When schools are this crowded, it’s time to take action

An astonishing number jumps out of a recent story about overcrowded schools in Frederick County. One of our elementary schools is operating at 176% of its capacity. That is a scandalous number. Almost twice as many students are jammed into Oakdale Elementary School in New Market as the school was designed to hold. At a recent community meeting on the problem, Leigh Warren, principal of the school, said the most challenging side effect of the school’s high enrollment is the heavily congested hallways during transition times.