Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Half children are a problem in these lotteries. Many, many parents in DC have several children with different mothers and fathers. DC kids will say "she's my sister on my father's side," meaning she has a different mother. I think if siblings do not live together, they should not be able to use sibling preference.

I disagree. In the case of a complex family arrangement, I think it's in the best interest of the child for the state to do everything it can to foster and nurture positive family relationships. Public schools are an extension of the state, and therefore half-siblings should be entitled to the same privileges as full sibs.

I agree 100%.

I don't. The purpose of the sibling preference isn't "for the state to do everything it can to foster and nurture positive family relationships." Frankly, and I'm a lefty, lefty liberal, I want the state to keep it's nose out of my family relationship. The purpose of the sibling preference is so that parents put into a position so they don't have to truck similar-aged kids cross-town to different schools. That purpose is not served - at all - by giving step or half siblings who don't live together a sibling preference.

Plus, if the kids aren't the same grade (and half-siblings rarely are), there's goign to be little or no benefit on the "family relationship."

Put another way, work on your family relationships on your own time, don't expect a school preference to help you out.

Anonymous wrote:Someone at our DCPS recently mentioned that she wanted her DS to go to Deal (their home is out of bounds) rather than continue in the current K-8 program. I told her the lottery will be tough. She said she plans to use the address of an efficiency apartment she owns in boundary. I wouldn't have expected this from her. Seems the school will have a difficult time knowing she lied, unlike with the birth certificate of a sibling. Point being that lying seems to be an unethical hurdle that some easily cross over.

Since she owns it and pays taxes on it (in addition to the taxes wherever her 2nd residence is) she may feel like it's fair enough. Frankly, this is a small deal.

Anonymous wrote:It is a crime to lie on your DCPS forms. It is misdeamor perjury. If you are fine with a misdemeanor conviction or want to put yourself and your family through that rather than go to your local school, then you've got bigger problems in life than "school choice".

How many people in DC do you think have been convicted and/or given a fine?

I would also think sibs need to Peter out at some point-- won't is t there a natural cycle here as a PP suggested? say if you have kids in 3rd and 5th you are unlikely to have a rising preschooler. Or at least it is much less likely than if your oldest is in K at that school.

How do you report a "liar" re the school form?

It is a crime to lie on your DCPS forms. It is misdeamor perjury. If you are fine with a misdemeanor conviction or want to put yourself and your family through that rather than go to your local school, then you've got bigger problems in life than "school choice".

Someone at our DCPS recently mentioned that she wanted her DS to go to Deal (their home is out of bounds) rather than continue in the current K-8 program. I told her the lottery will be tough. She said she plans to use the address of an efficiency apartment she owns in boundary. I wouldn't have expected this from her. Seems the school will have a difficult time knowing she lied, unlike with the birth certificate of a sibling. Point being that lying seems to be an unethical hurdle that some easily cross over.

Anonymous wrote:

Not at all! I clearly said that I wasn't comfortable with any kind of lying. I can't imagine how you would continue that lie through school. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned the twin thing - it was something we'd joked about. Didn't realize it would get everyone all upset/confused. I was just wondering if other people did lie, based on what seem to be a LOT of siblings! Cos having a sibling at a school seems to be about the only way to get into a lot of them!

It is frustrating, but it makes sense. There's one entry year, say PS. Say there's 40 slots. But if the school goes through 8th grade, there are 10 other grades (400 kids). Many/most of them are not only children - say 350. Not say most people have kids within 5 years of each other - that leaves 175 current students with siblings. If only 20% of them are the PS year, that's 35 out of 40 seats taken up by siblings.

This is a good question. I've thought about it too, but didn't do the math. Still, at some point only children or oldest children will have to get in. Few families have more than four kids so existing students can't continue to provide siblings indefinitely. I wonder if this phenomena is due in part to many of the charters being new and initially filling up with the first child in a family. In the next couple of years perhaps there will be more non-sibling slots at some schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can your kid be as close as half brothers w/o actually being so. I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU STAY OUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Yeah, this is why I don't like posting here. Why are people so rude? It's a legitimate question (and there are several ways that my kid can be as close as "half brothers" as I have outlined).

I want to know if anyone knows of widespread fraud in getting access to sibling lotteries. Of course it's likely to be all hearsay, but I'm still interested if anyone actually has thoughts on THAT topic.

Sperm donors. SH-Yeah, right. YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR. YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO LIE, YOU SAID SO IN YOUR OPENING QUESTION, LIAR!

Crudely stated, but I think this is true. OP is looking for ideas on how to beat the system.

haha. OP here, and no. If I was looking for ways to beat the system I would have asked this question a few months ago, before it was TOO LATE to do so.

our charter school is scrupulous about checking. I know of one family in my daughter's class who tried the cousin-as-sibling trick and it didn't work. the more competition for spots the more likely you won't get away with it---and is that the example you want to set for your child????

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can your kid be as close as half brothers w/o actually being so. I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU STAY OUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Yeah, this is why I don't like posting here. Why are people so rude? It's a legitimate question (and there are several ways that my kid can be as close as "half brothers" as I have outlined).

I want to know if anyone knows of widespread fraud in getting access to sibling lotteries. Of course it's likely to be all hearsay, but I'm still interested if anyone actually has thoughts on THAT topic.

Sperm donors. SH-Yeah, right. YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR. YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO LIE, YOU SAID SO IN YOUR OPENING QUESTION, LIAR!

Crudely stated, but I think this is true. OP is looking for ideas on how to beat the system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Half children are a problem in these lotteries. Many, many parents in DC have several children with different mothers and fathers. DC kids will say "she's my sister on my father's side," meaning she has a different mother. I think if siblings do not live together, they should not be able to use sibling preference.

I disagree. In the case of a complex family arrangement, I think it's in the best interest of the child for the state to do everything it can to foster and nurture positive family relationships. Public schools are an extension of the state, and therefore half-siblings should be entitled to the same privileges as full sibs.

I agree 100%.

We entered a half-sib into a charter lottery because we don't know if half-sib will be living with us or not next year and we need to have options. It wouldn't be fair if DC who lives with us got in because the half-sib got in if half-sib doesn't end up living with us. I really don't want to use one to get the other in unfairly. Bad karma.

Anonymous wrote:Half children are a problem in these lotteries. Many, many parents in DC have several children with different mothers and fathers. DC kids will say "she's my sister on my father's side," meaning she has a different mother. I think if siblings do not live together, they should not be able to use sibling preference.

I disagree. In the case of a complex family arrangement, I think it's in the best interest of the child for the state to do everything it can to foster and nurture positive family relationships. Public schools are an extension of the state, and therefore half-siblings should be entitled to the same privileges as full sibs.

Half children are a problem in these lotteries. Many, many parents in DC have several children with different mothers and fathers. DC kids will say "she's my sister on my father's side," meaning she has a different mother. I think if siblings do not live together, they should not be able to use sibling preference.