Some parents outraged by Stafford County redistricting plan
STAFFORD, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - A northern Virginia school district approves a redistricting plan this week that some parents say discards diversity.
On Tuesday, the Stafford County Public Schools School Board put new boundaries in place for its 17 elementary schools.
Parents say it was a done deal despite the public hearings, and similar situations are happening at districts across the area.
Some parents say the new boundaries amount to segregation in schools -- especially Moncure Elementary, where the now-balanced population will go to 80 percent minority students.
Parents say they were not part of the decision making process and the shift impacts the socioeconomic makeups of the schools, which means more resources could be needed at some schools compared to their counterparts.
Maya Guy and Karen Presecan both have elementary school age children impacted by the boundary change.
Both say their children will be attending a new elementary school this August.
Both say their children will go from a racially diverse educational environment to one that is segregated.
The narrowly approved redistricting plan for the county's 17 elementary schools was passed by a 4-3 vote.
The redistricting plan became possible when the county purchased an old district building that will house its early childhood programs.
The move made classroom space available in several elementary schools.
The school district did not respond to the question of whether the new boundaries will cause segregation in schools.
The district did offer the following statement:
"The Elementary Redistricting was commissioned to balance the projected elementary students at 17 elementary schools due to overcrowding at some and underutilization at others. The redistricting will take place starting with the 2019-2020 school year."
Some residents say property values are also impacted by redistricting.
Stafford has several new developments - and many people are purchasing homes based on schools zoned for their property.