Yeah funny to a point. Remember people are saying that racism is dead too, it is all in our heads. We need to stop being soooooooooo touchy!!! Get over-it in one sentence and then I don't want too many FARMS at my DC school's in the next sentence. I am having a Jackie Gleason moment...to the moon Alice, right smack in the kisser.

Anonymous wrote:Free and reduced meals. Heavily coded to represent AA. You do know what AA stands for?

Funny, I remember when it was a sign of racism to believe that all black people were poor. And that all poor people were black. What a strange turn of events.

What is the meaning of PWT, snowflakes, Capitol Hill residents, us versus them and so on. This is for an entire another thread. Also to the rookie, your take on history is laughable.

I never saw FARMS as "code for AA" and it's not clear who posted it, what their race is, or why but obviously there are some people around here who are extremely thin skinned and immediately went into rants over it even without having all the facts...

Anonymous wrote:Free and reduced meals. Heavily coded to represent AA. You do know what AA stands for?

Wow, this thread went downhill fast.

New poster here, I read the above (which started all the ranting) as a post of someone that does not like the use of FARMS on DCUM as code for AA, not advice for someone looking to break the code. I do not believe the person that posted it was racist, but if it were me I would not have come back here for the attacks.

For the OP, qualification for FARMS is often used as a proxy for qualifying for government services because it represents low income. Low income is often (but not always) associated with low performing schools. There have been studies on the percentage of low income students associated with successful educational outcomes, I believe that 1/3 low-income is a significantly better educational outcome for all students but in schools with higher percentages it takes unusual efforts (think KIPP) to have large percentages of successful students.

Anonymous wrote:Can we just stipulate that FARMS is code for poor, that nearly all of the poor in DC are black and Latino, that many who participate in this forum will do anything to limit their interactions with all of the above?

I think if you read enough of these threads, you'll know that to be true.

I just wonder why those folks are living in a city.

That may be the majority but that doesn't nessasarily have to mean poor. It could also mean a change in economical status. Qualifying for FARMS does not mean poor. Yes many of FARM recipients are poor but not all and some that don't qualify at all sometimes try to change or leave out legal documents just so their child can qualify for it. Bottom line is you have the right to have a preference and opinion of where your child goes to school and with whom or not despite being racist but you don't have the right to be outwardly offensive. It's just wrong

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ler me clarify my response as for FARMS in this city it references AA. You do realize the majority of the school population is AA. If you the white righteous rookie are tired of AAs saying we're owed something. Then just give it to us and loose your rookie status.

You have got to be kidding about who's owed what and by whom. There are millions of white Americans whose families came as immigrants, post-slavery, who owe nobody anything. There are mixed-race whites who have slaves as their ancestors (do they pay themselves?) There are AA families who came to America as immigrants, post-slavery, who aren't owed reparations for slavery. Tracking and sorting it all out would be impossible, and any simplistic solution would be unfair, placing burden on people who don't owe it, and giving payment to people who don't deserve it. There is one complication after another, that would make it impossibly complex to ever consider reparations in any fair way, it would only end up screwing more people over and only making things worse, not better. It will never happen.

You are right about that however the main point that the AA's on her are making is that we keep having to sit back and take the agressive, racial comments first and then respond. This is NOT opinion. Anyone can review these threads any day of the week from beginning to end and see what the whites are saying and have been apparently allowed to say because no one AA was standing up except for the few, sooooooo politically correct comments in attempts to NOT sound "ignorant", "low class", or "ghetto" in return. I'm not even racist and I am of high/AA/SES. I don't expect to be owed anything from anyone but I too am sick ant tired of these racist comments started by white people on this forum.

Can we just stipulate that FARMS is code for poor, that nearly all of the poor in DC are black and Latino, that many who participate in this forum will do anything to limit their interactions with all of the above?

I think if you read enough of these threads, you'll know that to be true.

I just wonder why those folks are living in a city.

Anonymous wrote:Ler me clarify my response as for FARMS in this city it references AA. You do realize the majority of the school population is AA. If you the white righteous rookie are tired of AAs saying we're owed something. Then just give it to us and loose your rookie status.

You have got to be kidding about who's owed what and by whom. There are millions of white Americans whose families came as immigrants, post-slavery, who owe nobody anything. There are mixed-race whites who have slaves as their ancestors (do they pay themselves?) There are AA families who came to America as immigrants, post-slavery, who aren't owed reparations for slavery. Tracking and sorting it all out would be impossible, and any simplistic solution would be unfair, placing burden on people who don't owe it, and giving payment to people who don't deserve it. There is one complication after another, that would make it impossibly complex to ever consider reparations in any fair way, it would only end up screwing more people over and only making things worse, not better. It will never happen.

Anonymous wrote:Ler me clarify my response as for FARMS in this city it references AA. You do realize the majority of the school population is AA. If you the white righteous rookie are tired of AAs saying we're owed something. Then just give it to us and loose your rookie status.

If an AA criterion is written into DC FARMS then it's just plain wrong, and that is absolutely NOT what is in the federal FARMS law. There's absolutely no valid or justifiable reason why an AA family should be given preference for FARMS over a hispanic, vietnamese, purple-polkadotted or whatever people with the same income criteria.

Ler me clarify my response as for FARMS in this city it references AA. You do realize the majority of the school population is AA. If you the white righteous rookie are tired of AAs saying we're owed something. Then just give it to us and loose your rookie status.

It's amazing to hear people talk about race and segregation and how the big bad whites in charge have held blacks back in DC, but the sad reality of it is that blacks have been running DC, it's government, and its schools for decades.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White, educated family here. Our kid gets free lunch because we are both unemployed. Savings are holding out, but we have no income at the moment. You probably chat with me at pickup and think I'm a SAHM by design, and my phd having husband is supporting my life of leisure. You don't know that I'm putting on a happy face for my kid after another depressing day of job hunting.

You should use your savings before taking handouts. That is what savings are for.

Actually these types of programs are to help stabilize and support families in these types of circumstances. Nice try

Anonymous wrote:We all know that in DC, FARMS means mostly black kids. In rural West Virginia, it probably means white kids and in Arizona it's probably mostly Hispanic kids. Don't be ignorant, you live here and (presumably) you know something about the demographics of the city you live in and the issues facing your fellow citizens.

NP, but this forum has evolved beyond DC. It is DC and it's exurbs and suburbs. And, apparently other people from around the country. How many times have we read posts from California, Arizona, NY. Somebody even odors frequently from the Philipines, so obviously it is just not DC demographics, otherwise we would not be hearing from others beyond the miles of the triangle.

I'm black and I would rather have a International/Asian education over an American education any day of the week cause we don't know anything other than being bullies and we complain when someone bullies us! People have their positions based on who they know and it's moe whites in position to give those positions than minorities and that's how the whites get ahead. Not based on how smart and educated they are.