, but it would be helpful to know more about this bullying. Was she targeted personally by specific kids or was it more just a culture of exclusion?

If the former, did the she report it even to a counselor? Did you include the bullying (and any documentation) in the COSA request?

Also, you seem pretty zeroed in on Blair being the answer here. What makes you think the situation would be substantially different?

Basically, your options are:

1) Go back to MCPS with a bullying-specific case and a clear explanation of why you think Blair would be better.

2) Appeal to the Blair principal directly

If those fail, your options become:

3a) Send her back to Northwood with a clear plan for bullying and for identifying a peer group that shares her interests

3b) Move again, but go outside the DCC or NCC

[Anonymous]

Did you emphasize the bullying in your COSA request?

[Anonymous]

Let us know what happened with your kid. I hope your child has a good school year wherever that might be

[Anonymous]

It is important to include all the bullying documentation in your COSA request. Did you do that?

You can still appeal, really, at any time. But unless you include all the documentation again, along with the dates and the outcomes of the counselor and principal meetings, it will look like yet another family looking to transfer to Blair for “preference” reasons.

— Former DCC Registrar

[Anonymous]

The DCC received 4500 COSA requests last year. Yours needs to be true hardship or uniqueness.