Anonymous wrote:I don't know how some MoCo residents step out of their house in the morning and survive the day. They are offended by air, apparently.

There is a difference between being offended by something and thinking it’s just a really mean-spirited idea.

I’m not offended, but why go out of your way to exclude families from a school event? It really sounds like what is going on here. Seems unnecessarily mean-spirited. Just have your own private party and don’t advertise it maybe.

I don't know how some MoCo residents step out of their house in the morning and survive the day. They are offended by air, apparently.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People. THis is an event sponsored by the swim club. Not by the school or the PTA. Look it up on the PTA website and clearly there's no mention of such event. The swim club can do whatever it wants to do and invite anyone they want. THey can get away with this because it.is.not a school sponsored or a PTA sponsored event.

That's all true. It is a separate question of whether teachers should attend. If teachers did not attend, I wouldn't have an issue and I assume most others wouldn't either.

Manor Woods Pool has just as many families from Rock Creek Valley ES as from Barnsley. So if it were a pool sponsored event, why not do a popsicle party for RCv students as well as LVb students? I’m guessing it’s because the LVB PTA members are spear-heading the event, not the pool.

I hesitate to ascribe nefarious motives like keeping out "the poor." But it is thoughtless.. and the effect of excluding underprivileged children -- even if they never learn of the event -- is unfortunate. It is class and privilege circling the wagons around itself nonetheless and reminds me of how wealth and privilege work everywhere.

When I was just starting my career a male friend told me of how his boss invited the men on his team to strip clubs after work. This is the kind of access to power that underprivileged people and women do not get. This should be an obviously gross example to everyone on this board.

While after work socializing is legal -- and popsicle parties are legal -- it is the fact that certain underprivileged people are excluded from participating in the advantages that these sanctioned social events confer.

As some have said, this is the way the world has always worked. And, I guess why the world is not working so well these days.

Anonymous wrote:Manor Woods Pool is advertising this event on their Facebook page, via a flyer that says “Calling All Barnsley Families”

A question was asked as to whether the event was open to non pool members.

The individual who responded by saying that non members must pay the guest fee and be accompanied by a member also manages Barnsley’s PTA Facebook page. This is all public. Check it out for yourselves.

Again, this is a very poorly thought out PTA event that does nothing to build community. Shame on you Barnsley PTA for working as an insiders club. This needs to not only be brought to the attention of the administration but also to MCCPTA. Barnsley PTA should change course and host this event at the school playground so all can attend.

Well, if they did that, they wouldn’t be able to leave out the unwanted poors.

The MCCPTA can’t do anything. The event isn’t even posted on the Barnsley PTA website. They must have really, really wanted to keep people out. Or they knew that it wouldn’t look good to have a PTA sponsored event at a Private Swim club and chose not to do it through the PTA.

It all smells pretty bad, IMO.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do your clients decide what meetings or events you go to in your private time/off hours? Even gov't workers? The answer is NO!

The teachers get to decide if they want to attend this event or not. You have no say.

The teachers are not attending as a private citizen. They are attending in their public school teacher capacity.

Precisely. The only reason the teachers are invited is because of their official position.

If a teacher happened to be a member of the pool club and many members of the club not connected to the school attend, it arguably would be a different situation for that particular teacher since her invite/attendance wasn't directly tied to the school position.

But it would be better practice to skip the event and I'm not sure our ethics office would allow me to attend an anologous event, even if I was independently a member of the hosting club.

Anonymous wrote:Do your clients decide what meetings or events you go to in your private time/off hours? Even gov't workers? The answer is NO!

The teachers get to decide if they want to attend this event or not. You have no say.

I'm a bit puzzled about this analogy. Are the parents the clients of the teacher?

In any case, I'm another person who can't go to meetings in my official capacity -- during or outside of work hours -- without approval from above.

Manor Woods Pool is advertising this event on their Facebook page, via a flyer that says “Calling All Barnsley Families”

A question was asked as to whether the event was open to non pool members.

The individual who responded by saying that non members must pay the guest fee and be accompanied by a member also manages Barnsley’s PTA Facebook page. This is all public. Check it out for yourselves.

Again, this is a very poorly thought out PTA event that does nothing to build community. Shame on you Barnsley PTA for working as an insiders club. This needs to not only be brought to the attention of the administration but also to MCCPTA. Barnsley PTA should change course and host this event at the school playground so all can attend.

Anonymous wrote:Do your clients decide what meetings or events you go to in your private time/off hours? Even gov't workers? The answer is NO!

The teachers get to decide if they want to attend this event or not. You have no say.

The teachers are not attending as a private citizen. They are attending in their public school teacher capacity.

Anonymous wrote:Do your clients decide what meetings or events you go to in your private time/off hours? Even gov't workers? The answer is NO!

The teachers get to decide if they want to attend this event or not. You have no say.

Actually, yes. I am a government employee. If I want to accept a free invitation to an event, I have to get approval and one factor will be whether this will create an appearance of impropriety or a conflict with my duties.

An event that is specifically designed to give members of a private pool (and those able to get sponsoring guests) special access to teachers could run afoul of both of those.

Do your clients decide what meetings or events you go to in your private time/off hours? Even gov't workers? The answer is NO!

The teachers get to decide if they want to attend this event or not. You have no say.

Anonymous wrote:People. THis is an event sponsored by the swim club. Not by the school or the PTA. Look it up on the PTA website and clearly there's no mention of such event. The swim club can do whatever it wants to do and invite anyone they want. THey can get away with this because it.is.not a school sponsored or a PTA sponsored event.

That's all true. It is a separate question of whether teachers should attend. If teachers did not attend, I wouldn't have an issue and I assume most others wouldn't either.

People. THis is an event sponsored by the swim club. Not by the school or the PTA. Look it up on the PTA website and clearly there's no mention of such event. The swim club can do whatever it wants to do and invite anyone they want. THey can get away with this because it.is.not a school sponsored or a PTA sponsored event.

Anonymous wrote:Let me guess: anyone who isn't a member of the club would be given the side eye if they showed up at this "open-access" pool party.

That would be my guess.

And the Manor Woods party is definitely NOT ‘open-access’. Very specifically states that non-members may only attend with a member. Members only. No riff raff non-member kids allowed.

Anonymous wrote:

yah but management doesn't often invite the ground crews to the stock holder meetings. Do the grounds crew feel left out? Who really cares?

There is consequences to being poor, instead of crying about it one would be smart to use it as motivation to find a way to afford the swim club. If it is a bridge too far because of a multitude of reasons then that persons life would still suck even if they were invited to one party and going to that party would just act as a reminder how low they really are.

Consider working on your understanding of the "public" part of "public schools".