Former
congressional candidate Will Jawando announced Wednesday he filed a
federal civil rights complaint alleging inequity within Montgomery
County Public Schools.
“The
complaint alleges that MCPS has violated and continues to violate Title
VI with respect to the manner in which it administers recruitment and
selection of students for admission to its highly-popular, language
immersion programs at the elementary school level,” Jawando said in a
statement Wednesday.
Jawando, an attorney, announced he filed the complaint on behalf of his daughter, “and other similarly situated children.”
The
case relates to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil
Rights enforcement authority under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
1964.
Jawando
did not return multiple phone calls or emails requesting comment prior
to deadline. He planned to host a Thursday afternoon press conference at
the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville.
“We
have much work to due to ensure true equity in our schools here and
nationwide,” said Jawando in a May 17 tweet, in which he said MCPS is
“no exception” to a rise in high-poverty, racially isolated schools...
This Civil Rights complaint should be expanded. The locations of MCPS elementary school language immersion programs promote economic and racial/ethnic segregation. The Chinese immersion programs are most accessible to affluent students, while the Spanish immersion programs are most accessible to students from geographic areas with high FARMS rates. The French immersion schools are in the middle.
ReplyDeleteWhat will come out on Kojo's show? (kojo.org, today/tues, noon): "Montgomery County Schools Face Discrimination Complaint"
Not sure whether a FARMS rate of 44% (including the French Immersion students) at Maryvale "in the middle," nor a school serving students coming from as far away as Germantown and Damascus "accessible" to those families (relative to the Chinese programs at Potomac & College Gardens (only about 3 miles away from Maryvale, so not much difference in drive or bus ride length from Maryvale). It *is* worth noting that College Gardens has only a 13% FARMS rate, though, and Potomac only 2%, so that point is certainly well taken. I highly doubt that the school community here isn't very aware of the Immersion program; even so, relatively few families in the catchment area participate in the French Immersion program.
DeleteAlso worth noting that the middle (and high) school magnets (science & humanities/communications) locations at the most far-flung parts of the county make it exceedingly difficult for families in the middle of the county to participate; 3 hours a day on the magnet bus from Rockville to Silver Spring/Takoma Park is excessive. Meanwhile, the special middle school programs that *are* offered to those more centrally located are "Consortium" programs one can only participate in if one already lives in the catchment area or can arrange transportation to & from the Consortium schools daily - a challenge for families who work in a direction opposite to school or who don't have other Consortium families nearby with whom to carpool.
Top Down Shakedown in Rocktown?
ReplyDeleteBrace yourselves of another property tax spike.
ReplyDelete