To APS School Board Re: Staff moving immersion to Kenmore

 Date: June 29, 2023

To: school.board@apsva.us

Subject: Please OPPOSE the efforts of staff to move the Immersion MS program to Kenmore with zero engagement

Good afternoon,


As you know, I've been an involved immersion parent, with students are Key and Gunston, for the past seven years. The immersion program is a jewel.

I find the email below, which presents the decision to move the Immersion middle school program to Kenmore as a done deal (there will be information sessions on the relocation, APS will start a boundary process assuming the relocation), deeply troubling. 

There has been no engagement with immersion families, with Kenmore families or with the public about this change. Moreover, it seems, from earlier discussions about moving the immersion middle school program, that this change would be ill-advised. Kenmore is NOT centrally located and is, in fact, our least accessible middle school for all transportation modes. There is no space available at Kenmore and putting immersion there would displace vulnerable communities who should have priority for having a school nearby. 

During the immersion visioning process, moving immersion to Dorothy Hamm middle school was discussed because (1) there's room at Hamm and (2) more families would stay with immersion at that location.

Please don't all staff to push through this I'll advised change with no engagement over the summer.

Thank you for your time and for your service

Gillian 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VA House: Bike Safety Bills January 2024

 I enthusiastically support these changes which will improve the safety for people people biking and make our entire transportation system safer. I often ride to get around Northern Virginia and my children, who are too young to drive, also use bikes to get around. - Safety Stop - People that riding heavier, kid-carrying bikes and children riding bikes often take extra time to start from a full stop. Allowing the safety stop allows these people to get through an intersection - and out of danger - more quickly. It also keeps the flow on the street moving. Finally, it just makes sense that people on bikes - who have a better sense of their surroundings because they are not inside a car and who are far less likely to kill someone in a crash - have less of a need to come to a complete stop at every stop sign. - Riding Two Abreast (aka side-by-side) - When riding with kids, I want the kids beside me to my right so that anyone approaching from behind can see us, so that the kid does not swer
Read more

Support for Automated Speed Enforcement in Innovations subcommittee in VA House - 2/1/2024

 I am writing today to enthusiastically support the expansion of authority to use automated speed enforcement in Virginia. We know that driving over the speed limit is not only illegal, it leads to more serious injuries and deaths on our streets. Automated speed enforcement is a proven tool to stop driving over the speed limit. These bills provide more than adequate safeguards to ensure that automated speed enforcement is implemented fairly. The dangers of speeding are particularly acute for children - who both cannot drive themselves to get around and are more vulnerable to serious injury while walking and biking. We need more automated speed enforcement in Virginia to enable our children to  get around independently and safely - not only near schools but throughout our communities.
Read more