Every year, thousands of MCPS students submit requests to transfer out of their home schools and attend a school elsewhere in the county. However, recent data has indicated several potential issues within the transfer policy, including mental health, racial disparities and overcrowding. In late November, the Board of Education met to examine these problems and brainstorm possible solutions.
The current student transfer policy, known as a change of school assignment (COSA), is an application process where students can only switch schools under three circumstances. As stated by MCPS regulation, students must either have documented evidence of a unique hardship, have recently moved within Montgomery County, or have an older sibling who attends the school they wish to transfer to. According to MCPS data, 70.6 percent of 4,188 requests to transfer were approved in the 2017-2018 school year.
For many students on a COSA, attending a different school has helped them overcome major challenges and improved their academic experience. “It was taxing and time consuming, but my home principal was really helpful and understanding. I think my life would’ve been a lot worse if I stayed at my home school,” said junior Elina Brody, who transferred to Richard Montgomery High School from Magruder High School.
“I think I would’ve felt hopeless and depressed, and I think my life would’ve taken a turn for the worse,” Brody added.
Likewise, the transfer policy also allows students to learn in a comfortable, familiar environment. “My brother isn’t in magnet, but I am. Our home school used to be RM, but we moved, and now he’s still able to go here. He’s never been to our home school, so it would be weird to just transfer schools in your last year,” sophomore Binta Diallo said.
However, Board members worry that these benefits may not be accessible to all students who may need them. According to Bethesda Magazine, one the Board’s main concerns is the documented “unique hardship” requirement. Currently, the hardship cannot be common to many families, so problems such as course preferences and a lack of access to child care would not be approved for a COSA.
Board member Jill Ortman-Fouse advocated to soften this requirement to aid families who would not be able to afford out-of-school day care services.
A similar topic of discussion at the November meeting was the extent of documentation required for a hardship. Under the current system, independently verified documentation is vital. “When I was transferring, until I got proof of my situation, the Board kind of left me hanging without reaching out,” Brody said. “However, once I had documented evidence they became so very helpful, and I got approved to transfer that same day.”
For students suffering from mental health issues or bullying, board members such as Ortman-Fouse and Student Member of the Board Ananya Tadikonda argued that requiring written evidence from a medical professional would harm to students who are unable to afford professional help. Many students also feel that students should not have to pass such a high threshold if they feel depressed or unsafe at a school. “You want to take it seriously, but you can definitely have teachers or counselors provide documentation if you can’t get a doctor,” junior Gabby Ceniz said.
On the issue of equity, Board members also brought up racial disparities. As stated by Bethesda Magazine, 77.5 percent of white students who made COSA requests were approved, making up the highest approval rate. Hispanic and Latino students came in second with 70.7 percent approved requests.
“What I can say is, more often than not, you will get hardship cases from people who are a little bit more affluent, who are able to send their child to somewhere where the child would be assessed as having a hardship and needing to go to another school,” Richard Montgomery principal Damon Monteleone said.
Although the Board looks to make COSAs an option for more people, school capacity and overcrowding has become an increasingly pressing issue. For instance, Richard Montgomery has received 210 COSA requests in the past two years, the largest amount in the county, and 157 have been approved.
“I think that, if you’re on a COSA at RM and you’re doing well, you come to school everyday, you’re being successful, and you’re contributing positively to the school environment, you’re welcome. If you’re on a changed school assignment and you’re doing the opposite of all of those things, not so much,” Mr. Monteleone said.
“We do send a letter home to COSA students every fall or August saying, ‘These are the terms of the COSA; you need to live up to the expectations,’” Mr. Monteleone continued. “We have very limited resources, we have very limited staffing—we’re overcrowded—and I am trying to provide the best education for those who really should be here.”
Board members suggested changing the transfer policy to be more school-specific, such as how Anne Arundel County Public Schools will close schools to transfer students once they reach certain capacity.Even though the school board’s November meeting did not enact any new policies, it will likely by the first of many as MCPS aims to make the COSA more equitable and more conscious of different student populations.
Article by MoCo Student staff writer Helen Qian of Richard Montgomery High School