Reply to Proposed APS Calendar Policy

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Really good piece on calendar from APE newsletter.

https://mailchi.mp/4db164d4ba95/arlingtonparentsforeducation-15346806?e=f85c0f2a61

Teacher's Corner:
Proposed Calendar Policy

(Editor’s Note: From time to time, we will offer a perspective written by an APS parent, teacher, or community member on a topic of concern or interest for APS. What follows has only been lightly edited for clarity.)

I have serious concerns about how many school closures have been scheduled for religious holidays. I don't see an objective standard anywhere in the policy for determining which religious holidays warrant school closure and which merely warrant an observance. I think this opens up APS to potential legal liability for violating the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. For example, atheists could rightly take issue with placing such a burden on students and families in the name of religion.
 
The justification for taking so many religious holidays is unclear at best. Inclusivity for all our students and families is a worthy goal. But in this case, the costs surely outweigh the benefits. For example, many of these holidays are not recognized by the federal government or private businesses. This leaves parents with no good options. They can miss work (and jeopardize their career), pay money for childcare (a huge burden on finances), or leave children unsupervised. How does leaving parents in such a difficult situation help the underprivileged in our community? This burden presents a major equity concern, which is disappointing coming from APS, which claims to value equity so highly. Furthermore, closing school so frequently causes a major disruption for students, who need routine and structure to succeed academically (and this is especially true for SPED students and those with IEPs and 504s).
 
The policy is bad for my secondary students too. Arlington is in the midst of a drug crisis in our schools. As a teacher, I know that everyone within APS knows the terrible damage that fentanyl and other serious drugs have caused this year. But all these planned school closures result in students (especially teenagers) frequently having nowhere productive to go on a weekday when their parents are at work. So much unsupervised, unstructured free time is a lost opportunity for learning and an invitation for tragedy.
 
There has not been nearly enough outreach to the community about these significant changes to the school schedule. Parents and teachers, in particular, have not been properly informed of the changes nor given the opportunity to provide robust input. Also, teachers are not paid for school closures on holidays. This results in a longer school year for teachers (at the same salary rate) while shortening their summer break opportunities to earn additional income to support their families.[/quote]

I don't disagree with the points in the article. I generally think APE's newsletter is very good and the most informative of anything out there, especially more informative than anything APS issues. However, every time I read one of these "opinion pieces by a teacher or parent," I can't help but believe they're written by the same person or team of people. They all sound alike and are always anonymous. I really think APE should be at least a little less secretive regarding who's actually doing what and put names to these opinion pieces. If they can't do that, they aren't going to convince me they're actually written by a range of teachers and parents.[/quote]

I’ve seen a few that have really particular viewpoints that sound real. I don’t blame teachers if they don’t want their names signed. I don’t even blame parents tbh. It’s why most of us are here.

Even the last one was by a community volunteer - they talked about volunteering in DC and then APS. That would be a weird thing to fake.  It’s probably more that they run opinion pieces by people who share their opinions. 
 [/quote]

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