We, the undersigned parents, students, educators, and residents of Anne Arundel County, respectfully petition the Board of Education to halt the Phase 2 redistricting process until AACPS corrects documented data discrepancies, restores procedural transparency, and demonstrates compliance with its own redistricting regulation and planning standards. The Board’s target to adopt a plan in November 2025 is self-imposed, not legally required, and should not take precedence over accuracy, fairness, and public trust.

Why a Pause Is Necessary

1. The “November” decision date is self-imposed.
   AACPS’s own Phase 2 page says the process “began in February 2025 and is scheduled to be adopted by the Board in November 2025.” “Scheduled” reflects a local timeline choice, not a statutory deadline. Local and press materials likewise describe a planned Board vote in November, not a legal requirement, confirming the date is a Board-set schedule that can be adjusted in the public interest.
2.  The data inputs have been in flux even as proposals advance.
   AACPS publicly acknowledged newly released unofficial enrollment counts and, based on those moving numbers, added more proposals in mid-October, expanding the field to six plans. The Board has also announced changes to the public hearing and briefing schedule along the way. This volatility shows that key assumptions are unsettled, which is precisely when a pause protects families from hasty, error-prone decisions. 
3.  The process must match AACPS’s own regulation (JAA/JAA-RA).
   AACPS Regulation JAA-RA (Redistricting and Attendance Areas) sets out the framework for how redistricting is supposed to occur, emphasizing consistent criteria, accurate data, and a transparent process with community engagement. Proceeding amid acknowledged data churn and shifting proposals risks violating the spirit, if not the letter, of the regulation and undermining public confidence.
4. Decisions must align with the Educational Facilities Master Plan and county capacity policy.
   AACPS’s Educational Facilities Master Plan (EFMP) and related county capacity policies are meant to guide responsible, data-driven boundary changes through utilization targets and growth planning. Until enrollment counts and program placements are stable and verified, any adoption risks misaligning with those planning standards, creating new imbalances or failing to address the right ones. Proceeding with redistricting before this information is available risks unnecessary disruption to students, so we respectfully ask the Board of Education to delay any vote until the new plan is complete, incorporated, and open for public review and comment.

What We’ve Seen (Examples)
New data injected mid-stream: The Board received new additional information on Phase 2 in October and responded by moving two more proposals forward, tied to unofficial enrollment counts, illustrating that the underlying numbers are still in flux.

Shifting public schedules: AACPS announced changes to its briefing and hearing schedule as recently as October, again demonstrating that the timeline is not fixed by law and can be adjusted.

Our Requests

1. Pause Phase 2 redistricting immediately and defer any Board vote until:
   • Enrollment figures and program locations are final, verified, and published with school-level detail
   • AACPS demonstrates how each proposal meets JAA/JAA-RA criteria such as contiguity, feeder patterns, transportation impacts, and capacity utilization in a transparent, side-by-side matrix
   • Given that AACPS is developing a new 10-year Strategic Facilities Utilization Master Plan, with the final report due in December 2025, and that significant changes have occurred since the 2015 MGT study, it is prudent to await the new plan’s findings, including updated SRC numbers and renovation priorities.
2. Release a corrected public record addressing all data discrepancies flagged by communities, including methodology notes and the version history of datasets used for each map scenario.
3. Re-open public input with adequate notice after corrected data are posted, and publish all submitted comments and staff responses in one public repository.
4. Publish a compliance memo showing how the recommended plan aligns with the EFMP and county capacity policy goals before any adoption vote.
5. Set a new timeline if needed that prioritizes correctness over speed. Because the current November target is a Board-selected schedule, the Board should move the date if that’s what it takes to get this right.

Bottom Line
Families deserve a process that is accurate, transparent, and policy-compliant, not a rushed decision tethered to a discretionary date. We call on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education to pause Phase 2 now, correct the record, and then resume with the community’s full confidence.

How Can You Help?

1. Sign and share this petition to protect students, neighborhoods, and trust in our public schools.
2. Email the board directly expressing your concerns

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