Redistricting Fever: Injunction Junction, What's Your Function?

FairfaxCAPS, the positive, pro-school, not-gonna-sue group that thinks all Fairfax County schools are awesome, but that some are more awesome than others, is getting ready to sue.

FairfaxCAPS, Inc. directors are taking steps needed to file, on behalf of interested parties, a lawsuit requesting a court-ordered injunction to stop the redistricting. A local law firm with a special expertise about education law in Virginia is being selected.

Sweet! Guess someone found a phone.


They have, as they say in the movies, a plan:

If the lawsuit is successful, a court-ordered injunction against the redistricting in effect would block the February 28 redistricting decision and restore the previous high school boundaries. Future steps would be up to the School Board, but School Board members have acknowledged many flaws in their process, and would need to pursue other options, including potentially conducting a new boundary study with an improved and transparent and fair process.

Awesome. But we've seen LA Law and Boston Public, so we know that nuisance lawsuits and natty pinstripe suits and Corbin Bernsen's rugged good looks don't come cheap. What's the damage?

Everyone wants to know what this legal action will cost. At this time a final cost is not known but it is expected to exceed six-figures. The focus has been on maximizing prospects of cost-effective litigation that is both time-sensitive and cost-sensitive.

Several people have asked how much they should give to this effort. Regrettably, given legal costs these days, FairfaxCAPS is asking for parents, neighbors, and residents to contribute as much as possible. Many Fairfax residents have already contributed in the four- and five-digit ranges per family (between $1,000 – 10,000). This is obviously a personal decision. We appreciate the value of every contribution and believe it is important to get as much support as possible to show that this truly is a community response.

Wow. Ten grand will almost get you into a Bratz-free private school.

Speaking of which, parents in shockingly Bratz-intensive Fox Mill and other neighborhoods now redistricted into the newly refenestrated South Lakes High School are looking for ways to pupil-place their kids in other schools. Folks in Reston who want their kids to take AP classes instead of IB have done this for years. It's really not a big deal, but now it'll have all this fun political frisson added into the mix. We can't wait to see the first application that says "It's all about the band programs."