Reply to DC Bilingual applied to use at-risk preference. Any other schools applying?

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Reply to "DC Bilingual applied to use at-risk preference. Any other schools applying?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Letter from school:
Earlier this month DC Bilingual submitted its application with the DC Public Charter School Board to allow for our school to add an “at-risk preference” for students who apply to attend our school. This new policy was introduced as part of the Expanding Equitable Access to Schools Amendment Act of 2020, which seeks to grant at-risk students and their families greater access to the schools that they want to attend, and ensure that those schools are prepared to serve higher numbers of at-risk students. (Source) If approved by the charter board, DC Bilingual will be able to enact this preference for the school year 2022-23.

Research shows us that students perform better academically in racially and socio-economically integrated schools. We see this every day at DC Bilingual. We are doing all we can under the current system to recruit students who would benefit most from our program, but it is not enough. This new opportunity to offer an at-risk preference to families via the My School DC lottery process will allow us to prioritize families who face crisis and instability due to long standing economic injustice and racism. Further, as we look to serve more students in the future, this preference will allow us to fulfill our commitment to offer a majority of these additional seats to students furthest from opportunity.

In sharing this information, we also must acknowledge the stigma associated with the term “at-risk” and acknowledge how this label can be harmful for students and families. Although we must operate under the system in place, DC Bilingual will ensure this label does not dictate how students are treated nor will we allow it to follow them throughout their academic career at our school. We are committed to ensuring every family has the same experience at DC Bilingual, regardless of their background. Also, we will advocate whenever possible for a revision of this language as other states/districts have done in recent years.

Now that the application is submitted, DC Bilingual will soon be asked to defend our application at a public hearing. We will need community support in order for it to go smoothly, so keep an eye out for future opportunities to participate in this process. You will receive updates about this process in the weekly Head of School message.[/quote]

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