FCPS Boundary Review Updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school

What does this mean?

Where is the source for this? The latest BRAC e-mail described them as the first two scenarios, meaning there would be more options presented at subsequent meetings:

Dr. Reid welcomed the group and reminded the committee that at the next meetings the first two scenarios will be reviewed, to include evaluation of 6th grade in middle school, and a scenario that assumes all students attend the school that they are zoned to attend based on the current boundary.

That is the source…it’s also on the last BRAC meeting website. I’m surprised they disclosed it

And yes, they will have more scenarios but most likely using these as a baseline. Would be interesting to see actual capacities with everyone at their base home vs the transfer weaves that have been created. As for the middle school transfer by Fall 2026, lunacy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school

What does this mean?

Where is the source for this? The latest BRAC e-mail described them as the first two scenarios, meaning there would be more options presented at subsequent meetings:

Dr. Reid welcomed the group and reminded the committee that at the next meetings the first two scenarios will be reviewed, to include evaluation of 6th grade in middle school, and a scenario that assumes all students attend the school that they are zoned to attend based on the current boundary.

That is the source…it’s also on the last BRAC meeting website. I’m surprised they disclosed it

And yes, they will have more scenarios but most likely using these as a baseline. Would be interesting to see actual capacities with everyone at their base home vs the transfer weaves that have been created. As for the middle school transfer by Fall 2026, lunacy!

Maybe they’ll use the base capacities as a starting slate and then adjust boundaries. Right now, the current capacities are so convoluted because of transfers.

If they actually had “equitable” programming at in each pyramid, this would keep people at their home schools, help bus routes, and bring up scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Before any discussion of changing boundaries, the SB needs to eliminate ALL AAP centers and just ensure every school has AAP classes. The skewing and confusion of borders is due in large part to the absurd busing of certain students to center schools. At this point, the center model is redundant and wasteful and needs to end.

Boundaries should only be addressed if there is a need to do so AFTER all kids are back in their community schools.

Agreed. At the next BRAC meeting, they are reviewing a scenario of everyone returning to their zoned school. So many of these inflated schools are influenced by those they allow attend from other zone, and often those over-achievers looking for more!

Bring students back to their home zones, offer fair and enticing programming within all pyramids and then assess capacity issues. See how testing and scores level out before their next equity brigade.

Was not aware this option was being considered (returning everyone to their zoned school). I think this is what many of us wanted as a start point for this whole review process, very pleased it's being presented to the BRAC.

There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school


Option #2

Move 6th grade from elementary school to middle school, which will require extensive rezoning in every neighborhood and school, including converting some elementary schools to middle schools and moving 6th graders as young as 10 years old into the secondary schools with students as old as 21.

Most of the oldest students will be 18/19 or younger, but if they are severely special needs or a recent migrant, they can attend high school until they are 21, as long as they are 20 years old the first day of school.

The significant expense of Option #2 was not accounted for in the most recent CIP, but it is now Dr. Reid's #1 priority by her own words at multiple community meetings, so logic and expense be damned.

If I were a Robinson, SoCo, or Lake Braddock zoned parent of elementary kids, I would be raising holy hell with my school board reps about this, before they finalize the move.

The 21 year old migrant and special needs high school students are federal law. I would also be raising hell with Tim Kaine, Connolly and Mark Warner about the 21 year old migrant men being allowed to attend traditional high school. The special needs students makes sense, but perfectly capable adult men allowed to be students in high schools and secondary schools does not.

If they are old enough to be charged with statuatory rape if they date anyone in their high school class, then they do not belong in traditional high school, especially if FCPS is moving 10 and 11 year old 6th graders into the building and school busses.

Option #2 is “nuclear”, per previous FCPS words. Totally understand and agree that 6-8 is very common throughout the country but FCPS facilities has not, nor is, built to support this. The fact Reid is even considering this shows she doesn’t understand the county’s limitations.

