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Debate over Crown High School boundaries intensifies
Montgomery County Public Schools is considering several massive redistricting proposals regarding Crown High School, which is currently under construction. Families attended the Board of Education meeting Thursday to voice their concerns.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - The battle over redistricting in Maryland’s largest school district is still underway.
Montgomery County Public Schools is considering several massive redistricting proposals and families at the center of them continue to speak out.
There are several proposals on the table, and they’re complex.
But until the board actually picks one, families all across the district are in limbo, unsure if their child will stay at their current school or move to another entirely, including a brand-new, highly sought-after high school.
What you need to know:
Crown High School is still under construction in Gaithersburg, but it’s already at the center of a heated, complex debate that’s got frustrated families all across Maryland's largest school district packing public school board meetings to provide comment.
MCPS has put forth eight proposals to redraw attendance zones district-wide — an effort to save millions, address a backlog of billions in construction needs and address overcrowding.
Depending on which proposal is approved, the brand-new school — still under construction in Gaithersburg — could permanently become a high school for kids from another district school entirely, like Wootton High School.
Or, it may be used as a temporary holding school for kids while their schools undergo repairs, like Damascus.
"Why would we not use Crown High School if that would keep kids safer during construction?" one parent questioned.
What they're saying:
At a recent board meeting, parents of current and future Damascus students begged to get sent to Crown, citing temperature, mold, pest, alarm and other serious safety issues.
"I see mold in corners, in ceiling tiles and even exposed," one student, Audrey, said. "Roaches, large ones, are found in hallways, stairwells and classrooms."
However, that could mean many Gaithersburg kids would not get to attend Crown High, despite the fact that parents say their tax dollars contributed to it.
Some even moved to the neighborhood for it.
"Families like mine purchased our homes, believing our children would attend the new local high school," one father told the Board.
"It’s the closest feeder school," another mom said.
Unified in construction vests, families from Fields Road Elementary — less than two miles from Crown — begged the board to include all their students in a proposal to feed into Crown.
"Our school cannot be split up," one parent said.
"It is simply not fair for Fields Road students to be left out Crown High School — a brand new school built to serve the very community schools around it," said another.
What's next:
A final vote on a proposal is not expected until March.