FairBoundaries Google Group -- Join/Discuss Now!

As part of an ongoing effort to improve this blog, I have created a supplemental discussion/file repository site to centralize and formalize all discussions on boundary issues, as well as to archive all boundary-study related files that the school board or nearby communities have created for this and other recent boundary studies. Comments will no longer be accepted at the end of any future FB 2.0 blog postings -- all discussions will be submitted and maintained via the Google Group site.

Anonymous commenting is the one issue that this blog has been repeatedly criticized for the most in recent months and deservedly so, given that the quality and tone of some comments grew contentious and ugly at times. That was the impetus for creating the new FB Google Group. Users wishing to discuss or comment on blog posts here -- or any boundary-related topic of their choice -- will need to visit the FB Google Group site (accessible via the link at right) and sign up as a group member. It is fairly painless and quick process, one which I hope will cut down on the anonymous "drive-by" potshot comments that grew common across many recent FB posts. Once your membership is approved by the site admin (that's me, though I'm still looking for help), you may start new discusions or add to existing ones. Please remember...

• You will be asked for an email address to process your group registration and so that comments and replies within discussions can be attributed to you and emailed to you (if you choose that notification option).
  
  
• Your email address will not be shared nor used outside this group for any other purpose, however, if you're still uncomfortable registering with a regularly-used personal email address I suggest you create an email account (through Google's Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or a similar service) and maintain it just for this type of use (internet discussions, e-subscriptions, etc.)
  
  
• Only the site administrator (myself) will be able to see the full membership list for the FB Google Group.
  

The primary advantage of moving the discussion function to a dedicated Google Group site is that it's designed to handle threaded discussions far better than the limited commenting function built into Blogger.com. Also, users will have a lot more control over how -- or if -- they are notified when new comments/replies are posted on a discussion. As you can see from the preferences screenshot below, you can choose to be notified of updated discussions by email in a variety of ways or by simply visiting the group to read them at your leisure.

I encourage you to visit and join the FairBoundaries Google Group. In fact, once you're a member, invite someone else to join -- the site admin must approve all new memberships, however anyone is eligible to join and to invite others to join.

More details have been provided in today's earlier post covering last evening's school board boundary vote, including the amendment language that was included as part of the approved boundary recommendation.

'Tis Finished -- For Now

The Fairfax County School Board voted last evening to approve Option 3, as amended, to adjust school attendance areas for the South County Secondary School (SCSS) and Hayfield Secondary School (HSS) areas. Option 3 is essentially staff's recommendation from the initial "set" of options that were initially under consideration by the board and discussed at public hearings in January. Please note that updated documentation for and MP3 recordings of last evening's school board meeting are now available on the school board's "BoardDocs" web site HERE.

As to the amendment on Option 3 -- it states that, as part of staff's recommendation, moving students from SCSS to HSS constitutes Phase I of a two-phase process being conducted to alleviate overcrowding at SCSS, and that "Phase II would be initiated if funds are not available to provide additional middle school capacity in the South County area and capacity is available at Lake Braddock Secondary." The amendment concludes, "the (Phase II) study could coincide with the establishment of an attendance area for the new Laurel Hill Elementary School."

I want to send out a very special "thank you" to one very dedicated anonymous comment poster, who gave a "play-by-play" last evening here on the FB 2.0 blog while he/she watched the school board deliberations on Cox Cable's FCPS's cable channel. On behalf of those of us on DirecTV (or with no cable service at all), I want to personally and publicly thank you, anonymous commenter, for your efforts!! You may find the fruit of that person's efforts by clicking HERE, or by reviewing the tail-end of the 900+ comment thread for the 2/22 blog posting ("School Board to Make Final Vote on Feb. 22...").

Finally, commenting will remain closed on this post and all others going forward due to a new (and hopefully improved) comment/discussion system implemented through Google Groups. More details in the blog post above this entry.