How would an elementary school become a middle school? If it were, it would be 6th grade only and all the reasons Reid gave for moving 6th graders are moot anyway. THe gyms are too small, the math teachers wouldn’t be able to talk to other math teachers. And you take away walk zones.

I think this is a a negotiation tactic. Get everyone riled up so when the real maps are revealed, it is less disruptive and everyone says ok.

THe impracticality of it is ridiculous.

From how I understand it, some larger elementary schools (~1000 seat capacity) would be converted to 6-8 middle schools. That way many pyramids would be fed by two middle schools. This seems impossible to accomplish in 2 years because these schools would have to be renovated to bring them up to middle school standards (larger gym, auditorium, athletic fields…)

I’m not sure how this model would apply to secondary schools, unless they had a collocated elementary school to convert as a satellite campus. Robinson and Hayfield have this, but Lake Braddock does not. The other option is to shrink their boundaries and offload one or two elementary schools to neighboring pyramids. They could also potentially convert some under-enrolled high schools to secondary schools to open up middle school space, but unfortunately that only really works for Mount Vernon.

This rushed scenario seems like such a disaster, I’m fascinated to see how they think they can do it.

I agree with PP that this seems ridiculous. To use just a tiny example: primary grade classrooms at our ES have bathrooms built in. That seems like actually a terrible idea for a middle school. What are they doing with those?

Not to mention the tiny gyms, lack of auditorium, I don't think the music rooms work as middle school performing arts facilities (how do you fit multiple orchestras, bands, and choir in those spaces), and all the other stuff already set?

At our just-remodeled MS adding 6th grade would add 600 more kids. I assume that's pretty standard. There's no space for them!

[Anonymous]

You know, FCPS could be focusing on real problems, like academics instead of this nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Before any discussion of changing boundaries, the SB needs to eliminate ALL AAP centers and just ensure every school has AAP classes. The skewing and confusion of borders is due in large part to the absurd busing of certain students to center schools. At this point, the center model is redundant and wasteful and needs to end.

Boundaries should only be addressed if there is a need to do so AFTER all kids are back in their community schools.

Agreed. At the next BRAC meeting, they are reviewing a scenario of everyone returning to their zoned school. So many of these inflated schools are influenced by those they allow attend from other zone, and often those over-achievers looking for more!

Bring students back to their home zones, offer fair and enticing programming within all pyramids and then assess capacity issues. See how testing and scores level out before their next equity brigade.

Was not aware this option was being considered (returning everyone to their zoned school). I think this is what many of us wanted as a start point for this whole review process, very pleased it's being presented to the BRAC.

There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school


Option #2

Move 6th grade from elementary school to middle school, which will require extensive rezoning in every neighborhood and school, including converting some elementary schools to middle schools and moving 6th graders as young as 10 years old into the secondary schools with students as old as 21.

Most of the oldest students will be 18/19 or younger, but if they are severely special needs or a recent migrant, they can attend high school until they are 21, as long as they are 20 years old the first day of school.

The significant expense of Option #2 was not accounted for in the most recent CIP, but it is now Dr. Reid's #1 priority by her own words at multiple community meetings, so logic and expense be damned.

If I were a Robinson, SoCo, or Lake Braddock zoned parent of elementary kids, I would be raising holy hell with my school board reps about this, before they finalize the move.

The 21 year old migrant and special needs high school students are federal law. I would also be raising hell with Tim Kaine, Connolly and Mark Warner about the 21 year old migrant men being allowed to attend traditional high school. The special needs students makes sense, but perfectly capable adult men allowed to be students in high schools and secondary schools does not.

If they are old enough to be charged with statuatory rape if they date anyone in their high school class, then they do not belong in traditional high school, especially if FCPS is moving 10 and 11 year old 6th graders into the building and school busses.

Option #2 is “nuclear”, per previous FCPS words. Totally understand and agree that 6-8 is very common throughout the country but FCPS facilities has not, nor is, built to support this. The fact Reid is even considering this shows she doesn’t understand the county’s limitations.

