Montessori Advocatesof CHML
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The Timeline

The changes at CHML, and when families were told about them.

The notice gap

7 days Families learned 7 days after school started.

Teachers were told the week of August 17. School began with the new schedule and the DCPS curriculum on August 24. Families were told in the August 31 newsletter.

Timeline of the changes and family notice

  1. Families not told

    Teachers are told

    Principal Gray tells teachers, for the first time, they must now teach the DCPS curriculum and use the new schedules.

  2. Families not told

    School begins with the changes

    CHML begins using the new schedule and the DCPS curriculum. DCPS and CHML don’t tell families.

  3. The weekend before school and after school startsFamilies not told

    Families discover the changes

    Some families realize CHML has strayed from Montessori based on information from their children and their teachers, such as the new schedules and worksheets in backpacks.

    Families email CHML and DCPS with concerns about the changes and the lack of notice or information about them.

  4. Families told

    Families are told in a newsletter

    In a newsletter, Principal Gray informs families their children are being taught with the DCPS curriculum. It states they are “adjusting to the rich learning experiences provided through the DCPS curriculum within our Montessori model.”

    It also schedules a community meeting to discuss the DCPS curriculum at CHML.

  5. Community meeting

    DCPS and CHML leadership hold the community meeting. The presentation discussed, in part, how CHML now uses the DCPS curriculum for ELA and math. Families had many questions, including why they weren’t given prior notice of the changes. IS Payton responded there was no change in curriculum.

    DCPS agrees to send a recording of the meeting and the chat history and answer outstanding chat questions.

  6. Slides sent

    CHML sends the slides from the meeting.

  7. Still awaiting

    Video sent; questions still unanswered

    CHML sends a video of the meeting. We are still awaiting the chat history and answers to our outstanding questions.

See the record

Watch the September 8 meeting and read the supporting documents.

Go to The Record