Loudoun County School Board has tightened its rules on out-of-zone school transfers, limiting the circumstances in which pupils can attend a school outside their designated attendance area.
The changes were approved at a meeting in Ashburn, Virginia, on Tuesday, 13 October, and will come into force at the start of the next school year.
The policy, which dates back to the 1970s, has come under renewed scrutiny as the district attempts to manage overcrowding. School officials have said it was originally used to help white pupils avoid integration with Black pupils.
For decades, the arrangement allowed families broad discretion to apply for places outside their neighbourhood school. Parents opposed to the overhaul argued that removing the system would cause difficulties for families who had come to depend on it.
Under the new approach, special permissions will be replaced by a narrower set of exemptions. Transfers will generally be considered only in limited circumstances, including overcrowding, childcare requirements and certain family situations, including cases involving pupils with disabilities.
The board’s decision followed changes introduced last year to address pressure on school places. Despite those measures, thousands of transfer requests were approved for the current academic year, adding to concerns about capacity and the management of attendance zones.
New rules for siblings attending out-of-zone schools
Board members also considered how the policy would affect pupils as they progressed through the school system, with particular attention given to siblings attending the same school.
They approved an exemption allowing qualifying primary-school pupils to attend an out-of-zone school alongside their brothers or sisters in certain circumstances. However, the arrangement will not continue indefinitely.
Once eligible pupils move to a higher phase of education, they will have to return to the school assigned to their home address unless another exemption applies.
The decision was taken at the Loudoun County Public Schools administrative offices in Ashburn, where residents were permitted to submit comments in person or virtually before the meeting.
