Reply to Jefferson Houston Middle: any current parents?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As member of the local Alexandria community and JH parent (who is high income household, privileged and could afford private school) I still choose to send my 3 kids to JH and here's why: I want my kids to attend their neighborhood school. It's diverse. It reflects our community. And it reflects the real world that I want my kids to grow up in for all the right reasons. The principal cares deeply, the parents are engaged, caring, enthusiastic and so are the teachers. The student body reflects all of the best things in Alexandria and the DC area. They are creative, diverse, unique, intelligent, multi-lingual, compassionate and people that i want my kids to be around. JH isn't a protective bubble, instead, it's a reflective bubble of the community around us. If you're the type of parent that only uses test scores to gauge your student's success (or the value of your local school) then JH (and ACPS) aren't the right place for you. Go to private school. Go to a rich, white, non-diverse school where test scores reflect just that. But if you want all of the things i've described above and you're willing to contribute to continue to grow the JH community, then we can't wait to welcome you to JH and into the ACPS community! [/quote]

I cannot comment about the post below describing the positive middle school J-H experience because my child has not been a middle school J-H student.  I will respond to the post above since it is not so limited, mischaracterizing J-H for a good number students, and implying that parents who are concerned about whether their students’ education is sufficient (and that their children in safe in school) are racist.

Specifically, the poster is writing from the UMC parent perspective whose children do not have special needs.  Yes, such students do ok at J-H (regardless of the school’s deficiencies).   If your child is special needs or needs extra help for whatever reason, there is a significant risk that your child will have a harmful experience at J-H.  I say this as a parent of child who had two stints at J-H who was bullied and did not get special needs met.   I know at least  at one grade level this year there has been concerning disruptions of learning similar to a few years ago.  J-H’s poor test scores reflect the school’s inability to serve its full population.  Parents should go in with eyes open about whether whether J-H will met their children’s needs (and provide a safe learning environment) and doing so does not mean you are racist. [/quote]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I too am a parent of an elementary  school child and my experience is totally the opposite. I have found the community and parents to be super active and engaged, the teachers and admin to be kind, warm, and invested, always responsive to all communication, and my child is thriving. But these experiences can be found at all ACPS schools not just JH and I do not think it is fair that JH continues to be singled out by those that perpetuate outdated attitudes. PP, did you ever reach out to the PTA? Every meeting I attend the PTA immediately activates to advocate for parents who need support. [/quote]

No, we did not contact the PTA.  We were in direct contact with then Principal Berkowitz and AP T. Young who is still there as far as I know (and on some issues with the Central Office up to Hutchings).  Also, I know there were major class disruption issues at one grade level for example in the 2018-2019 school year where the PTA brought in Hutchings for a meeting but he did nothing to address the situation.  To be fair, my experience predates Dr. McCain.   [/quote]

A lot has changed over the last two years since you were there under, Dr. McCain’s leadership and the leadership of the current PTA board. I don’t take away from what you experienced in that moment time, but this is what I reference when I say outdated attitude from past experiences.[/quote]

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