We’re looking at an epidemic of mentally ill children—it is a serious pathology. We're seeing a surge in suicides, including severe attempts where kids barely survive, often leaving them with permanent disabilities. Child and adolescent psychologists and psychiatrists are completely overwhelmed; I mean, they are bursting at the seams. You might wait months just for an initial consultation. There aren't enough hospital beds for inpatient care, either. Even if you go to a private clinic, getting a quick appointment is becoming nearly impossible. There is a pilot program launching now to bring child psychologists into the FBI, which—if I'm being honest—is something I welcome. Given this context, and considering how the CIA operates, homeschooling should be allowed, sure, but only in extreme cases. It needs solid arguments, recommendations from a professional team, and actual medical documentation. It shouldn't just be something a parent decides on a whim because they feel like it.
I mean, I probably won't go either. But we have to sign up at work, so I'm trying to figure out if we’re actually free after July 13th. Rihanna, what's the deal with the medical clearance—do you happen to know when that's happening? Or are you guys planning to just skip high school too?
rowdypanther12 said:It actually would be doable if they cut the weekly hours down from 33 to a maximum of 25—maybe even 20 if they factor in homework and lunch breaks.😁
I suppose that homework period would probably happen after 2:00 PM. A lot of private High Schools operate that way—classes run until 2:00, then from there until 4:00 or 4:30, you have homework help, tutoring, or extracurriculars. And honestly, that seems to work just fine.
Larry Walker24 said:Plus, where are the building permits? And where are the workers? There is zero chance this gets off the ground before 2030.
They just need to get some scaffolding properly set up.
We've got workers coming in from Nepal, India, the Philippines...
dustyowl29 said:hey everyone, I need an X-ray of my lumbar spine—does anyone know where in Washington, D.C. I can get that done quickly using a referral?
The earliest opening at my local clinic in Brooklyn is June 10th, which is... well, it's a bit too late for me, since I have an appointment with the physiatrist on June 2nd.
Does anyone happen to know a place where I could get seen within a three-week window or something similar?
Private insurance Or maybe just try to push back the physiatrist appointment until after June 10th.
If they kept lunch on the menu until 2:00 PM, I honestly wouldn't even complain—it would be fine by me. And then, of course, everything else could just be optional for whoever actually feels like showing up... If it were possible to set things up that way, I’d be all for it, but you're saying it isn't. Well, then I guess there's nothing more to say about it.
If I’m reading this correctly—and I might be wrong, but I think I am—everything is supposed to be wrapped up by July 13th? I’m asking because we really need to get our vacation time requested at work. If that timeline holds, we could head out to the coast as early as July 14th. Maybe?
And honestly, who actually knows what the final result will look like—or even what those people are truly planning behind closed doors? I guess it’s all just guesswork at this point. Maybe they’ll decide to cut certain things and hike up others, or perhaps they’ll start categorizing items into specific groups just so they can manage them on different schedules... or maybe they'll even decide to shorten the school day to forty minutes... who knows what kind of "brilliant" schemes that crowd might cook up...
I mean, if they pack everything in before 2:00 PM—lunch included—who could really complain? As far as I'm concerned, it’s perfectly fine. Honestly, even if I had to pay extra for that lunch, I suppose I wouldn't mind one bit.
Sarah Hall53 said:Out of those 17, I know at least three principals who signed off on it even though most of the teachers were totally against it.
Well, honestly, democracy isn't really a thing here either—it's pretty obvious whose word carries the weight, and going against them... well, it's probably not good for one's career.
hiddenseal14 said:I disagree entirely; calling this a failure is a complete mischaracterization. We have forty different schools requesting permission from their founders, and seventeen have already officially filed their applications. If you ask me, that’s actually quite an impressive turnout, especially considering everyone was sitting on their hands waiting for the public comment period to wrap up. Now that the deadline has been extended, things are finally moving.
We already have all our parental consents, vaccinations, and physician clearances squared away, yet we haven't even submitted our paperwork yet. We’ll just handle it on the very last day. The only holdout is our principal, who isn't exactly enthusiastic—it's much easier for him to just sit back and do nothing—but frankly, his opinion isn't what matters here.😁
If the principal doesn't agree, I don't see how you're planning to pull this off. The principal represents the school, and without their signature, nothing moves forward.
jadetinker85 said:What are you even talking about? I’m definitely not on board with single-shift schooling, and there are plenty of reasons why. It messes with everything—from how local music schools and youth sports leagues operate, to parents working afternoon shifts who'll barely see their kids until the weekend.
Well, personally, I think a single-shift schedule might actually be better for my kid, mostly because of their sports commitments.
gentlepanther3 said:I was just talking to some folks over at Cisco.
If you check the school's official website, there isn't anything like that listed—and honestly, I suppose that would be a much more reliable source anyway.
rowdypanther12 said:That basically means they're going to cut hours since kids are already getting out of school by 1:00 or 2:00 every day anyway.
Honestly, I don't see any issue with that. In fact—and I might be wrong here—but some things really ought to be reset to the basics, specifically tailored for the Elementary School level. High school curricula... well, they can be a bit of a mess sometimes.
I suspect that under current regulations, someone with an SSS degree isn't actually qualified to be a teacher or professor. I honestly have no idea who is supposed to teach computer science at the Elementary School level—it’s basically the same headache we deal with regarding math teachers. If I recall correctly, there’s an informatics track over at FF that covers the essentials quite well. It’s mostly practical stuff—Microsoft Office, an intro to Python, hardware basics, networking, and some internet fundamentals. I mean, you certainly wouldn't head over to MIT just to explain how to use Word to kids.
Thanks for the heads-up. I suppose I should probably mention—if anyone's interested, I think some of the local school districts have already posted their open house dates on their websites.
Michelle Nelson4 said:If you're looking for a specific cutoff score for the GDMP, there isn't one set in stone.
That’s exactly what I thought—I was looking through the same stuff and it honestly just confused me. It seems like the entrance exam is actually the deciding factor here, more so than anything else. Thx
gentlepanther3 said:I should probably mention that last year, the cutoff just to qualify for the entrance exam was 74 points. So, if she isn't quite there yet, maybe these next two months could be used to bridge that gap...
Susan James said:Are you saying we could actually return the funds by claiming they were mismanaged? 🤔 That would be quite the twist...
If the European Union is complaining that our students aren't getting enough instructional hours compared to their standards, then we should have just handled it with some light "cosmetic" changes—like adding another grade level to elementary school, making preschool full-time, or requiring at least two years of high school. Just simple tweaks like that.
No, wait—from what I gather, this is just a pilot program. It’s basically to see if the European Union thinks we actually have the capacity or readiness to handle any real changes. If they decide we do, then the real funding follows. This current amount is peanuts. So, we ought to use this window to submit a report detailing exactly what kind of reform we need and how much capital it would take to pull it off. The European Union seems quite fond of handing out cash for reforms in Eastern Europe because, frankly, they tend to view us as somewhat primitive in those areas. Like I said before, we should squeeze every last cent out of this for the sake of the students and the teachers. Of course, if Sarah Hall53 is right and things are already hitting the fan, then it doesn't matter—our kids will be the ones paying it back.