Anne Arundel County Board of Education gives some students option to stay at old schools
BALTIMORE -- Thousands of Anne Arundel County students might be moving to a new school next year.
The Anne Arundel County Board of Education voted to redistrict schools, giving seniors the option to stay or go.
The move redraws attendance zones at 48 schools and establishes two new schools in the northern part of the county.
On Wednesday, school board officials put their stamp of approval on phase one of the redistricting plan, which includes the Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County, Northeast, and Old Mill school clusters.
"Redistricting is not fun, but it is a necessity," Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell said.
The plan is aimed at alleviating overcrowded classrooms by redrawing attendance zones at 48 schools in the county.
It allows students entering the twelfth grade for the 2024-2025 school year the option to stay at the school where they are currently assigned.
However, they have to register as legacy students in the portal and provide their own transportation.
It affects an individual student, an individual student's plans, an individual student's most important year—arguably—of their high school career," council member Dana Schallheim said.
Thirteen schools are considered to be overutilized and operating at greater than 100% capacity.
The redistricting plan would take all of them to 100% or less.
Parents have previously expressed concerns about the redistricting plans in regard to uprooting students and traffic patterns.
School officials say it is a tough but necessary move.
"I believe we improve the outcome for students in the long run," Board of Education President Joanna Bache Tobin said.