How would an elementary school become a middle school? If it were, it would be 6th grade only and all the reasons Reid gave for moving 6th graders are moot anyway. THe gyms are too small, the math teachers wouldn’t be able to talk to other math teachers. And you take away walk zones.

I think this is a a negotiation tactic. Get everyone riled up so when the real maps are revealed, it is less disruptive and everyone says ok.

THe impracticality of it is ridiculous.

6th -8th grade middle schools are the norm in many school district, and is the case in many local jurisdiction.

I would like to see more secondary schools. Shrink the boundaries and eliminate middle schools entirely. HS should be 7th - 12th. The 21yr old student is a silly argument. Most 21yr olds will be out earning a living in the trades/construction regardless of educational attainment.

The middle schools can be repurposed as HS too, but with much smaller boundaries.

The they are going to rape my daughter is so offensive on so many levels. It’s very Trumpian actually. Fear and hate are corrosive.

A girl at a maryland high school was raped at school by adult male students in their early 20s several years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Before any discussion of changing boundaries, the SB needs to eliminate ALL AAP centers and just ensure every school has AAP classes. The skewing and confusion of borders is due in large part to the absurd busing of certain students to center schools. At this point, the center model is redundant and wasteful and needs to end.

Boundaries should only be addressed if there is a need to do so AFTER all kids are back in their community schools.

Agreed. At the next BRAC meeting, they are reviewing a scenario of everyone returning to their zoned school. So many of these inflated schools are influenced by those they allow attend from other zone, and often those over-achievers looking for more!

Bring students back to their home zones, offer fair and enticing programming within all pyramids and then assess capacity issues. See how testing and scores level out before their next equity brigade.

Was not aware this option was being considered (returning everyone to their zoned school). I think this is what many of us wanted as a start point for this whole review process, very pleased it's being presented to the BRAC.

There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school


Option #2

Move 6th grade from elementary school to middle school, which will require extensive rezoning in every neighborhood and school, including converting some elementary schools to middle schools and moving 6th graders as young as 10 years old into the secondary schools with students as old as 21.

Most of the oldest students will be 18/19 or younger, but if they are severely special needs or a recent migrant, they can attend high school until they are 21, as long as they are 20 years old the first day of school.

The significant expense of Option #2 was not accounted for in the most recent CIP, but it is now Dr. Reid's #1 priority by her own words at multiple community meetings, so logic and expense be damned.

If I were a Robinson, SoCo, or Lake Braddock zoned parent of elementary kids, I would be raising holy hell with my school board reps about this, before they finalize the move.

The 21 year old migrant and special needs high school students are federal law. I would also be raising hell with Tim Kaine, Connolly and Mark Warner about the 21 year old migrant men being allowed to attend traditional high school. The special needs students makes sense, but perfectly capable adult men allowed to be students in high schools and secondary schools does not.

If they are old enough to be charged with statuatory rape if they date anyone in their high school class, then they do not belong in traditional high school, especially if FCPS is moving 10 and 11 year old 6th graders into the building and school busses.

Option #2 is “nuclear”, per previous FCPS words. Totally understand and agree that 6-8 is very common throughout the country but FCPS facilities has not, nor is, built to support this. The fact Reid is even considering this shows she doesn’t understand the county’s limitations.

How would an elementary school become a middle school? If it were, it would be 6th grade only and all the reasons Reid gave for moving 6th graders are moot anyway. THe gyms are too small, the math teachers wouldn’t be able to talk to other math teachers. And you take away walk zones.

I think this is a a negotiation tactic. Get everyone riled up so when the real maps are revealed, it is less disruptive and everyone says ok.

THe impracticality of it is ridiculous.

6th -8th grade middle schools are the norm in many school district, and is the case in many local jurisdiction.

