Reply to What do you expect from APS staff (option/neighborhood) on 4/30?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]^ which they already proved they won’t do after middle and high school boundaries. 
Sorry, if you want diversity - the poor kids end up getting on a bus.[/quote]

It's kind of a catch 22. Do you break up the high poverty neighborhood schools and put poor kids on the bus for their own good? Or do you leave the schools there and let them continue to be high poverty for their own good? The only way you are going to get kids from more affluent families to take a bus to the poor schools is to convince them that the special program is worth it, which is what they are proposing by moving both immersion schools. It's not perfect, but it's the best we've got. The housing patterns are too segregated to just redraw lines. [/quote]
Totally agree. 
But by adding options that entice upper class familes, they will absolutely be putting some ED kids on the bus. 
It’s worth it. 
Besides we aren’t talking about busing from one end of Fairfax to the other. They will be at a nearby school on the same side of town.
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Here's the thing: in some ED neighborhoods the families PREFER a bus. It means safety, avoiding time spent in bad weather when they and their kids often lack the best gear, and more time to get to work. What they don't want is to be bused too far away, too far into a neighborhood that may be difficult for them to get to, or too far into "hostile" territory. I'm not accusing any neighborhoods of actually being hostile, but there is definitely a perception among minority groups that its dangerous for their kids to be in certain neighborhoods and certain schools. I cannot say whether or not that perception is accurate, but is the perception.

We should also keep in mind that these recommendations are, at least, informed by school Principals. Say what you will about Central Administration, but if the school Principals are saying it would be better for their students to be bused to a slightly further diverse school rather than walk to a more convenient but highly segregated one, maybe, just maybe, they have good reasons for their thinking and advocacy. Most of the Principals and administrators have worked at multiple schools within APS. They know what's working and what is not. Certainly they know more about how to ensure every child receives an equitable education within APS than do competing groups of myopic and self-interested parents.

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