Emerald Chase Action

Keep Emerald Chase at Oak Hill Elementary

Talking Points

The main ideas to stress when communicating about Emerald Chase are that 1) redistricting us at the elementary school level will almost certainly create larger, more disruptive problems than it will solve, and 2) redistricting us would either directly violate or be inconsistent with the top four priorities the FCPS School Board has said it will take into consideration when redrawing school boundaries (and would violate additional criteria the board may take into consideration).  

Please note that FCPS is also considering redistricting Emerald Chase for high school so that our students would no longer attend Westfield High School and would instead be zoned for South Lakes High School. Our main concern is the elementary school; however, many in the community want to stay at a high school that offers AP classes.

We support grandfathering for all students who would be rezoned by FCPS.

Below are our main concerns, grouped by school board priorities and additional criteria:

Priority: Proximity

  • Emerald Chase is connected to Chantilly Highlands, where Oak Hill Elementary School is located, by a walking trail, and students can walk or bike to each other’s homes using only small, safe neighborhood side streets. Our neighborhoods are thus naturally grouped together in one contiguous zone. In contrast, Emerald Chase and Fox Mill Elementary School are divided by the Fairfax County Parkway, a major thoroughfare where cars travel upwards of 50 mph. Emerald Chase and the Fox Mill neighborhood are not contiguous attendance zones.
  • Rezoning Emerald Chase to Fox Mill would split our neighborhood up because many of our students are in Oak Hill’s AAP program and likely would remain there even if boundaries change. This may mean students living next door to each other might not go to the same elementary school. Emerald Chase is a tight-knit community where neighbors socialize and look out for each other’s children, and this change would be devastating for us.

Priority: Enrollment/Capacity

  • Thru Consulting, the company hired by FCPS to help with the boundary review, has released draft boundary maps that will not meaningfully balance capacity in the short term at Emerald Chase’s current or proposed schools.
  • FCPS listed Oak Hill as currently having surplus capacity, and though it has released conflicting data about specific numbers, it projected the school will decrease in capacity to either 84 or 76 percent capacity in SY 2029-30. There are zero concerns about overcrowding at the school, and taking away more students could in fact leave Oak Hill with unused space. But Fox Mill is expected to increase in capacity, to 90 percent in SY 2029-30, up from 85 percent now. It does not need to pull in Emerald Chase students to sustain operations or address any other capacity concerns. Data drawn from FCPS Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2026-30.
  • It is not necessary to move Emerald Chase away from Oak Hill in order to solve capacity issues at its currently zoned high school. Westfield has sufficient capacity at 97 percent this year, and it is expected to decrease in capacity to 94 percent in SY 2029-30. In contrast, South Lakes is expected to increase in capacity, approaching a capacity deficit, with 100 percent capacity anticipated in SY 2029-230, up from 96 percent capacity now. Data drawn from FCPS Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2026-30.
  • The proposed reassignments will not solve the split-feeder problem for Emerald Chase students. While it is true that Oak Hill is a split-feeder, under the draft maps, Emerald Chase would still be zoned for Rachel Carson Middle School, which is also a split-feeder.

Priority: Transportation

  • Rezoning Emerald Chase to Fox Mill would not only create longer bus rides for students and make walking unsafe and impracticable, it might require dual bus routes through the neighborhood, driving up the costs for taxpayers and further burdening an already understaffed FCPS transportation system.
  • The bus ride from Emerald Chase to Oak Hill only takes about 10 minutes, and students have the additional option of walking or biking to school via safe walking trails and neighborhood side streets. But Fox Mill is farther away and across the Fairfax County Parkway from Emerald Chase, requiring a longer bus commute and virtually eliminating the option of walking.
  • Rezoning Emerald Chase to Fox Mill may require two separate bus routes through the neighborhood because many of our students are enrolled in the AAP program at Oak Hill and likely would remain there even after redistricting, thus needing their own bus transportation. This could create a logistical quagmire for the county, bus drivers, and the community because Oak Hill and Fox Mill run on identical bell schedules. Presumably two different buses would be competing for space on our small neighborhood roads at roughly the same time and during a time of the day where there is already heightened traffic. Plus, multiple bus stops that are scheduled for pick up/drop off around the same time for two different bus routes is sure to create confusion among students, parents, and bus drivers.

Priority: Access to Programming

  • Moving Emerald Chase from Oak Hill would deny our students access to equitable programming, putting our students at a major disadvantage. Oak Hill offers full-time Level IV AAP services and Chinese language instruction. However, Fox Mill lacks comparable AAP classes and only offers Japanese Immersion. Many residents bought homes in this neighborhood specifically for these programs, including some who had hopes their children would learn to speak Chinese and retain this important tie to their cultural heritage.
  • Emerald Chase families are concerned that there are no assurances of SACC (School Age Child Care) availability at Fox Mill, whereas Oak Hill has a well-established and trusted SACC program. Wait times for enrollment in SACC are long, and working parents depend greatly on this service.

Additional Criteria: Promote Stability

  • Emerald Chase has already been rezoned multiple times over the years, and we are facing potential new boundaries yet again. Our students and neighborhood deserve stability, not constant disruption.
  • Many students currently in FCPS schools have already suffered a long period of stress and uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moving them at this time could erase academic gains students have worked hard to attain since experiencing the negative impacts of the pandemic.

Additional Criteria: Maintain Pyramid Relationships

  • The proposed reassignments will not help bring Oak Hill’s pyramid relationship into alignment. The school board’s initial draft maps for new boundaries would move the Navy island so that it would become part of Oak Hill; however, the high school assignment for those students would not change, they would remain districted for Oakton High School.
  • FCPS is proposing to redistrict Emerald Chase for elementary and high school, but the middle school would remain the same. Thus, Emerald Chase would still not have pyramid consistency because Rachel Carson is part of the Oakton High School pyramid.

Additional Criteria: Support Family Involvement

  • Though only approximately 15 percent of Oak Hill, Emerald Chase families make up a large share of PTA leadership and classroom volunteers. Moving them to Fox Mill would strip Oak Hill of essential support.