I would like to see more secondary schools. Shrink the boundaries and eliminate middle schools entirely. HS should be 7th - 12th. The 21yr old student is a silly argument. Most 21yr olds will be out earning a living in the trades/construction regardless of educational attainment.

The middle schools can be repurposed as HS too, but with much smaller boundaries.

The they are going to rape my daughter is so offensive on so many levels. It’s very Trumpian actually. Fear and hate are corrosive.

The middle school buildings are not designed to be high schools


They don't have enough gym space. High schools have at least two full sized gyms.

They don't have enough sports field space. High schools have football stadiums, baseball diamonds, softball diamonds, tennis courts, and full sized quality tracks at a minimum. Creating these sports fields to high school standards, even no frills, will cost millions of dollars.

Middle schools do not have proper theaters, sized for high school, with proper lighting and sound, set shops and dressing rooms. Creating a proper high school quality theater at even one middle school building would cost millions of dollars, even to basic high school standards.

Middle schools do not have enough music rooms, and their music rooms are too small for high school orchestra, band and choir programs.

The middle school science rooms are insufficient for high school science programs.

The list goes on.

Converting middle schools to high schools is a project that FCPS does not have the funds or time.to do. It would be a multi year, multi million dollar project to do it for even one middle school.



And to your last point, there are a lot more issues with having 10 and 11 year old children attending school and riding busses with 17/18/19/20/21 year old men beyond the one you jumped to of "daughters getting raped" You know this is true. The issues of moving 6th graders into the secondary schools in particular far outweigh any possible benefit to the 10 or so 6th graders mature and smart enough to take algebra in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school

What does this mean?

Where is the source for this? The latest BRAC e-mail described them as the first two scenarios, meaning there would be more options presented at subsequent meetings:

Dr. Reid welcomed the group and reminded the committee that at the next meetings the first two scenarios will be reviewed, to include evaluation of 6th grade in middle school, and a scenario that assumes all students attend the school that they are zoned to attend based on the current boundary.

That is the source…it’s also on the last BRAC meeting website. I’m surprised they disclosed it

And yes, they will have more scenarios but most likely using these as a baseline. Would be interesting to see actual capacities with everyone at their base home vs the transfer weaves that have been created. As for the middle school transfer by Fall 2026, lunacy!

Maybe they’ll use the base capacities as a starting slate and then adjust boundaries. Right now, the current capacities are so convoluted because of transfers.

If they actually had “equitable” programming at in each pyramid, this would keep people at their home schools, help bus routes, and bring up scores.

They cannot get accurate numbers without a full residency check.

There are too many people lying about where they actually live.

A residency check should have been step one of this entire process.

Switching IB to AP at all high schools should have been step two.

Both of these should have occured prior to hiring the consultant

[Anonymous]

What is the big advantage of 6-8? I can understand that this may have happened in some schools because of numbers, but why do it throughout the county.

I prefer 1-6. Just because much of the country does it, does not make it best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, FCPS could be focusing on real problems, like academics instead of this nonsense.

YES!!!

$500,000 spent on the consultant (twice!!) could have funded a lot of dedicated tutors at the worst performing schools.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s great that we’re exploring all these possibilities in FCPS we hadn’t considered before.

I’d like to explore a scenario where Reid is reassigned to be a cafeteria worker, Frisch a janitor, and Sizemore Heizer a bus driver. Moon can teach French and McDaniel can teach Dance.

Just so we can see how this might look, not that we’d actually do any of these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s great that we’re exploring all these possibilities in FCPS we hadn’t considered before.

I’d like to explore a scenario where Reid is reassigned to be a cafeteria worker, Frisch a janitor, and Sizemore Heizer a bus driver. Moon can teach French and McDaniel can teach Dance.

Just so we can see how this might look, not that we’d actually do any of these things.

