Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Boundaries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Reston parents urge board to keep students in South Lakes pyramid amid boundary scenarios
Summary
During public comment at the May 22 meeting a Reston parent urged the school board to keep Crossfield Elementary students in the South Lakes middle‑ and high‑school pyramid, citing walkability, existing community ties and concerns about splitting cohorts and mid‑program moves for IB students.
A Reston parent urged the Fairfax County School Board during public comment on May 22 to preserve neighborhood cohorting in redistricting plans and keep students feeding to Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School.
Why it matters: boundary changes can alter students’ school assignments, travel routes and access to programs such as International Baccalaureate. Parents said preserving walkability and existing community ties should guide the board’s decisions.
Michelle Wiss said her family’s children attend Crossfield Elementary and currently feed to Hughes Middle and South Lakes High. She described being “thrilled to see the kids stayed in their existing schools in scenario 1” and said she was “shocked in scenarios 2 and 3 when they were busted in 2 different directions to Rachel Carson and Oakton.” Wiss said the Oakton pyramid “never should have come into play” and asked the board to “Please keep our kids in the South Lakes Pyramid for middle and high school.”
Wiss and other speakers framed the request around walkability, local childcare and extracurricular ties. She suggested a fourth scenario — moving children to Hunter’s Woods with busing — as an alternative that would keep cohorts intact and preserve students’ access to IB programming.
Ending: The boundary discussion remains ongoing; the board held additional public meetings and encouraged residents to review maps and submit feedback through the division’s boundary review process.
