Frequently Asked Questions - District (2016)

How many options for middle school boundaries are currently under consideration?

APS staff presented two boundary options during the second round of proposals for middle school boundaries at the “What We Heard” meetings on Oct. 25-26; these were developed taking into account the community input received online and at the “Getting Started” meetings. You can view the maps and data for Option A and Option B online at aps2016.apsva.us/Engage.

When will these plans potentially be revised and how much time will there be for community input?

APS staff will review community input about the two options for middle school boundaries, and then refine and post these at aps2016.apsva.us/Engage on Nov. 8, before Superintendent Dr. Murphy will present proposal(s) to the School Board on Nov. 14. Community input can be provided through an input form that’s open until Nov. 3 or via email at Engage@apsva.us. Also, the School Board will hold a public hearing on November 30.

Can students entering 6th grade in September 2018 transfer into their newly assigned school (if it’s other than the new middle school) since they would be required to attend that school in September 2019?

APS will reassess the transfer policy for middle school students for 2018-2019 after the new boundaries have been finalized.

Will 8th graders be moved to a newly assigned school even though they only have one more year left of middle school?

This decision is still under consideration. We’re trying to balance enrollment at all six middle schools and want to make sure we have the necessary staffing at each school.

Why can’t students who moved in previous boundary changes be exempt this time?

The boundary consideration stability, limits the number of times a student is moved during their academic career to only once per school level. If a student was reassigned to a new school attendance zone in elementary school, for example, that student cannot be moved again as an elementary school student, but can be reassigned in middle school due to boundary changes.