I worked for a principal who took cafeteria duty most days. By-product: he knew all the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Before any discussion of changing boundaries, the SB needs to eliminate ALL AAP centers and just ensure every school has AAP classes. The skewing and confusion of borders is due in large part to the absurd busing of certain students to center schools. At this point, the center model is redundant and wasteful and needs to end.

Boundaries should only be addressed if there is a need to do so AFTER all kids are back in their community schools.

Agreed. At the next BRAC meeting, they are reviewing a scenario of everyone returning to their zoned school. So many of these inflated schools are influenced by those they allow attend from other zone, and often those over-achievers looking for more!

Bring students back to their home zones, offer fair and enticing programming within all pyramids and then assess capacity issues. See how testing and scores level out before their next equity brigade.

Was not aware this option was being considered (returning everyone to their zoned school). I think this is what many of us wanted as a start point for this whole review process, very pleased it's being presented to the BRAC.

There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school


Option #2

Move 6th grade from elementary school to middle school, which will require extensive rezoning in every neighborhood and school, including converting some elementary schools to middle schools and moving 6th graders as young as 10 years old into the secondary schools with students as old as 21.

Most of the oldest students will be 18/19 or younger, but if they are severely special needs or a recent migrant, they can attend high school until they are 21, as long as they are 20 years old the first day of school.

The significant expense of Option #2 was not accounted for in the most recent CIP, but it is now Dr. Reid's #1 priority by her own words at multiple community meetings, so logic and expense be damned.

If I were a Robinson, SoCo, or Lake Braddock zoned parent of elementary kids, I would be raising holy hell with my school board reps about this, before they finalize the move.

The 21 year old migrant and special needs high school students are federal law. I would also be raising hell with Tim Kaine, Connolly and Mark Warner about the 21 year old migrant men being allowed to attend traditional high school. The special needs students makes sense, but perfectly capable adult men allowed to be students in high schools and secondary schools does not.

If they are old enough to be charged with statuatory rape if they date anyone in their high school class, then they do not belong in traditional high school, especially if FCPS is moving 10 and 11 year old 6th graders into the building and school busses.

Option #2 is “nuclear”, per previous FCPS words. Totally understand and agree that 6-8 is very common throughout the country but FCPS facilities has not, nor is, built to support this. The fact Reid is even considering this shows she doesn’t understand the county’s limitations.

How would an elementary school become a middle school? If it were, it would be 6th grade only and all the reasons Reid gave for moving 6th graders are moot anyway. THe gyms are too small, the math teachers wouldn’t be able to talk to other math teachers. And you take away walk zones.

I think this is a a negotiation tactic. Get everyone riled up so when the real maps are revealed, it is less disruptive and everyone says ok.

THe impracticality of it is ridiculous.

6th -8th grade middle schools are the norm in many school district, and is the case in many local jurisdiction.

I would like to see more secondary schools. Shrink the boundaries and eliminate middle schools entirely. HS should be 7th - 12th. The 21yr old student is a silly argument. Most 21yr olds will be out earning a living in the trades/construction regardless of educational attainment.

The middle schools can be repurposed as HS too, but with much smaller boundaries.

The they are going to rape my daughter is so offensive on so many levels. It’s very Trumpian actually. Fear and hate are corrosive.

The middle school buildings are not designed to be high schools


They don't have enough gym space. High schools have at least two full sized gyms.

They don't have enough sports field space. High schools have football stadiums, baseball diamonds, softball diamonds, tennis courts, and full sized quality tracks at a minimum. Creating these sports fields to high school standards, even no frills, will cost millions of dollars.

Middle schools do not have proper theaters, sized for high school, with proper lighting and sound, set shops and dressing rooms. Creating a proper high school quality theater at even one middle school building would cost millions of dollars, even to basic high school standards.

Middle schools do not have enough music rooms, and their music rooms are too small for high school orchestra, band and choir programs.

The middle school science rooms are insufficient for high school science programs.

The list goes on.

