Here we go again, in-boundary parents trying to rationalize their irrational fear of OOB kids.

If you want your kids to go to their neighborhood school, just send them and get involved with the school. Your kid's test scores will be just fine. They will learn a lot in class and also benefit from being friends with kids from other parts of the city. Really.

If not, don't send them but please stop making up all kinds of ridiculous reasons. Just admit that you want your kids to go to a school with kids who look like them. Plenty of options around the city for you.

OOB kids are just that, kids. Their families obviously care about their education.They are goofy middle school aged children. If you go to an open house or go to an event and actually talk to the kids and their families, you will see that there is nothing to fear, but lots to gain.

DCPS has been bending over backwards to placate this vocal in-boundary parent group. Enough already.

Anonymous wrote:IB parent here, with a child at Hardy now.

Here is some news:

1. When I look at things like honor roll, science fair winners, participation in academic contests, I see many, many OOB kids at the top. I would venture to say that the majority of the top performing kids at Hardy are OOB kids.

2. I have no indication that the smart, prepared kids - IB or OOB - with involved, educated families - are hurt in the least by this massive, mythical group of unprepared kids.

The kids that are smart, with smart parents that care, are accepted at competitive private high schools, at DCPS magnets like Banneker and SWW, and are performing on par or above their peers from Deal when they get to Wilson.

It wouldn't be a bad thing for these kids to have a bigger peer group - but there is nothing at Hardy that is holding them back from academic success. They are succeeding now. And for those interested in the future, its getting even better.

+1000
--Parent of current Hardy student who is OOB, bright, challenged, happy and safe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be that going to a school where the majority of the kids are not well prepared is a problem for many families regardless of the race of the kids and it is not in fact code.

Exactly!! I earnestly think this is true. People calling the race card need to rethink this.

This part is true. The rascist part is the automatic assumption that all the [presumably black] OOB students are unprepared and will drag down your [presumably lily-white] child.

You can say that you want your kids to go to school with a large number of well prepared kids without resorting to the OOB code. The fact that so many feel the need to do so tells you exactly what is going on here.

Nah, this is too sensitive, and also counter-productive in the long run to the populations that need much more help in preparing and educating kids. It's not even "code" when posters here are so clear that they don't want a large percentage of OOB kids attending their schools. It's just stating the general reality of the state of education in the City. The more you dodge the reality, the less rapidly special, needed, steps can be taken to try to lift up those sections of the population. IMO, the racist ones are those who have a mental block preventing them from seeing the reality for what it is.

IB parent here, with a child at Hardy now.

Here is some news:

1. When I look at things like honor roll, science fair winners, participation in academic contests, I see many, many OOB kids at the top. I would venture to say that the majority of the top performing kids at Hardy are OOB kids.

2. I have no indication that the smart, prepared kids - IB or OOB - with involved, educated families - are hurt in the least by this massive, mythical group of unprepared kids.

The kids that are smart, with smart parents that care, are accepted at competitive private high schools, at DCPS magnets like Banneker and SWW, and are performing on par or above their peers from Deal when they get to Wilson.

It wouldn't be a bad thing for these kids to have a bigger peer group - but there is nothing at Hardy that is holding them back from academic success. They are succeeding now. And for those interested in the future, its getting even better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be that going to a school where the majority of the kids are not well prepared is a problem for many families regardless of the race of the kids and it is not in fact code.

Exactly!! I earnestly think this is true. People calling the race card need to rethink this.

This part is true. The rascist part is the automatic assumption that all the [presumably black] OOB students are unprepared and will drag down your [presumably lily-white] child.

You can say that you want your kids to go to school with a large number of well prepared kids without resorting to the OOB code. The fact that so many feel the need to do so tells you exactly what is going on here.

Anonymous wrote:Or, it could be that going to a school where the majority of the kids are not well prepared is a problem for many families regardless of the race of the kids and it is not in fact code.

Exactly!! I earnestly think this is true. People calling the race card need to rethink this.

Or, it could be that going to a school where the majority of the kids are not well prepared is a problem for many families regardless of the race of the kids and it is not in fact code.

simple.

I have no vested interest in Hardy, but I think many have noted that they actually just want to send their kids with other students who are well prepared. I really think it is that sim

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that I don't want to send our 3 kids (who are currently at a Hardy feeder elementary) to Hardy because of all the OOB kids. I worry that they are poorly prepared and poorly behaved.

There are many threads on DCUM that contain elements of nonsense, casual racism, and opinions formulated without regard for the facts. This thread, however, really takes the cake. Indeed, this toxic brew of nonsense, racism, and non-fact-based opinion is sadly the fate of far too many Hardy-related threads.




(Note: Saying that "race has nothing to do [your fear] of OOB kids" is about the equivalent of saying that your hatred of gays is based on religious freedom, not homophobia)

Many unprepared OOB students need extra help thanks to their abysmal elementary schools; charters succeed because they recognize this need and provide the extra help. DCPS is prevented by the union from doing the same. Race has nothing to do with it.

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that I don't want to send our 3 kids (who are currently at a Hardy feeder elementary) to Hardy because of all the OOB kids. I worry that they are poorly prepared and poorly behaved.

Troll. This board is overrun with bitter, race-baiting trolls under the DCPS bridge.

I have to admit that I don't want to send our 3 kids (who are currently at a Hardy feeder elementary) to Hardy because of all the OOB kids. I worry that they are poorly prepared and poorly behaved.

Anonymous wrote:"Hardy can't admit 90 to 100 kids to its 7th and 8th grades without damaging those grades"

what does this statement mean? you are assuming that OOB kids are so sub-par that they will DAMAGE the entire grade level? seriously people--what it up with that? I know LOTS of OOB kids at Hardy who are at the top of their class, are great role models, and who add a lot to the school.

If all of the neighborhood people would just go to the school you would all be together!!! Just commit and stop assuming that anyone outside of your neighborhood is undesirable.

And a lot of them came in from feeder schools where they were OOB so counting students from feeder schools makes no sense because there's no guarantee that a kid from a feeder school is IB.

Op here: we will send our feeder school IB third grader. The jury is out on our fifth grader. We feel good about everything about Hardy except possibly the peer group....very interested to see what happens this year in terms of IB commitment vs total enrollment.