By Adam Pagnucco.
In my column on MCPS’s Crown HS vicinity boundary maps, I wrote this:
Wayside Elementary School in Potomac currently feeds into Churchill HS, one of MCPS’s most prominent schools. In all four options, it would now feed into Wootton HS.
Wayside ES parents understand this and have mobilized to fight.
Wayside Elementary School. Photo credit: MCPS.
Two days ago, they launched an online petition to ask the school board to reject this change in assignments. For context, Wayside ES had 442 students in the 2022-23 school year. As of 10 PM last night, the petition in opposition had more than 1,300 signatures.
I expect to see more of this, particularly in Kensington. And this being MoCo, attorneys may ultimately be involved. Boundary shifts are inevitable given the construction of two new high schools and the pending expansion of another. But no one – absolutely no one – wants to bear any resulting ill consequences. That’s in part because school boundaries often last for many years, promising generational impacts.
The Wayside ES petition is reprinted below.
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Wayside-Hoover-Churchill Community to Boundary Study: Strong Opposition to Reassignment
The Issue
We respectfully urge the Montgomery County Board of Education to reject the proposed high school boundary reassignment that would shift Wayside Elementary students from the Churchill cluster to Wootton.
This plan threatens our children’s well-being, our neighborhood cohesion, and MCPS’s own policies.
1. Student Stability and Emotional Well-being
Board Policy FAA prioritizes school assignment stability. Forcibly separating students from peers after progressing together through elementary and middle school deeply disrupts academic and emotional continuity (APA, 2020; Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019).
2. Loss of Academic Momentum
Many students are enrolled in advanced programs and extracurriculars tailored to Churchill. Reassignment may sever access to these initiatives, causing regression and lost opportunity.
3. Harm to Students with Disabilities and Special Needs
Students with IEPs or 504 Plans depend on long-term staff relationships and school familiarity. Disruption may delay access to legally mandated services, risking violations of IDEA and causing serious educational harm.
4. Geographic Proximity and Commuting Concerns
Churchill’s closer location allows Wayside students to walk or bike, reducing traffic and supporting student health. Reassignment to Wootton increases commute times, forces earlier wake-ups, and disrupts sleep, impacting academic focus, sports, and after-school activities. It also adds to congestion and emissions, violating MCPS’s transportation and sustainability policies.
5. Capacity Concerns Are Temporary and Manageable
Churchill’s current overcapacity is minor and, according to MCPS’s own projections, will resolve naturally in the coming years. Drastic boundary changes are unnecessary and risk long-term disruption for a short-term issue that could be addressed through less disruptive measures.
6. Threat to Community Identity
Wayside–Churchill is a tightly knit community with decades of shared history. Reassignment threatens to fracture that identity, especially for immigrant, multilingual, and minority families who rely on consistent educational environments.
7. Precedent and Expectations
MCPS has historically honored feeder patterns. Changing this without extraordinary justification undermines decades of trust and predictability in school planning.
8. Gaps in Community Engagement
Board Policy ABA calls for inclusive, multilingual engagement, and there is room for improvement in ensuring all voices are meaningfully heard. Extending deadlines and offering more interactive forums would help build trust and strengthen the process.
This proposal undermines student well-being, destabilizes neighborhoods, and violates the values MCPS claims to uphold.
We call upon decision-makers to reevaluate options and invest in sustainable, student-centered alternatives.
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Detailed Facts & Evidence Supporting Our Petition
Coming soon ~