Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The My School DC FAQs discuss this. Enrolled means enrolled for SY 2015-16. That's why someone whose older kid will start K at Brent in fall 2015 can 'help' his/her younger sib get access to PK4 with sibling enrolled preference. The rules clearly state that if the older kid doesn't complete enrollment paperwork or goes elsewhere the younger siblings preference-based acceptance is no longer valid and they will be put into the mix with other kids without preference.

I like what you're saying, but I don't see that in the FAQs. Can you point to the specific FAQ that has that?

Oh, wow, thanks for pointing to that. The way it works is still a little nebulous, but by my reading, it is at the school's discretion to let a younger sibling keep their spot if the older sibling was at the school at the time of the lottery but doesn't enroll the following year. And if the older sibling wasn't at the school but enrolls and then unenrolls to go somewhere else, it is also at the school's discretion to let the younger sibling keep the spot.

If this is true, the school is always going to let the younger kid stay. And that's BS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The My School DC FAQs discuss this. Enrolled means enrolled for SY 2015-16. That's why someone whose older kid will start K at Brent in fall 2015 can 'help' his/her younger sib get access to PK4 with sibling enrolled preference. The rules clearly state that if the older kid doesn't complete enrollment paperwork or goes elsewhere the younger siblings preference-based acceptance is no longer valid and they will be put into the mix with other kids without preference.

I like what you're saying, but I don't see that in the FAQs. Can you point to the specific FAQ that has that?

Oh, wow, thanks for pointing to that. The way it works is still a little nebulous, but by my reading, it is at the school's discretion to let a younger sibling keep their spot if the older sibling was at the school at the time of the lottery but doesn't enroll the following year. And if the older sibling wasn't at the school but enrolls and then unenrolls to go somewhere else, it is also at the school's discretion to let the younger sibling keep the spot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But "IB with sibling enrolled" doesn't mean "IB with sibling enrolled who intends to reenroll next year." School enrollment is not permanent. Can a PK3 child who has a sibling in 5th grade have that preference taken away from them because their older sibling matriculates to middle school?

Isn't the whole point of sibling preference that parents have a logistically easier time having children at one school. If older sibling matriculates to another school, why would the preference at the sibling's former elementary school remain?

My kid went to AppleTree for two years. It was very clear to us then that if we'd had a child who would be ready to enter PK3 the same year that the older sibling left the school to enter K elsewhere (because they don't offer K) that the PK3 sibling would get sibling priority -- even though there was no way that the kids would be in the school at the same time.

I guess it really depends on what the purpose of sibling preference is. If it is to make it easier on parents so they can have one pickup/dropoff, etc., then you should only offer it if kids will be at a school together. If it is to create school loyalty, then maybe you also grant it to siblings of alums.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can anyone know where a child w/ a sibling preference would have ended up in the waitlist if they had never gotten the preference to begin with?

Every kid got a lottery number (not the number they assigned you when you filled in your application, a different number) which was used to establish rankings. It was one of the hallmarks of the new lottery system- a kid who gets a great lottery number gets in places/is high on waitlists and a kid with a terrible lottery number is universally low down on waitlists.

Should have added- so you just slot the kid into the waitlist where they would have been without the sibling preference. Not sure if the schools could do this, but My School DC probably could.

Anonymous wrote:How can anyone know where a child w/ a sibling preference would have ended up in the waitlist if they had never gotten the preference to begin with?

Every kid got a lottery number (not the number they assigned you when you filled in your application, a different number) which was used to establish rankings. It was one of the hallmarks of the new lottery system- a kid who gets a great lottery number gets in places/is high on waitlists and a kid with a terrible lottery number is universally low down on waitlists.

How can anyone know where a child w/ a sibling preference would have ended up in the waitlist if they had never gotten the preference to begin with?

Anonymous wrote:Sibling preference is inherently unfair. I would eliminate it altogether.

I think it makes sense if both kids are actually at the same school, so parents aren't driving all over creation. But it shouldn't be used to give families an edge over others who are similarly situated. If your older kid doesn't enroll or enrolls but never attends, your younger kid should lose their spot unless their lottery number is good enough that they would have gotten in on their own.

Sibling preference is inherently unfair. I would eliminate it altogether.

Brent doesn't even have an assistant principal, I don't think they have the time or energy to chase this issue when they need to be focused on running a school.

Anonymous wrote:

But "IB with sibling enrolled" doesn't mean "IB with sibling enrolled who intends to reenroll next year." School enrollment is not permanent. Can a PK3 child who has a sibling in 5th grade have that preference taken away from them because their older sibling matriculates to middle school?

Isn't the whole point of sibling preference that parents have a logistically easier time having children at one school. If older sibling matriculates to another school, why would the preference at the sibling's former elementary school remain?

My kid went to AppleTree for two years. It was very clear to us then that if we'd had a child who would be ready to enter PK3 the same year that the older sibling left the school to enter K elsewhere (because they don't offer K) that the PK3 sibling would get sibling priority -- even though there was no way that the kids would be in the school at the same time.

Sorry - in the handbook, not the FAQs. http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/Learn-About-Schools/Enrollment/Lottery%20Policy%20Handbook%203%2019%2015.pdf

Anonymous wrote:The My School DC FAQs discuss this. Enrolled means enrolled for SY 2015-16. That's why someone whose older kid will start K at Brent in fall 2015 can 'help' his/her younger sib get access to PK4 with sibling enrolled preference. The rules clearly state that if the older kid doesn't complete enrollment paperwork or goes elsewhere the younger siblings preference-based acceptance is no longer valid and they will be put into the mix with other kids without preference.

I like what you're saying, but I don't see that in the FAQs. Can you point to the specific FAQ that has that?

Anonymous wrote:

But "IB with sibling enrolled" doesn't mean "IB with sibling enrolled who intends to reenroll next year." School enrollment is not permanent. Can a PK3 child who has a sibling in 5th grade have that preference taken away from them because their older sibling matriculates to middle school?

Isn't the whole point of sibling preference that parents have a logistically easier time having children at one school. If older sibling matriculates to another school, why would the preference at the sibling's former elementary school remain?

This is actually a perfect example of where sibling preference does NOT apply.

If the older sibling is not re-enrolling in the school for the SAME YEAR as the younger sibling, there is NO sibling preference. Period. The only reason for sibling preference is to help a family logistically drop kids off together, not to guarantee young sibs a better shot at a school when their sibling has graduated.

The My School DC FAQs discuss this. Enrolled means enrolled for SY 2015-16. That's why someone whose older kid will start K at Brent in fall 2015 can 'help' his/her younger sib get access to PK4 with sibling enrolled preference. The rules clearly state that if the older kid doesn't complete enrollment paperwork or goes elsewhere the younger siblings preference-based acceptance is no longer valid and they will be put into the mix with other kids without preference.

I think they should make the lottery enrollment period the enforcement period. If an older sibling unenrolls or doesn't enroll during the lottery enrollment period, younger sibling doesn't get the preference and drops down the waitlist to where they would have been otherwise. That ends the knowing DCPS/charter lottery fudging (if not the private school fudging). If older sibling enrolls and then gets off of a waitlist somewhere better, well, the family still enrolled the kids in a school initially in good faith.

But it's a little disturbing if there are no official policies to guide schools. I already know of families planning to do things that I don't consider to be acting in good faith.