We, the community of the Stone Mill Elementary School (“SMES”), respectfully urge the Montgomery County Board of Education to move forward with a boundary that keeps SMES attached to the Wootton Cluster and causes no disruption to the current High School and Middle School Boundaries within the Wootton Cluster.  In the strongest possible terms, we oppose any proposal that would remove or otherwise unduly split or detach SMES from its present designation in the Wootton Cluster, as this would cause irreparable harm to the SMES community and the Wootton Cluster as a whole for several reasons.

For the reasons set out below, and for other reasons that will be learned in the near future through the interactive process with the Montgomery County Public Schools (“MCPS”) and the Board of Education (“BOE”), the SMES community proposes that it remain attached to an otherwise undisturbed Wootton Cluster.

1. Geographic Proximity, Commuting Challenges, and Safety concerns
   Currently, SMES students have safe and convenient transportation to Wootton High School via neighborhood roads. These paths are familiar to the students and do not require substantial crossings at dangerous intersections during high-traffic periods. Additionally, most of the routes are shared between the middle school and Wootton High, providing a smooth and familiar transition for both students and parents. Redistricting to Crown, on the other hand, requires a more substantial commute in terms of distance, danger, time, congestion, and contribution of additional pollutants through the burning of more fossil fuel.  Roads such as Shady Grove, Darnestown, Muddy Branch, and even Seneca Highway all require an increased assumption of risk that is wholly unnecessary and detrimental to the community.  Longer commute times necessitate earlier waking times for students when science repeatedly shows that teenagers are at the most critical age for needing more sleep.  This also affords less time in the afternoon to engage in extracurricular or personal endeavors.

   In the current planning options, MCPS designates parts of Stonebridge and nearby neighborhoods as a walk zone for Crown High School. The proposed walking route is lengthy, unsafe, and impractical. It requires students to cross major roads like MD-28, where heavy traffic, inadequate sidewalks, and missing crosswalks pose serious safety risks. While walkzone analysis is critical to any boundary study, and should absolutely be utilized in the present instance, such information is only useful when it’s realistic.  This particular walkzone designation is unrealistic and should be redrawn.

2. Harm to Students with Disabilities and Special Needs
   Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans depend on trusted school personnel and familiar routines to receive legally mandated support services. Reassignment to a different high school risks service disruption, staff transition delays, and a breakdown in communication between teams—potentially resulting in IDEA compliance violations and measurable academic harm.  Re-districting will also necessarily impact the staff at each school as they must consider their own future job sites.  A proposal that maintains the current Wootton cluster boundaries and designations is the most likely plan to ensure the continued presence of familiar teachers and staff for the growth and progress of these scholars.
3. Student Stability and Emotional Well-being
   Board Policy FAA explicitly states that school assignment decisions should prioritize stability—calling for “stable assignments for as long a period as possible.” SMES students have a well-established education path through the Wootton Cluster. SMES has long been an integral part of the Wootton cluster, with decades of shared traditions, community events, and holiday celebrations that have fostered strong academic and social bonds. Forcibly severing this trajectory disrupts students' emotional security, learning momentum, and sense of belonging—particularly for multilingual and immigrant families who rely on consistent school environments for successful integration. Indeed, any re-assignment at this point in time directly contradicts with the Stability criterion because it is not only possible to main the current Wootton Cluster boundaries, but it is also the best option.
4. Educational Continuity and Program Alignment 
   SMES families have adopted and consistently utilized the academic progression aligned with the Wootton Cluster’s curriculum tracks and extracurricular offerings.  This has provided all parents with guidance and understanding to monitor the progress of their children-scholars, which is essential for development. Parents presently have a strong foundation to compare their child’s annual, grade-by-grade advancement.  Conversely, they can identify areas of opportunity for added attention.  This has been reinforced for years.   A sudden reassignment to a different high school cluster calls for the loss of access to academic programs students have been using for over years. Transitioning students in the middle of this pathway risks regression and lost opportunity, while actually increasing the chances of students falling behind in academics because parents are unfamiliar with a new process of tracking.
5. Over-Utilization Numbers are Undefined and Misleading
   We recognize the criticality of managing school capacity to foster the best learning environment, but no one in the community is served under the current projections.  Wootton High School is not presently over-utilized, nor will it become over-utilized under any scenario where the Cluster maintains its current boundaries.  Over-Utilization only becomes an issue when admitting Wayside into the Wootton Cluster, which purports to cause a domino effect leading to the displacement of SMES or other Wotton Cluster elementary schools.  The reality is that the long-term projections used to justify boundary changes are undefined and unreliable.  First, it is unclear how the projections are made and how a student is counted.  Second, considering those numbers is of little value when they are inaccurate. When compared to historical projections, the empirical data consistently shows that actual enrollment is lower than projected enrollment.  Coupled with slower housing sales, slower construction, and less space for new home development, the specific concern of Winston Churchill High School’s over-Utilization is likely unfounded.  Reassigning an entire elementary school community away from the Wootton Cluster is an unnecessary and disproportionately disruptive action made only in response to an overblown concern. More appropriate and less harmful approaches should be explored, especially when no actual capacity crisis exists.
6. Equity in Process and Outreach
   MCPS Board Policy ABA requires transparent, inclusive engagement—especially with communities where English is not the primary language. Many SMES families report receiving little-to-no communication in language-accessible formats on top of insufficient opportunities for meaningful input. We urge the Board to commit to multilingual outreach and extended community consultation before making any irrevocable decisions.

In summary, our requests are simple and well-supported:

• Keep the entire current SMES boundary within the Wootton Cluster;
• Uphold MCPS’s commitments to educational stability, equity, and transparent governance;
• Pursue alternative Utilization solutions where actually necessary and that do not dismantle functioning, integrated communities.

We stand united in defense of our children, our neighborhood, and the values that make Montgomery County Public Schools a model district.

Thank you for your continued support.