Pr. George's schools debate automatic admission to specialty programs for siblings

A proposal to end the practice of allowing siblings to automatically enroll in specialty programs in Prince George's County schools turned into a freewheeling debate over equity for students Thursday night as school officials grappled with a crowd of parents opposed to changing the policy.

By the end of a nearly six-hour meeting of the Prince George's County Board of Education, 29 parents had testified on the policy and the "good evening" greetings had turned to "good morning." No deciding vote was taken on the issue.

The discussion overshadowed other issues at the meeting that were arguably more important to more people, such as a proposal by Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. to redraw the boundaries of dozens of elementary and middle schools in the northern half of the county, and a report on the causes of problems scheduling 8,000 high school students at the beginning of the school year.

Though it affects a smaller number of people, the sibling immersion debate strikes one of the main fault lines in Prince George's County -- the gap between savvy, often affluent parents who know how to work the system and those from poorer neighborhoods who for decades have had trouble getting the best educational opportunities.

The programs, notably Montessori and French immersion, are academically strong and so popular that every year hundreds of parents seeking to enroll their children are turned away. Parents who have won the enrollment lottery are automatically granted admission for their younger children.

This is credited with improving student achievement and parent involvement at the schools -- two siblings learning French can talk to each other in the language at home, and parents don't have to split their time between multiple schools. But it also means fewer families overall get access to the programs. In French immersion schools in the 2008-2009 school year, for example, 30 percent of the available seats were taken by siblings.

The policy has always troubled some board members, who say it gives an undue advantage to some families and denies access to a broader group of parents. The issue has come up repeatedly during the board's tenure, but the policy has not changed.

But when Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. released a draft "administrative procedure" to scrap the sibling preference that could theoretically take effect without being voted on, the parents of children in the programs took the threat seriously, and they filled the school board's auditorium in Upper Marlboro on Thursday night.

Dozens of parents, all of them against changing the practice, urged the board to keep their children together in the same schools.

"We say all the time that it would take a village to raise a child," said Roderick McLaughlin, vice president of the John Hanson French Immersion School PTA. "Why would you want to tear down our village?"

Pat Bar-Harrison, who had helped found the specialty programs, spoke in defense of the policy. "What we are contributing to is the dysfunction of a family," she said, as the audience applauded. "Why would we divide a family? I can't understand that."

But the board made it clear it hasn't made up its mind yet. Most members seemed in favor of grandfathering in siblings of students already in the program, but the future of the policy was in doubt. Several board members said they wanted to expand the programs, but financial constraints prohibit them from doing so.

"I don't want to deny any child, ever, any opportunity to excel, but I submit to you that while sibling enrollment is wonderful, it also is harmful to access for others," said Rosalind A. Johnson (District 1).

"Here we go again. Another year, same discussion," said Donna Hathaway Beck (At Large). "We remain a school system in corrective action. Can we really afford to be breaking something that works?"

Board chairman Verjeana M. Jacobs (At Large) asked for a review of the board's equity policy but also said she would take note of the impact on families.

"We can't come back each year with the same issue," she said. "It needs to be resolved."

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