Fairfax Co. families worrying new high school could become magnet school

Some Fairfax County families are worried that the long-promised new high school in the western part of the district could become a magnet school instead of a traditional, community-based campus.

Almost 300 people signed a petition urging Superintendent Michelle Reid and other county leaders to make it a regular public high school as it prepares to welcome students. A decision on what type of programming the school will offer hasn’t been made yet, but school board documents suggest the school could begin to welcome 9th and 10th grade students next fall.

The community fears come just over a month after the school division finalized the sale of the former King Abdullah Academy in Herndon. The district bought the private school and all of its furniture and technology for $150 million. Coun