Some neighborhood clown has put up a hand-written sign in front of the park fence with the inscription: “DCPS Hands Off Hardy Park”. As if they owned the park and not the DC government!

The level of “Save Hardy Park” hysteria in the neighborhood is really out of control. Unfavorable comparisons could be drawn to the anti-busing protests. Except now those who don’t want middle-class public school children in their neighborhood hide behind euphemisms like “parking”, “traffic”, and “park space”.

If you know the recent history of LAB, Old Hardy, and the community’s support for the lease extension, it’s pretty clear what this about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

Bull S. There is no advantage to going to that school if you do not have a disability.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny how the DME said that historic preservation was a factor in their decision to let Lab keep the building.

Even more funny is that this is one (very inconvenient) “fact” that their insert doesn’t mention! It must be nice to have a newsletter one can use to spread to disseminate misleading propaganda.

I don’t know if the DME said that or not, but it’s mighty coincidencidental. I haven’t heard an alternate theory why the association was sponsoring historical status. Do you know why they did?

Anonymous wrote:Funny how the DME said that historic preservation was a factor in their decision to let Lab keep the building.

Even more funny is that this is one (very inconvenient) “fact” that their insert doesn’t mention! It must be nice to have a newsletter one can use to spread to disseminate misleading propaganda.

Funny how the DME said that historic preservation was a factor in their decision to let Lab keep the building.

The FCCA newsletter was circulated around the neighborhood yesterday and contained a fun insert entitled: "Did the Designation of Hardy School as a Historic Landmark Prevents It Use a [sic] Public School? Here Are the Facts [sic]." It goes on to say:

"As someone who has attended a number of community meetings and followed the news closely about DCPS plans to build a new school on Hardy Park, I have been disheartened that a false narrative has been repeated over and over. That narrative is this: The FCCA, by sponsoring and supporting the application to designate the Rose Lee Hardy School a DC historic landmark, prevented the building from being repurposed as a public school. The narrative has been put forward by current and former ANC commissioners, by officials of neighboring community groups, even posted anonymously on online forums."

Does anyone have any idea of what online forums the author could possibly be referring to?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

DCPS hasn't voluntarily placed students at Lab -- or any private school -- in about 15 years.

Just a note that Lab School specifically serves kids with average or above average intelligence, and mostly with language based learning differences. This is a group that public schools really fail to serve, which is how folks end up with private placements.

So, to the PP, a child might not appear "disabled" unless your version of hanging out with neighbors includes asking a child to decode a written text while you stand there.

This. If a family has gone through the arduous process to receive funding they have provided tons of evidence. Why do you folks not want equal access to an adequate education for those with learning differences.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

How do you the child is not disabled?

DP: I know my neighbors and their children very well. We're friends and our kids have grown up together. This isn't that far beyond the pale.

Thanks but I’d like the PP to answer this question.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

DCPS hasn't voluntarily placed students at Lab -- or any private school -- in about 15 years.

Just a note that Lab School specifically serves kids with average or above average intelligence, and mostly with language based learning differences. This is a group that public schools really fail to serve, which is how folks end up with private placements.

So, to the PP, a child might not appear "disabled" unless your version of hanging out with neighbors includes asking a child to decode a written text while you stand there.

I've heard that claim made but never seen evidence to back it up.

About half the families in Ward 3 decide that DCPS isn't right for their child, and since they can afford it choose to go private. That's the business model of private school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I listened in on a good portion of the meeting. Honestly, I got the sense that the FCCA doesn't really understand how far along the dcps plans are. they are so focused on Hardy park that they aren't really giving airtime to the proposal that MacArthur WiLL BE either a middle school or high school. and of course there were people [rightly] griping about the Lab School giveaway of Old Hardy but I thought it was this exact community that expressed their approval of that deal. Is that incorrect?

You are correct. I've heard FCCS officials wax poetic about the danger a public school would pose to the area.

Yeah, they say they are worried about a loss of a basketball court, tennis courts, soccer field and so forth, but those who take the time to visit or look at a satellite image of the park realize that there is an awful lot of land there that is sitting idle. Some of the existing courts and fields may need to be moved around a bit, but there is nothing to indicate that the new school will drastically alter the amenities offered by the park. Their concerns, as stated, don't really make sense, which usually indicates that these are not their real concerns. We will never know for sure, of course, but I would bet solid money that this has much more to do with not wanting public school (and particularly some "at-risk" public school) children in the neighborhood than anything else. The difference in FCCA's attitude towards LAB and its reaction to the proposed public schools is both jarring and telling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

DCPS hasn't voluntarily placed students at Lab -- or any private school -- in about 15 years.

Just a note that Lab School specifically serves kids with average or above average intelligence, and mostly with language based learning differences. This is a group that public schools really fail to serve, which is how folks end up with private placements.

So, to the PP, a child might not appear "disabled" unless your version of hanging out with neighbors includes asking a child to decode a written text while you stand there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

DCPS hasn't voluntarily placed students at Lab -- or any private school -- in about 15 years.

Anonymous wrote:I listened in on a good portion of the meeting. Honestly, I got the sense that the FCCA doesn't really understand how far along the dcps plans are. they are so focused on Hardy park that they aren't really giving airtime to the proposal that MacArthur WiLL BE either a middle school or high school. and of course there were people [rightly] griping about the Lab School giveaway of Old Hardy but I thought it was this exact community that expressed their approval of that deal. Is that incorrect?

You are correct. I've heard FCCS officials wax poetic about the danger a public school would pose to the area.

Anonymous wrote:I listened in on a good portion of the meeting. Honestly, I got the sense that the FCCA doesn't really understand how far along the dcps plans are. they are so focused on Hardy park that they aren't really giving airtime to the proposal that MacArthur WiLL BE either a middle school or high school. and of course there were people [rightly] griping about the Lab School giveaway of Old Hardy but I thought it was this exact community that expressed their approval of that deal. Is that incorrect?

The FCCA endorsed the extension of LAB's lease of the Old Hardy building and opposed the 'Keep Old Hardy Public' campaign. Due to very low levels of participation, the FCCA is not representative of the Foxhall Village community and so its not completely correct to say that the community at-large endorsed the extension. I would guess that there are a lot of people in Foxhall Village that are now only becoming aware of the Old Hardy issue because they didn't think it was relevant to them until now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a private school type of area, private schools need support. I could ask why you are scared of handicap kids from the Lab school.

Our neighbor's kid goes to Lab on tax payers' dime. The kid is neither disabled nor poor. The dad knows how to get others to pay for his private tuition. Talking about white privilege.

How do you the child is not disabled?

DP: I know my neighbors and their children very well. We're friends and our kids have grown up together. This isn't that far beyond the pale.