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Parents, students and advocates urge Montgomery County board to drop ‘Option H’ to close Wootton High
Summary
Dozens of residents testified Jan. 26 urging the Board of Education to remove “Option H” from the Crown–Wootton boundary study, saying it would permanently close Wootton High, harm neighborhood stability, create transportation and fiscal burdens, and exceed the study’s authorized scope.
Dozens of parents, students and community advocates urged the Montgomery County Board of Education on Jan. 26 to remove “Option H” from consideration in the Crown–Damascus boundary study, arguing the proposal would amount to a de facto closure of Wootton High School and cause lasting harm to the neighborhood.
“Option H creates instability,” said Jocelyn Miller, a parent, during the public‑comment period, adding that the plan would “close Wootton and increase long‑term costs for MCPS.” Multiple speakers said public outreach has been inadequate and accused officials of inconsistent public messaging about whether the change would be temporary or permanent.
Speakers warned of concrete harms if Wootton were repurposed as a holding school. An engineer who testified described pedestrian and traffic risks, saying Wootton currently has strong walkability and Safe Routes to School results; he estimated more than $70 million could be required to upgrade roads if long commutes become necessary. “Option H simply creates a traffic nightmare,” he said.
Several witnesses framed Option H as a procedural and legal problem. Guo Yu Chuang told the board the option exceeded the board’s Oct. 30, 2025 scope for the Crown–Damascus study and cited MCPS regulation FAARA, urging withdrawal of the option to avoid legal consequences. In a recorded video, Alisa Sukhobuk said she was tracking legal notices and potential challenges and listed possible oversight and enforcement avenues—including MSDE, OCR and IAC complaints—if the board moved forward without following statutory closure steps.
Students and families also described daily disruptions. Justin Tom, a senior at Magruder High School, said his school has long suffered from facility problems and that Option H would place Magruder and other clusters in “limbo.” Parents described split‑family commutes, lost extracurricular access and loss of neighborhood school identity.
Board members did not take formal action on Option H during the meeting. After public comment concluded, members thanked speakers and encouraged continued written feedback; staff and the board said they would continue to accept written and video testimony and noted additional public comment opportunities.
What matters: The objections raised at the Jan. 26 meeting highlight three distinct concerns: (1) whether Option H is procedurally within the superintendent’s recommended scope for the boundary study; (2) the practical transportation, safety and fiscal impacts of relocating students; and (3) the community‑stability impacts of removing a neighborhood high school. Several speakers asked the board to prioritize an elementary boundary study first and to publish transparent cost estimates and engagement plans before advancing any option that would remove permanent capacity.
The next procedural step: Board staff closed the public‑comment portion of the meeting and noted that the next public comment meeting is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2026; sign‑ups open Jan. 29, 2026 at 6 p.m. The board did not vote on Option H at this session.
