We have uncovered a very serious glitch in DOE system that
gave priority to many children and left many out of the program. The only thing
that guarantees child a placement or at their first choice is a sibling
priority.
According to the application and DOE rules:
The applicant will receive priority for admission if he/she has a sibling who is currently enrolled or pre-registered and will be in grades K-5 in September 2012.
Some parents of twins took
advantage of the fact there is no separate box to check twin who are applying
together (obviously they are not currently enrolled), and used part B to
indicate they have a brother or sister. We
have the evidence, It will be unfair to the children to expose their names, so
for now they remain confidential.
The DOE never contacted them to verify their enrollment status, and they got 2 spots that were their first choice! Their score are low, and yet they were given priority over 99s.
We have contacted the DOE and to clarify if twins can use Sibling Priority Box B on the application to indicate their brother or sister. The answer we got from one of the enrollment executives, absolutely NO, it is fraud to do so, and if somebody does so they will be disqualified.
Yet, those children remain enrolled at the school, and they were not disqualified.
This is how it works, once you apply online or in person, data of the sibling entered into the DOE database, and they are given the 1st priority. You don’t necessarily have to have brother or sister to cheat the system, any name will do. No verification is done before the placement, it’s left by DOE to be done at school level.
What does it mean for the rest of us? The processed is rigged and this year placement should be disqualified all together.
The DOE never contacted them to verify their enrollment status, and they got 2 spots that were their first choice! Their score are low, and yet they were given priority over 99s.
We have contacted the DOE and to clarify if twins can use Sibling Priority Box B on the application to indicate their brother or sister. The answer we got from one of the enrollment executives, absolutely NO, it is fraud to do so, and if somebody does so they will be disqualified.
Yet, those children remain enrolled at the school, and they were not disqualified.
This is how it works, once you apply online or in person, data of the sibling entered into the DOE database, and they are given the 1st priority. You don’t necessarily have to have brother or sister to cheat the system, any name will do. No verification is done before the placement, it’s left by DOE to be done at school level.
What does it mean for the rest of us? The processed is rigged and this year placement should be disqualified all together.
Our due diligence uncovered that this glitch has been around
for a while, meaning there is a significant number of twins who have cheated
the system.
These dishonest placements affect everyone who have apply to
the G&T program: at the time of the placement the twins are taking 2 seats
pushing other children – who may have scored higher- for 2nd, 3rd
and sometime last choice. Those who decline the offer given to them, get out of
the G&T program! There is no going
back on the list and waiting for better offer, once you decline you done.
By not disqualifying these children at point of application the DOE is affecting everybody placements.
By not disqualifying these children at point of application the DOE is affecting everybody placements.
We are forming class action and looking to hire a lawyer and to get an injunction to disqualify and redo this year process.
Unbelievable, how can I join? My son was not given an offer.
ReplyDeletePlease email your contact details to gandtparent@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy son scored in the 99%, and was offered to the 3rd choice in our district schools. The school is far and in a not-desireable neighborhood. But there were twins with 97 & 91 offered seats in the g & t program in their 1st choice, which we ranked 2nd. The twins were granted sibling priority without any other siblings enrolled or pre-registered in this school. The priority box was checked on their on-line application. The DOE'S COMPUTER LOTTERRY SYSTEM could not verify sibling info at the time of the lottery, so it is all up to the school to verify sibling and decide if they want to accept them. The twins were enrolled in this school
ReplyDeleteas of today. And DOE failed to investigate and disqualify them after I repeatedly report this issue to them. And my post on Urbanbaby was deleted misterisly. The DOE remind me of the Communist China, where if you challenge the "Authority", they can first turn deaf to your inquiry and then if you gets louder, they can make you disappear!
I'm a little confused by your assertion. The G&T handbook clearly states that twins will get the same placement:
ReplyDelete"Twins and other multiples will be placed together if each child is eligible for the program. The higher scoring sibling is matched through the process detailed above."
(http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/2FCAA8EA-CF30-4801-9833-891A94DADB87/0/2007YOBGTHandbook.pdf)
So if one twin scored a 99 and the other scored a 97, and that first twin gets a spot at a citywide, both twins will get a spot at the citywide. Or if one twin gets a 98 and the other gets a 91 and one twin gets a spot at a district G&T the other twin will get a spot at that same school.
You are correct; however should they be guaranteed their first choice? In reality this is what happening, if they put the names in box B. According to the DOE rules, they shouldn't do so if they are not CURRENTLY enrolled in any school, and yet some do...
ReplyDeleteThey even explain on the application (second bullet in box B).
“If your top priority is for your child to be placed in the G&T program in his/her sibling’s school, list the sibling’s school as your first choice. If you rank another G&T program as a higher choice, your child may be offered a placement at that school instead of the sibling’s school.”
