Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. Just had a long conversation with my middle school son about sticking up for girls on the bus after a 7th grader had her butt violently grabbed by an 8th grade boy. The boy told her he can do whatever he wants and principal won’t care because he has a lawyer. This is the same boy who called my son a horrible racist name and even though he recorded it the vice principal said that he needed to develop a thicker skin before high school or he would “never survive.” Same vice principal was overheard saying she was sick of all the “crocodile tears of entitled rich immigrant parents”. So no FCPS does not care and we are switching to Catholic School next year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d like FCPS to provide top shelf education and stay out of politics and family life including gender and politics. That it fought so hard against aligning to national benchmarks on SOLs and spends all its energy on fringe issues like trans bathroom access is why it’s losing prestige. I in no way need FCPS in my families moral or personal business. They can classically educate and keep their opinions for their own families.

I actually agree with you on a core point: schools shouldn’t be indoctrinating kids or inserting themselves into individual family choices. That’s not their role, and most parents across the spectrum want schools focused on education, not ideology.

Where I part ways is on what counts as “education” and on the idea that FCPS is somehow consumed by fringe issues. Education has always been more than just reading, writing, and math. Developing character, civic responsibility, critical thinking, empathy, and the ability to live and work respectfully with people from very different backgrounds is part of preparing students for real life in a pluralistic society. Acknowledging that differences exist, or that discrimination happens, isn’t the same thing as politicizing classrooms or telling families how to live.

I also don’t think it’s accurate to say FCPS is “spending all its energy” on things like trans bathroom access. Those policies take up very little day-to-day instructional time. What does consume enormous energy is the public and legal fight over them. The attention imbalance can make it feel like these issues dominate the system, even when they don’t, and even when the majority of energy is being spent by the detractors.

We should absolutely hold FCPS accountable for academic rigor, alignment with benchmarks, and outcomes. But I don’t think the answer is putting blinders on to social realities students already experience outside school. A strong education can do both: teach academic fundamentals well and help students become informed, decent, engaged citizens who know how to treat others fairly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I think the whole this is one self serving mess.

I think the SB makes decisions that are almost completely self serving and political in nature, doing things that will help them move up in the political system (moving to local and state gov't positions), these usually do not align with putting children first. I think Reid is the tool that they use to do these things.

I think gatehouse is full of people trying to justify their high pay and job titles. They are constantly reinventing school policies to keep themselves employed, which usually does not align with putting children first.

I think the schools are full of Principals that want to move up the FCPS hierarchy, and create local policies that will make themselves look good so that they can beef up their resume to move on to gatehouse.

And I think there are teachers that are tired of all of the self serving nonsense that is being put in place by the people who are in charge and have checked out.

+1 Absolutely, Former Gatehouse employee

Anonymous wrote:No, I think the whole this is one self serving mess.

I think the SB makes decisions that are almost completely self serving and political in nature, doing things that will help them move up in the political system (moving to local and state gov't positions), these usually do not align with putting children first. I think Reid is the tool that they use to do these things.

I think gatehouse is full of people trying to justify their high pay and job titles. They are constantly reinventing school policies to keep themselves employed, which usually does not align with putting children first.

I think the schools are full of Principals that want to move up the FCPS hierarchy, and create local policies that will make themselves look good so that they can beef up their resume to move on to gatehouse.

And I think there are teachers that are tired of all of the self serving nonsense that is being put in place by the people who are in charge and have checked out.

Anonymous wrote:I’d like FCPS to provide top shelf education and stay out of politics and family life including gender and politics. That it fought so hard against aligning to national benchmarks on SOLs and spends all its energy on fringe issues like trans bathroom access is why it’s losing prestige. I in no way need FCPS in my families moral or personal business. They can classically educate and keep their opinions for their own families.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. Just had a long conversation with my middle school son about sticking up for girls on the bus after a 7th grader had her butt violently grabbed by an 8th grade boy. The boy told her he can do whatever he wants and principal won’t care because he has a lawyer. This is the same boy who called my son a horrible racist name and even though he recorded it the vice principal said that he needed to develop a thicker skin before high school or he would “never survive.” Same vice principal was overheard saying she was sick of all the “crocodile tears of entitled rich immigrant parents”. So no FCPS does not care and we are switching to Catholic School next year.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. Just had a long conversation with my middle school son about sticking up for girls on the bus after a 7th grader had her butt violently grabbed by an 8th grade boy. The boy told her he can do whatever he wants and principal won’t care because he has a lawyer. This is the same boy who called my son a horrible racist name and even though he recorded it the vice principal said that he needed to develop a thicker skin before high school or he would “never survive.” Same vice principal was overheard saying she was sick of all the “crocodile tears of entitled rich immigrant parents”. So no FCPS does not care and we are switching to Catholic School next year.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. Just had a long conversation with my middle school son about sticking up for girls on the bus after a 7th grader had her butt violently grabbed by an 8th grade boy. The boy told her he can do whatever he wants and principal won’t care because he has a lawyer. This is the same boy who called my son a horrible racist name and even though he recorded it the vice principal said that he needed to develop a thicker skin before high school or he would “never survive.” Same vice principal was overheard saying she was sick of all the “crocodile tears of entitled rich immigrant parents”. So no FCPS does not care and we are switching to Catholic School next year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. Just had a long conversation with my middle school son about sticking up for girls on the bus after a 7th grader had her butt violently grabbed by an 8th grade boy. The boy told her he can do whatever he wants and principal won’t care because he has a lawyer. This is the same boy who called my son a horrible racist name and even though he recorded it the vice principal said that he needed to develop a thicker skin before high school or he would “never survive.” Same vice principal was overheard saying she was sick of all the “crocodile tears of entitled rich immigrant parents”. So no FCPS does not care and we are switching to Catholic School next year.

That is horrible. Please report it.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. Just had a long conversation with my middle school son about sticking up for girls on the bus after a 7th grader had her butt violently grabbed by an 8th grade boy. The boy told her he can do whatever he wants and principal won’t care because he has a lawyer. This is the same boy who called my son a horrible racist name and even though he recorded it the vice principal said that he needed to develop a thicker skin before high school or he would “never survive.” Same vice principal was overheard saying she was sick of all the “crocodile tears of entitled rich immigrant parents”. So no FCPS does not care and we are switching to Catholic School next year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girl, no. They’re just putting on a show at Gatehouse to keep their outrageously large salaries going. I don’t doubt the teachers, tho. They’re there for the right reasons and are doing their best to help the kids. But central admin? No.

The sad part is a lot of teachers are giving up and feeling down....they can't teach while Gatehouse does their show to keep their cushy jobs. Their show makes more work and roadblocks for teachers to actually teach.