Dalton Parents Revolt Over Prep School’s $54,180 Online Classes

"A group of parents at one of New York’s toniest private schools – where tuition runs $54,180 a year – is unhappy about the quality of their children’s education during the pandemic.

The Dalton School – whose alumni include actress Claire Danes and journalist Anderson Cooper – broke with many of the city’s private schools this fall in going with all-digital instruction until at least mid-year.

Now, after weeks of watching students stream in and out of other private school buildings, and the city’s public schools resuming in-person learning, some Dalton parents are calling for kids to get off their computers and back in the classroom." …

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-05/dalton-parents-revolt-over-prep-school-s-54-180-online-classes?sref=ZMFHsM5Z

Not surprised. Concord did the same thing and I’ve heard that at least some parents are extremely PO’d.

And they could fill EVERY single seat in a heartbeat for second semester entirely online, if the families were to vote with their feet.

I mean, if you’re really that annoyed about the cost of your private prep school, then maybe don’t attend a private prep school to begin with?? NYC definitely has strong public schools, especially the specialized ones.

I’m pretty sure almost all of the schools are back in my neighborhood, so I’m sure Dalton parents aren’t too happy to be online. I see kids coming and going everywhere with masks and P.E. classes in the park.

How long it lasts, I don’t know.

Haven’t they changed their minds and they are opening up? Maybe that was another school, but I thought someone mentioned it to me.

@one1ofeach you may be right - I’ve not kept up with things so I may be out of date.

I just checked.

Yes, they seem to be trying to reopen at the end of next week but it sounds like it’s for day students only.

Dalton only has day students. There’s more than one school called Dalton, the article is talking about the one in NYC.

Yes Dalton is K-12 prep school in NYC. They are one of the few privates left that seem to not have a plan to reopen and people are losing patience. I do not understand it because like others they had a big capital project to add more floors and should have the space. I think they were banking on the reopening going badly for others and therefore having excuse to stay remote. Alas, the schools that opened right after Labor Day (either full or hybrid) are doing fine and a lot of other privates followed and re-opened at the beginning of October. Dalton is one of the few left holding the bag. At the beginning a lot of parents did not mind as they were able to extend the summer elsewhere and at least for older kids they are supposedly doing very good job with remote. Alas, the young kids really aren’t able to do remote without assistance and most other privates opened five days a week for the K-5 set at least. Nobody understand why they are unable or unwilling. And now they are running out of time, since weather is starting to turn and the cool outdoor stuff other schools are doing will not be feasible much longer. Plus numbers are starting to go up again and as people move indoors that trend is unlikely to reverse. It is quite possible no schools will be allowed to stay open after Thanksgiving if the numbers continue to go up (quite a few are planning to go remote regardless) so they have very little time left to pull something off.

Oh, yes, there’s a little discussion of CA in here too. Just because they are one of the only BS that said they would be virtual all year and then parents got mad and now they are trying to change course.