Reply to current and potential immersion parents - watch out sneaky tactic to kick you out of bcc

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[quote=Anonymous]BCC_Cluster_Immersion - Board of Education Hearing to continue to have Westland/RCF Spanish Immersion Children attend BCC High School

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There is a proposition to prevent current Rock Creek Forest/Westland Spanish Immersion children (current grades 7 and below) from attending BCC High School by using the standard COSA form.  We need your help to keep this proposition from taking place.  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C49AEA72DA75-board

This BoE agenda item is called Tentative Action, Policy JEE, Student Transfers. All of this info can be found on the MCPS website under the Board of Education tab. (Thank you Mindy Hofmann for that information)

Please sign up on this form to see where you may be able to help.

If you would like to speak at the hearing, please note the following:

You can only speak at the hearing if you are one of the first 20 people to sign up at the BoE in person (come a bit early 10 am)  
You must bring 20 copies of your speech with you to the BoE. 
Please see below for more information. (Thank you Susan Gryder for writing this information and to those who included their suggestions)

To all BCC Cluster immersion parents:

This is a reminder that now is the right time to email all the Board of Education members (see email info at the bottom of this email) and plan to attend the BOE meeting this Thursday, June 13 from 10:15 am to 11:00 am at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Also, please forward this email to other immersion parents who might not be aware of the issue: for example, those whose kids have moved on to Westland from Rock Creek Forest and may not have seen the posts on the listserv.

What we know: The BoE's policy committee has given tentative approval to a change in COSA rules that will effectively eliminate the automatic COSA approval for Westland immersion kids to attend BCC. This means all immersion students who do not live in the BCC cluster will be required to return to their home high school. This policy change was proposed by the BCC Cluster Rep (the PTA representative between the BCC cluster and the Board of Education). The policy will most likely be tentatively approved this Thursday, and there will be a public comment period until early fall, when the BoE will confirm the change (or not, if we are able to convince them otherwise). It is my understanding that this is the furthest that a COSA policy change has ever gotten in the process, and it will require a unified, concerted effort from parents to stop it.

What we need to do: Ensure that all immersion parents are aware of the implications of this change and take action to let the BoE know their position through emails, letters, and appearances at BoE meetings.

Important points: A number of people have suggested points that might be included in correspondence to the BoE. I'm including a list below for you; these have been brought up during email discussions among listserv members. Please feel free to communicate additional points to the group.

1. Educational continuity:

This cohort of children has specialized language skills unique in the county, stemming from their full immersion experience at RCF. MCPS, teachers and parents have worked hard to develop these skills. It is in the best interest of the children and MCPS to allow them to continue on to high school together and receive appropriate, adequate instruction (achieved through regular MCPS curriculum but provided to them as a group so that the right level of reading and speaking can be fostered).

Immersion children who live in some areas of Montgomery County may not have access to high school IB programs where they live without applying to a highly selective magnet, and therefore won't be able to continue in the IB program that they've begun at Westland.

2. Disparate impact: This program promotes Hispanic national origin, culture, and language. The U.S. Department of Education has certain provisions for disparate impact claims in situations where school policy has a negative impact on children and families affiliated with such a program. Some families may feel that this is an avenue worth exploring.

3. Reduced opportunities: Families have made choices not to prepare for and apply to certain middle school and high school magnets based on their desire to follow through on the considerable amount of time and effort they have invested in immersion. Children should not be required to change direction mid-stream.

4. Impact on BCC community:

Families within the BCC cluster who have children in immersion will lose the opportunity for their children to continue to learn at the appropriate level in Spanish.

We understand that the impact of immersion COSAs is much less than COSAs for other reasons. We believe that there are an average of 22 COSAs per year for immersion and 47 for non-immerson. Making this change does not affect those other COSAs. In addition, the overall numbers are very small -- about 80 students total. This policy will cause harm and hardship to these children without significantly addressing overcrowding.

Removing the immersion cohort will negatively affect BCC's diversity, including economic diversity.

BCC's planned expansion will lessen the overall impact of overenrollment without eliminating immersion COSAs.

5. PTA representation for immersion parents

It is our understanding that this policy change is supported by the BCC cluster representation from MCCPTA. The Board should be aware that immersion parents at Westland were not asked about this change and do not have PTA representation on this issue, and our viewpoint and concerns are not represented by the PTA in this regard. The Board should be urged to take direct parent input seriously as we do not have a voice through the PTA.

Please share this information with immersion parents that you know, so that everyone has the opportunity to provide their views to the BoE.

Here's the BoE contact information:

Below is a list of the Montgomery County Board of Education Members if you'd like to contact any or all of them regarding these proposed changes. Please note this email address, boe@mcpsmd.org, goes to all the Board of Ed. Members.

President: Christopher S. Barclay - Christopher_Barclay@mcpsmd.org

Vice President: Phil Kauffmann - Phil_Kauffman@mcpsmd.org

Shirley Brandman - Shirley_Brandman@mcpsmd.org

Judith Docca - Judy_Docca@mcpsmd.org

Rebecca Smondrowski - rebecca_k_smondrowski@mcpsmd.org

Pat O'Neill - Patricia_O'Neill@mcpsmd.org

Michael Durso - Michael_A_Durso@mcpsmd.org

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