schools

“AG Racine Sues Six Maryland Parents for Residency Fraud At D.C. Schools, Seeks Nearly $700K in Unpaid Tuition and Damages”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Jacques Arsenault

From the Office of the Attorney General:

“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced lawsuits against six Maryland parents for falsifying District residency to send their children to District schools for free. In four separate lawsuits, OAG alleges that these non-residents broke District law by sending a total of 10 children to District schools, including in-demand schools like Capitol Hill Montessori and Duke Ellington School of the Arts, without paying required out-of-state tuition. The lawsuits seek nearly $700,000 total in unpaid tuition and damages, and potentially up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties.

“These out-of-state parents cheated District taxpayers and deprived our students of educational opportunities by fraudulently sending their kids to District schools for free,” said AG Racine. “Residency fraud is theft and it is illegal. Parents who lie about residency to avoid paying non-resident tuition at District schools will face serious consequences for breaking the law.” (more…)

New School Report Card and STAR Rating System Released for All D.C. Public Schools

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin. Ed. Note: I really love this photo.

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the new DC School Report Card, which will provide students, families, and educators with comprehensive information about the performance of public schools in the District, including each school’s rating on the new School Transparency and Reporting (STAR) Framework.

“We have incredible things happening in public schools across all eight wards of the city, but we also know that we have more work to do to ensure that every child who goes through our schools is getting the social, emotional, and academic supports that they need to succeed. The DC School Report Card is going to help us do just that,” said Mayor Bowser. “As we roll out these new report cards, our plan is to engage with schools and families across the District, to support schools in developing improvement plans, and to use this information to inform our policies and investments.”

The new report cards and STAR ratings will be housed on DCSchoolReportCard.org and will feature more than 150 data points, including data and information about academic programs, extracurricular activities, parent organizations, and more. (more…)

Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee nominated by Mayor to be the next chancellor of DC Public Schools, If Confirmed “he will begin full time on January 31, 2019”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she has appointed Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee to serve as the next chancellor of DC Public Schools (DCPS). Dr. Ferebee comes to the District from Indianapolis, Indiana where he has been serving as the superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) since September 2013.

“Dr. Ferebee is someone with experience leading at all levels of public education – from serving in the classroom and as an elementary and middle school principal to leading a system that serves more than 30,000 students. He is a strong leader and educator, and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to providing all students and families high-quality educational opportunities,” said Mayor Bowser. “I want to thank all the students, families, educators, and community members who participated in the search process. Dr. Ferebee’s experiences and achievements align with the feedback we received throughout the engagement process, and I look forward to the community working with him to build on the progress we’ve made at DCPS.” (more…)

“Benjamin Banneker Academic High School to Relocate to the Former Shaw Junior High School”

By Prince Of Petworth


900 block of Rhode Island Ave, NW

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Muriel Bowser and interim DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Amanda Alexander announced that Benjamin Banneker Academic High School will relocate to the site of the former Shaw Junior High School. In making this announcement, the Mayor also committed to working with the Shaw and DCPS communities to open a new middle school that aligns with the District’s enrollment needs.

“Families and students are succeeding at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, and, now, we are proud to take this step toward increasing access to a highly sought-after program,” said Mayor Bowser. “As families continue to choose our public schools, we’re going to continue working with the community to provide high-quality options – at every level – that set our young people up for success.”

DCPS is planning to open the new Banneker at Shaw Junior High School by school year 2021-2022. The relocation is expected to increase programming capacity by 300 students. (more…)

“Carjacking and kidnapping at Watkins Elementary dropoff” on Capitol Hill this morning

By Prince Of Petworth


via google maps

Update from MPD:

“MPD is currently investigating an incident that occurred by Watkins Elementary School, at 12th and E Street, SE, shortly before 8:30am.

As our complainant was there to drop a child at school, the complaint observed, what we believe to be a theft from auto. The complainant exited their vehicle and went across the street to ask the suspects, who were in a Honda Fiat, to return the property to the vehicle.

While this discussion was occurring, one of the suspects exited the Honda Fiat vehicle and crossed the street to our complainants vehicle and entered through the drivers side door that was left ajar. Our complainant ran across the street and attempted to get back into the vehicle and was unsuccessful. This vehicle had a 5 year old child in the back seat. The suspect was able to take the vehicle and flee with the child inside. (more…)

Anyone have experience with “professional level (I.e. part time after work) higher education programs”?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Ted Eytan

“Dear PoPville,

I am a mid career federal employee looking for professional level (I.e. part time after work) higher education programs in the downtown DC area. I have one masters degree already, but would like to pursue another, possibly a MPA. I have access to the GI Bill, so cost is not a factor. Does anyone have experience with Georgetown’s School if Continuing Studies or another part time program downtown? I work on Capitol Hill and live on H st NE so ideally a program near one of these areas or in between.”

“America to Me, a ten-part docu-series about race and equity in America’s public schools”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Please join Education Forward DC, the Greater Washington Community Foundation, and the DC Public Education Fund for a citywide screening Thursday, September 27th of America to Me, a ten-part docu-series about race and equity in America’s public schools.  The content is compelling.  Directed by Academy-Award nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself, The Interrupters), the series follows a year in the life of students, teachers, and administrators at Oak Park and River Forest High School, a racially integrated high school near Chicago. You can learn more about the series from the New York Times and IndieWire reviews, and the series trailer. (more…)

Shots Fired Reported in Alley near Roosevelt High School around 3/3:15pm resulting in brief school lockdown

By Prince Of Petworth


via google maps

Jake tweeted around 4pm:

“My friend texted me from inside Roosevelt HS (where he was working) 30 mins ago that the school was on lockdown because a shot was fired outside the school. Apparently now they are outside after police arrived. Anyone else know more info?”

Jonah reported that the lockdown had been lifted by 4pm.

Nick reports around 3/3:15pm:

“3 shots fired in alley that runs between Iowa and Webster. Right outside my back door. Police tape up in alley now and multiple officers on site”

Suspect who allegedly racially harassed and threatened to shoot a crossing guard arrested

By Prince Of Petworth

From MPD:

“We wanted to inform the citizens of the Second District that an arrest has been made from that unfortunate incident on August 27, 2018 at LaFayette Elementary school located at 5701 Broad Branch Rd NW, in which one of our hard working crossing guards was racially harassed and threatened by a suspect who is now behind bars at the Metropolitan Police Department.

We thank the citizens of the District of Columbia for their outstanding help and patience with putting this criminal behind bars. Have a safe and wonderful evening!”

Unfortunately there was another unsettling aspect of this incident reported by the Washington Post:

“An operator at the District’s 911 center failed to send police Monday afternoon when a parent at an elementary school in Northwest Washington called to report a man outside the building threatening to shoot, according to a city spokeswoman.”

“The suspect threatened to cause serious harm to the victim who is a DC Crossing Guard”

By Prince Of Petworth

From MPD:

“Vehicle of Interest Sought in a Felony Threats/Stalking Offense: 5500 Block of Broad Branch Road NW

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District seek the public’s assistance in locating a vehicle of interest in connection with a Felony Threats/Stalking offense that occurred on Monday, August 27, 2018 in the 5500 block of Broad Branch Road NW.

At approximately 3:25pm, the suspect was stopped at an intersection in a vehicle at the listed location. The suspect threatened to cause serious harm to the victim who is a DC Crossing Guard. Additionally, the suspect reportedly used language indicating a bias toward the victim’s actual or perceived ethnicity and or national origin. (more…)

View More Stories