US Dept. of Justice inquiry delays 12th high school boundary decision in PWC until fall

Prince William County School Board is again postponing the already-rescheduled June 4 vote on boundaries for the Division’s 12th high school at the request of the federal Department of Justice (DOJ). Rescheduling the School Board vote to September will enable staff to answer DOJ questions about the boundary process.

The DOJ request for information came in a June 2 letter to the School Division. It followed an unspecified complaint or inquiry to the agency that was not shared with PWCS officials, according to a news release from the school community relations office.

School Board Chairman At-Large Milton C. Johns was quoted in the news release as saying, “Staff have been working hard to develop boundaries that are equitable and effective in serving student needs, and responsive to community feedback,. If the DOJ needs more information to understand how we are doing that, we are happy to provide it.”

Delaying the vote until September will give schools, Division offices, and community members less time to begin planning for transportation needs, specialty school decisions, and other long-term arrangements. No financial implications are anticipated unless the process drags out beyond the fall. The delay will not affect school construction or the planned opening of the 12th high school in September 2016.

The delay in the boundary vote removes the issue from the School Board’s discussion agenda for June 4.