Officials at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center want kids of wounded veterans living on-base assigned to Bethesda Elementary School, not split between two other schools as determined by Montgomery County Public Schools.
Horace Franklin, the school liaison officer at Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB), said children of wounded warriors have attended Bethesda Elementary School for years.
That was in doubt though, when a 2010 Board of Education boundary study resulted in a rezoning for kids who live on the base. For the 2013-2014 school year, kindergartners, first graders and second graders who live on the base with their families were assigned to Rosemary Hills Elementary. Third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders were assigned to North Chevy Chase Elementary.
This, Franklin said in testimony before the BOE earlier this month, threatened to cause further disruption for kids who already “experienced the life changing injuries of their parents,” and have had to move to NSAB “while their parents undergo rehabilitation that could last years.”
With the help of the principals at all three elementary schools, NSAB students got transfers “as a temporary measure for the children to remain at Bethesda.” Franklin also said the base wants sixth graders on the base rezoned back to Westland Middle School.
A public affairs official at NSAB said she couldn’t provide the number of elementary school students who come from the base and did not return a request for more information.
The reassignments were made to ease overcrowding at all three schools and simplify the cluster’s pairing process of splitting K-2 and 3-6 schools.
It appears MCPS will change the assignment back to Bethesda Elementary.
On Nov. 18, the Board of Education approved a new school assignment study “to consider the reassignment of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from Rosemary Hills and North Chevy Chase elementary schools to Bethesda Elementary School.” That study will be conducted this winter with a recommendation planned for the BOE in February and action set for March.
The Paddington Square Apartments in Silver Spring were also reassigned from Bethesda Elementary. In the reassignments, the East Bethesda community was rezoned for Bethesda Elementary. Kindergartners, first graders and second graders from that neighborhood had attended Rosemary Hills up to this school year.
Bethesda Elementary is 109 students over capacity this school year. Rosemary Hills is 166 students over capacity and North Chevy Chase is 136 students over capacity.
Franklin argued the boundary study was done before the “Warrior Care” component of Walter Reed moved to Bethesda in August 2011. The public hearings on the boundary changes were held on Nov. 10 and Nov. 14, 2011.