Converting middle schools to high schools is a project that FCPS does not have the funds or time.to do. It would be a multi year, multi million dollar project to do it for even one middle school.



And to your last point, there are a lot more issues with having 10 and 11 year old children attending school and riding busses with 17/18/19/20/21 year old men beyond the one you jumped to of "daughters getting raped" You know this is true. The issues of moving 6th graders into the secondary schools in particular far outweigh any possible benefit to the 10 or so 6th graders mature and smart enough to take algebra in 6th grade.

Converting elementary to middle school or middle school to high school are not tenable solutions, in my opinion given the facility upgrades required.

Converting more high schools to secondary schools is probably the most economical strategy, but mixing 6th graders with 12th graders is a reasonable concern, and I can’t see how this can be done without generating more middle school split feeders to distribute students across open seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the big advantage of 6-8? I can understand that this may have happened in some schools because of numbers, but why do it throughout the county.

I prefer 1-6. Just because much of the country does it, does not make it best.

Interestingly enough, FCPS did a study a few years ago to see if they could realign the Annandale and Justice pyramids with the rest of the county and concluded that it didn’t matter.

https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/Grade6intheMiddleSchoolAnalysis2021.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school

What does this mean?

Eliminate AAP centers and close AP/IB/language transfers.

Then I vote for this, adding eliminating IB in favor of AP and doing a one-time residency check, followed by checking residency for every school change (i.e. when you go to middle school and when you go to high school) just like you prove residency when starting kindergarten or whenever you join an elementary school.

Then, maybe, they can look at whether some of those bigger elementary schools that have been housing AAP centers could house a 6-8 middle school.

There is no need for AAP centers for 7-8 graders.

I get closing the language loop hole. I can see where there are communities where it makes sense to offer a more specialized language, like Farsi or Russian or Hindi or Chinese or German, but for the most part all schools offer Spanish and French, which should be enough for students.

Closing the IB/AP transfer is unfair to kids who are assigned to a program that is a bad fit. The kids who transfer for IB are actually interested in the program and required to work the degree program. There are kids who have no interest in the IB program and it is a bad fit for their interests who should be allowed to transfer for AP. If you are going to close that option then you need to get rid of one of the programs, which would obviously be the IB program.

I have no problem with the language immersion programs because parents are aware that they have to transport their kids if they want their kids to participate and it is out of boundary. That requirement continues for MS and HS if the child continues with the program. Some schools do not allow students outside of the school to participate in the lottery, and that is fine. Schools with space can open the program up to the lottery. It is a school-based choice. It is not a burden on busses and can be set up to prevent it from leading to an over crowded school.

AAP centers can be closed and those students returned to their base schools. Or offer the parents the option that they have to provide transportation if they choose the Center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. Before any discussion of changing boundaries, the SB needs to eliminate ALL AAP centers and just ensure every school has AAP classes. The skewing and confusion of borders is due in large part to the absurd busing of certain students to center schools. At this point, the center model is redundant and wasteful and needs to end.

Boundaries should only be addressed if there is a need to do so AFTER all kids are back in their community schools.

Agreed. At the next BRAC meeting, they are reviewing a scenario of everyone returning to their zoned school. So many of these inflated schools are influenced by those they allow attend from other zone, and often those over-achievers looking for more!

Bring students back to their home zones, offer fair and enticing programming within all pyramids and then assess capacity issues. See how testing and scores level out before their next equity brigade.

Was not aware this option was being considered (returning everyone to their zoned school). I think this is what many of us wanted as a start point for this whole review process, very pleased it's being presented to the BRAC.

There are now just 2 options under consideration, but that might change again.

Option #1

Return everyone to their base school


Option #2

Move 6th grade from elementary school to middle school, which will require extensive rezoning in every neighborhood and school, including converting some elementary schools to middle schools and moving 6th graders as young as 10 years old into the secondary schools with students as old as 21.

