Fairfax Co. Changes Boundaries for Incoming Freshmen

School board members adopted the new attendance boundaries to alleviate overcrowding at Westfield and Chantilly high schools and to give more students access to all programs.

The plan will not affect current students.

The board voted to move some incoming freshmen students who would go to Westfield, James Madison and Oakton to South Lakes High School. Some who were supposed to go to Chantilly would go to Oakton.

Under the proposal, approved on a 10-2 vote, enrollment at South Lakes High School in Reston will grow by up to 600 students by 2012.

The new boundaries were designed to reduce the share of students at South Lakes from low-income families or who speak English as a second language.

Chairman Dan Storck says there is no reason for parents to fear quality would go down.

"We have an excellent school system, one of the best in the country," he says. "What we can say with great, great comfort is no matter where they go to school in Fairfax County they'll get a great education

Many parents at the packed hearing said they were angry and were considering legal action, but this parent disagreed. "All they need to do is stop putting so much energy into fighting and put that energy into supporting the school."

Associated Press contributed to this article.

(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)