This petition requests that the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) School Board immediately halt their efforts to revise Policy 8130, and take steps to meaningfully engage with community leaders to solve the problems facing the Students of Fairfax County, VA.

For the past 38 years, this policy has served as the foundation for all school boundary decisions. School boundary changes are detrimental and disruptive to students, families, and communities due to their disruption of student continuity. Boundary changes should only be considered as a last resort in response to an unforeseeable crisis, or when they are overwhelmingly supported by the affected communities.  Boundary changes should not be promoted as a routine and convenient alternative for the infrastructure investments that are necessary to address predictable capacity growth. 

This community is concerned by FCPS School Board’s current attempt to expand their ability and authorities to change school boundaries. Currently, the School Board is working to rush through a revision to 8130 despite requests from the community for the Board to explain why these changes are necessary.  The Board has openly stated they have “no data” and they have no studies to support these changes would solve the ongoing problems facing our students.

The current School Board policy revision effort:  

1.     Expands the superintendent’s ability to administratively change boundaries without community engagement. (Note - This section was amended and now requires school board concurrence and public notice with community engagement)

2.     Mandates the board must conduct holistic boundary reviews and implement broad boundary changes every five years. This contrasts with the existing method of narrowly tailored boundary changes based on quantifiable need and emergency circumstances. 

3.     Removes language that the Board should consider the impact on students and families when considering boundary revisions. 

4.     Removes critical phasing (grandfathering) language that provides stability for children in their Middle and High School education.

5.     Adds “equitable” access to programs as a criterion for redrawing boundary lines; however, fails to define how equitable access to programs will be implemented, prioritized, and measured. 

Combined these changes are viewed as an attempt by the School Board to expand their authorities while reducing checks and balances, through the reduction of stated protections in the policy and a lack of meaningful community input into school boundary change decisions. These changes detriment the students, families, and communities of Fairfax County and we strongly oppose them.