Most of the oldest students will be 18/19 or younger, but if they are severely special needs or a recent migrant, they can attend high school until they are 21, as long as they are 20 years old the first day of school.

The significant expense of Option #2 was not accounted for in the most recent CIP, but it is now Dr. Reid's #1 priority by her own words at multiple community meetings, so logic and expense be damned.

If I were a Robinson, SoCo, or Lake Braddock zoned parent of elementary kids, I would be raising holy hell with my school board reps about this, before they finalize the move.

The 21 year old migrant and special needs high school students are federal law. I would also be raising hell with Tim Kaine, Connolly and Mark Warner about the 21 year old migrant men being allowed to attend traditional high school. The special needs students makes sense, but perfectly capable adult men allowed to be students in high schools and secondary schools does not.

If they are old enough to be charged with statuatory rape if they date anyone in their high school class, then they do not belong in traditional high school, especially if FCPS is moving 10 and 11 year old 6th graders into the building and school busses.

Option #2 is “nuclear”, per previous FCPS words. Totally understand and agree that 6-8 is very common throughout the country but FCPS facilities has not, nor is, built to support this. The fact Reid is even considering this shows she doesn’t understand the county’s limitations.

How would an elementary school become a middle school? If it were, it would be 6th grade only and all the reasons Reid gave for moving 6th graders are moot anyway. THe gyms are too small, the math teachers wouldn’t be able to talk to other math teachers. And you take away walk zones.

I think this is a a negotiation tactic. Get everyone riled up so when the real maps are revealed, it is less disruptive and everyone says ok.

THe impracticality of it is ridiculous.

6th -8th grade middle schools are the norm in many school district, and is the case in many local jurisdiction.

I would like to see more secondary schools. Shrink the boundaries and eliminate middle schools entirely. HS should be 7th - 12th. The 21yr old student is a silly argument. Most 21yr olds will be out earning a living in the trades/construction regardless of educational attainment.

The middle schools can be repurposed as HS too, but with much smaller boundaries.

The they are going to rape my daughter is so offensive on so many levels. It’s very Trumpian actually. Fear and hate are corrosive.

The middle school buildings are not designed to be high schools


They don't have enough gym space. High schools have at least two full sized gyms.

They don't have enough sports field space. High schools have football stadiums, baseball diamonds, softball diamonds, tennis courts, and full sized quality tracks at a minimum. Creating these sports fields to high school standards, even no frills, will cost millions of dollars.

Middle schools do not have proper theaters, sized for high school, with proper lighting and sound, set shops and dressing rooms. Creating a proper high school quality theater at even one middle school building would cost millions of dollars, even to basic high school standards.

Middle schools do not have enough music rooms, and their music rooms are too small for high school orchestra, band and choir programs.

The middle school science rooms are insufficient for high school science programs.

The list goes on.

Converting middle schools to high schools is a project that FCPS does not have the funds or time.to do. It would be a multi year, multi million dollar project to do it for even one middle school.



And to your last point, there are a lot more issues with having 10 and 11 year old children attending school and riding busses with 17/18/19/20/21 year old men beyond the one you jumped to of "daughters getting raped" You know this is true. The issues of moving 6th graders into the secondary schools in particular far outweigh any possible benefit to the 10 or so 6th graders mature and smart enough to take algebra in 6th grade.

Converting elementary to middle school or middle school to high school are not tenable solutions, in my opinion given the facility upgrades required.

Converting more high schools to secondary schools is probably the most economical strategy, but mixing 6th graders with 12th graders is a reasonable concern, and I can’t see how this can be done without generating more middle school split feeders to distribute students across open seats.

These things are not practical, and they would also be very expensive.

The point isn’t that Reid or the School Board want to do these things. The point is that they want to destroy any expectations on the part of parents that their kids will attend certain schools or even certain types of schools. Then, when they’ve disabused people of the notion that they can count on sending their kids to particular schools, they can roll out the boundary changes that reassign kids to different ES, MS, and HS.