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Parents, students and residents urge Fairfax County School Board to keep neighborhoods assigned to Chantilly, citing Route 28 safety
Summary
At a July 13 public hearing on Skyview High School boundaries, students, parents and homeowners urged the Fairfax County School Board to keep several neighborhoods assigned to Chantilly High (and Rocky Run Middle), saying proposed routes to Westfield would expose students to Route 28 and major intersections and could reduce course access at Westfield. The board will consider the matter later in its regular meeting.
The Fairfax County School Board held a public hearing July 13 on proposed western-pyramid boundary changes for Skyview High School, and dozens of students, parents and neighborhood representatives urged the board to keep affected neighborhoods assigned to Chantilly High School and Rocky Run Middle School.
Students and parents repeatedly cited safety along Route 28 and major intersections as their primary concern. "Starting over at a new high school at this stage of our lives will be deeply unsettling," student Shrashta Gautam told the board, asking the panel to "keep our neighborhood together." Student Diti and several residents said walking and biking routes to Westfield High School cross highway ramps and busy intersections and are longer and more fragmented than routes to Chantilly, increasing dependence on buses and reducing after-school participation.
Resident Sundar Nagarajan said approximately 87 households in his neighborhood have signed a petition asking the board to prioritize student safety over numerical balancing. "We are not opposed to Westfield High School," he said, "but safety of our students should take priority before the final boundary decision is made."
Speakers also raised concerns that the rezoning could affect academic opportunities. FCPS parent and math teacher Erica Chang said materials posted July 9 showed a projected 25% drop in Westfield enrollment and warned that a decline in headcount could reduce staffing and the availability of advanced math and computer science courses. Chang said an updated presentation posted the afternoon of the hearing appeared to obscure that decline and urged the board to closely review enrollment projections.
Representatives of homeowners associations and other residents repeatedly argued that reassignment would impose economic burdens and could affect property values for families who bought homes knowing their children would attend Chantilly. Shweta Mandlipo, speaking on behalf of Rockland Village HOA, said about 100 homes in her community would face longer commutes and safety risks on proposed routes to Westfield.
The board chair thanked those who testified and reminded the public that written testimony may be emailed to communityparticipation@fcps.edu. The chair said the school board will consider the boundary recommendation later in the regular meeting that night; the hearing was adjourned at about 7:00 p.m.
The hearing record shows no formal vote or board decision during the public-comment portion. The board will take up the recommendation during its regular meeting, where members may ask staff for additional information or move to adopt, amend or postpone any final boundary change.
