D.C. School System Seriously Flawed ; Piano Prodigy Forced Out

Ever wonder why our educational system is so screwed up? Look no further then the DC schools and the politics that drives it into chaos. Weren't you angry when Mr Obama shut down the Charter schools in DC as one of his first priorities when taking office in 2009? No one really cared as the messiah was in charge.

How did this happen? That's an easy one, Obama owed the teachers unions for their votes.

And who got screwed them most, the black people that voted overwhelmingly for Mr Obama and then voted again in 2012 overwhelmingly. Why would they do this? Why would anyone, not just the black people that are being driven into the ground by the progressive socialist democrats, why would anyone vote for another democrat, ever?

As this story illustrates, girl is being told by the system we have the power and you have none. As the saying goes, 'when ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise'.

The Insane Reason This Girl Was Forced Out of D.C. Public Schools
Kelsey Harris / @KelsRenHar / September 09, 2014    

Avery Gagliano — a piano prodigy and truant.

Avery receives lessons from starpianist Lang Lang during the Junior Music Camp in Munich. (Photo: Newscom)

Yes, the 13-year-old musical genius, who was chosen to join 11 other musicians from around the world to play in Munich last year, playing this masterpiece…
… is also a truant in the eyes of the D.C. public school system.

Photo: Nora Feller/From the Top/Flickr

In March, Avery traveled to Connecticut for a piano competition. She won the Grand Prix award for her performance of a Chopin Waltz and when she returned to school, a truancy officer was called. D.C. bureaucrats label any student, including Avery, with 10 “unexcused absences” as a truant.
So, for Avery, the straight-A student at Alice Deal Middle School, the Jack Kent Cook Honors Scholarship recipient at the Levine School of Music, the trained pianist since the age of five — rules are rules.

First Lady Michelle Obama attends and participates in Flash Mob Dance at Alice Deal Middle School in 2011.(Photo: Lawrence Jackson/White House/Newscom)

According to The Washington Post, Avery’s parents tried to persuade the school system to excuse her travels. The truancy law gives school officials the option to decide what an unexcused absence is.

A 2012 photo of the Gagliano family. Avery holds Jieming Tang’s Gagliano violin. (Photo: From The Top/Flickr)

They wouldn’t budge:

They created a portfolio of her musical achievements and academic record and drafted an independent study plan for the days she’d miss while touring the world as one of the star pianists selected by a prestigious Lang Lang Music Foundation, run by Chinese pianist Lang Lang, who handpicked Avery to be an international music ambassador.

Photo: Nora Feller/From The Top/Flickr

Now Avery is forced to spend her eighth grade year as a homeschooler, and the Gaglianos aren’t happy:

“We decided to home-school her because of all the issues, because it was like a punch in the gut to have to face the fight again this year,” Galgiano told the Post. “We didn’t want to do this. We want to be part of the public school system. Avery has been in public school since kindergarten. She’s a great success story for the schools.”

Ironically, at the private Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, student stars are praised for their winnings outside of school. Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky has her own sidebar on the school’s website titled “Our Olympian Student” featuring her scores, photos, and story.

Avery’s parents can’t afford private school tuition.
Avery’s accolades include studying in the Inaugural Lang Lang Junior Music Camp in Munich, Germany, as well as under Dr. Veda Kaplinsky at the Aspen Music Festival. She was also featured in a NPR broadcast program “From The Top” and a two-hour PBS documentary titled “Arts and the Mind” that was broadcast nationwide.

Photo: Nora Feller/From the Top/Flickr

Unfortunately, all the awards in the world clearly won’t convince D.C. public schools to recognize or reward Avery’s talent.

Update: After Petula Dvorak of The Washington Post published her column on Avery yesterday, Chancellor Kaya Henderson issued a statement “saying the column was wrong, and they would like to have Avery back at Alice Deal Middle School.”
Dvorak stands by her reporting:

It took a year of frustration, mixed messages and truancy notices before Avery’s parents got to hear this from Henderson. Glad they finally did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hltFEL_dbI4