The system is set up to offer siblings their first choice and leave verifications to be done at the school.
Schools are not involved in the placement decision and can only verify that the children are siblings, but they don't see the application.
My understanding is that the DoE has different placement rules for multiples than siblings in separate grades. So a higher scoring twin can pull his lower scoring twin into the first choice (even though neither are enrolled in the school), but a higher scoring sibling can't pull a sibling in a different grade into a program.
DeleteI know a set of siblings in different grades who ranked a school first in which neither is currently enrolled. The older one got a 99 and got her first choice and the younger one got a 94 and didn't get any placement (even though the parents ranked the same choices). So the computer did follow the "rules" in that case, and when the parents appealed to the school and the district enrollment office, they were told that they would not place the lower scoring sibling into the G&T program.
So you can argue that it is not fair and lobby to change the policy to treat multiples the same as other siblings. But it doesn't appear that the DoE is violating its existing policy.
At least now we know the DOE (aka "Anonymous") is reading this blog...
DeleteI'm just a parent with a child in public schools and a very active interest in the DoE's workings. If you need me to prove my "cred" I'd be happy to write an essay on all the ways I think the DoE is failing our children and pays lip service to parents' concerns without actually acting on those concerns when it is convenient.
DeleteI don't even think my comments on this blog were a defense of DoE policy. Just an explanation of why your interpretation appears inaccurate. I agree that it is strange that there is a different policy for multiples than for other siblings.
I got an email about this blog to the same address I used to for G&T communication. I understand the issue is important, however, how on earth did you get my email address? Usually I would report you as spam but it seemed very unusual, so before I do so I figure I ask. Do you have the DOE contact database?
ReplyDeleteto DaveF. Apologies for invading your privacy. We do NOT have DOE contact database. We hired offshore data mining company to acquire all the contacts available on public blogs and publications (web scraping). It’s hard to say where your email address was mined. You may find out by googling your own email address or checking on the websites you signed up for. The issue is important and may possibly affect your child educational future, please read the post or email to gandtparent@gmail.com for more details.
ReplyDeleteOK, this is pretty serious. How can I see the proof you have?
ReplyDeleteto DaveF. all the details, such as names, schools etc. will be communicated to the law-firm we in the process of hiring. The idea is to protect the identity of the children involved who at the age 5-6 had no part in it. It would be unfair to subject expose their names on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteIs this an isolated case?
ReplyDeleteto DaveF. Absolutely not. We know about multiple cases, in different districts. Since the mass email went out at 6am today, I have 343 emails requesting more details and telling their stories. It is really sad what DOE did to our kids placements over the last 3-4 years. I believe we will have many more cases soon, of course we have to verify them.
ReplyDeletethis is crazy, how can they do this? I spent thousands of dollars to prepare my son, he got 99, and I was so happy!!!! We waited patiently a month, not worrying about a thing and...no offer...with 99!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI would gladly participate in class action suit. The DOE deserves it.
Let me understand, how did they get around the putting down student ID number?
ReplyDeleteWell it is not required, you get the number later on. As they say opportunity makes the thief. Intentionally vaguely designed application call in the cheaters. The amazing part is that they succeed.
ReplyDeleteI think Walcott needs to be fired, I hope this group succeeds!!!! I saw interview with him after the results came out...shameful. Bloomberg need to FIRE him. He is ignorant, smart-ass that will take our poorly functioning schools all the way to the abyss.
ReplyDeleteDo you collect money to fight this?
ReplyDeleteNo, absolutely not! The attorney fees will be handled by the law-firm that will handle this. This blog at no time will have any financial dealings with anybody.
DeleteWho is the attorney/law-firm?
ReplyDeleteWe are still interviewing. We also have a lawyer/parent on board who handles the interview process. If you like to recommend somebody please send the recommendation to gandtparent@gmail.com
DeleteHow many kids we talking here? If you succeed to disqualify this year placement, how many spots those who cheated vacate for the rest of us?
ReplyDeleteI would assume about 20% or 10 seats per school. In the school of my first choice there are 5 pairs of twins, spread over 2 classes.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot! It is worth the fight.
DeleteAt the school tour at LowerLab principal said they will have 36 seats available for K this year, after they counted the siblings. They cannot count in the cheaters, since they don't really have sibling that currently at the school. If you assume at least 5 pairs will sneak in, because of the glitch, you are left with 26 seats! This is half of the spots offered!!!
DeleteThanks to everybody for all the emails and participation on the blog. It is truly scary, how many angry, disappointed and mostly hurt parents are out there...
ReplyDeleteOur children deserve better than this!