Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

Since I am guessing that most people who did not fill out the form and thus just defaulted to virtual are non-white and non-affluent, I am not sure how that comes into play here.

Just out of curiosity why are many people on this forum SO certain that certain populations in our community did not understand how to correctly fill out the surveys?

I personally contacted all of my students families that are considered title 1/FARM and my own child’s school called me because I hadn’t completed mine early. I can guarantee you that every effort to contact families was or should have been exhausted.

I am getting so angry how some people on this forum bring up equity and certain groups as they are their spokesperson, but it’s only to benefit themselves. If you looked at the data. It’s a certain demographic that wanted to return to hybrid.

Trust me I want to make sure that my students are heard and seen.

You are setting up a straw man. I don't think anyone has said that certain populations "did not understand how to correctly fill out the surveys". And there is not one "correct" way to fill out a survey. What may be "correct" for my family, isn't "correct" for my neighbor's family. And what may have been "correct" three months ago is no longer "correct".

ACPS central office staff said at school board meetings that they were having difficulty getting responses from certain segments of the population for the summer surveys and for this survey.

You confirm that in the above post.

I'm sure that you want your students to be heard and seen. I have no doubt about that.

Frustration and doubt sets in with central office because of the multiple statements by Hutchings at school board meetings and in ACPS publications where it was said/written that they understood that circumstances may change and they were committee to working with families when the time came to go back. And now they aren't doing that.

I remember ACPS talking about “equity” as the reason they weren’t allowing sports leagues. How exactly does keeping kids from playing sports promote educational equity? They seem to have a strange definition of the term to use it so loosely for all these different scenarios in which it doesn’t even apply.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Principals, counselors, school psychologists and social workers, school staff and teachers spent hours contacting each family that did not complete and return a form via the online process. You are doing a great disservice to their hard work by claiming that this was not done. I can assure you that these staff members care greatly about the students and families in their schools. Certainly they care more than you do. Your speculative claims of inequity because you think that not all families were contacted or offered an opportunity to indicate their preferences are unfounded and patently untrue. [/quote]

This is not true. My family did not complete a choice form and was not contacted.[/quote]

You may be lying or it could be that your child's school did not have accurate contact information for your family or possibly someone in your family ignored the contact. Since you seem aware of the forms my opinion is that you are lying. If you post a reply I will not respond. I am not going to engage in a back-and-forth with you. It isn't worth it.[/quote]

Don’t call me a liar. We were not contacted and the school has our correct information. It is your statement that was untrue.

I work directly with low income families as an advocate. Trust me when I say the current system designed and implemented by ACPS this past year does not promote equity in education. Again, it’s not about individual teachers, it’s about the system as a whole.

Anonymous wrote:

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

Since I am guessing that most people who did not fill out the form and thus just defaulted to virtual are non-white and non-affluent, I am not sure how that comes into play here.

Just out of curiosity why are many people on this forum SO certain that certain populations in our community did not understand how to correctly fill out the surveys?

I personally contacted all of my students families that are considered title 1/FARM and my own child’s school called me because I hadn’t completed mine early. I can guarantee you that every effort to contact families was or should have been exhausted.

I am getting so angry how some people on this forum bring up equity and certain groups as they are their spokesperson, but it’s only to benefit themselves. If you looked at the data. It’s a certain demographic that wanted to return to hybrid.

Trust me I want to make sure that my students are heard and seen.

Anonymous wrote:Principals, counselors, school psychologists and social workers, school staff and teachers spent hours contacting each family that did not complete and return a form via the online process. You are doing a great disservice to their hard work by claiming that this was not done. I can assure you that these staff members care greatly about the students and families in their schools. Certainly they care more than you do. Your speculative claims of inequity because you think that not all families were contacted or offered an opportunity to indicate their preferences are unfounded and patently untrue.

Even so, those children still deserve another chance at getting a seat if one comes open and they now come forward and request a switch from virtual to hybrid. I certainly acknowledge what educators, principals and other ACPS staff have done and all their valiant efforts are indeed appreciated. My beef is with the system and central office—that’s where the blame lies for ineffective communication, unfair policies, and rigidity in the name of equity. I do care and am advocating now that more flexibility be allowed for changes to accommodate family’s shifting needs during this crisis and to account for possible challenges some families had with completing the form despite attempts to reach them. We should not close the door on them now!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Principals, counselors, school psychologists and social workers, school staff and teachers spent hours contacting each family that did not complete and return a form via the online process. You are doing a great disservice to their hard work by claiming that this was not done. I can assure you that these staff members care greatly about the students and families in their schools. Certainly they care more than you do. Your speculative claims of inequity because you think that not all families were contacted or offered an opportunity to indicate their preferences are unfounded and patently untrue.

This is not true. My family did not complete a choice form and was not contacted.

You may be lying or it could be that your child's school did not have accurate contact information for your family or possibly someone in your family ignored the contact. Since you seem aware of the forms my opinion is that you are lying. If you post a reply I will not respond. I am not going to engage in a back-and-forth with you. It isn't worth it.

Anonymous wrote:Principals, counselors, school psychologists and social workers, school staff and teachers spent hours contacting each family that did not complete and return a form via the online process. You are doing a great disservice to their hard work by claiming that this was not done. I can assure you that these staff members care greatly about the students and families in their schools. Certainly they care more than you do. Your speculative claims of inequity because you think that not all families were contacted or offered an opportunity to indicate their preferences are unfounded and patently untrue.

This is not true. My family did not complete a choice form and was not contacted.

Principals, counselors, school psychologists and social workers, school staff and teachers spent hours contacting each family that did not complete and return a form via the online process. You are doing a great disservice to their hard work by claiming that this was not done. I can assure you that these staff members care greatly about the students and families in their schools. Certainly they care more than you do. Your speculative claims of inequity because you think that not all families were contacted or offered an opportunity to indicate their preferences are unfounded and patently untrue.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

Since I am guessing that most people who did not fill out the form and thus just defaulted to virtual are non-white and non-affluent, I am not sure how that comes into play here.

It completely comes into play. ACPS now says there are no second chances for changing the family choice due to “equity.” How does that promote equity if certain disadvantaged groups were less likely to have completed it? If they truly cared about equity in education they’d be trying to focus on ways to get those kids back in the classroom. Basically, being overly rigid promotes inequity under these circumstances.

Well put.

Anonymous wrote:

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

Since I am guessing that most people who did not fill out the form and thus just defaulted to virtual are non-white and non-affluent, I am not sure how that comes into play here.

It completely comes into play. ACPS now says there are no second chances for changing the family choice due to “equity.” How does that promote equity if certain disadvantaged groups were less likely to have completed it? If they truly cared about equity in education they’d be trying to focus on ways to get those kids back in the classroom. Basically, being overly rigid promotes inequity under these circumstances.

Anonymous wrote:

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

Since I am guessing that most people who did not fill out the form and thus just defaulted to virtual are non-white and non-affluent, I am not sure how that comes into play here.

Exactly.

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

Since I am guessing that most people who did not fill out the form and thus just defaulted to virtual are non-white and non-affluent, I am not sure how that comes into play here.

Anonymous wrote:The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.

+1

They really are in a downward spiral of their own making.

The concept of “equity” is now being exploited to mean failure and lack of options for all. Equitable failure is the ACPS system’s guiding principle.