Reston Association’s Board of Directors is tentatively wading into the growing furor over Fairfax County’s elimination of crossing guards at public high schools.
Citing media reports, videos on social media and personal observations of harrowing traffic around South Lakes High School, RA Board President Travis Johnson suggested drafting a letter to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay sharing parents’ safety concerns and supporting a restoration of funding for high school crossing guards.
“There is no one there [at South Lakes High School] to direct traffic,” Johnson said at the RA board meeting last Thursday (Aug. 27). “I’ve personally seen kids trying to cross the street while student drivers are driving far too quickly down the street and almost hitting them. I’ve seen buses almost hit these kids, both pedestrians and drivers. It’s a bit of a nightmare.”
No one disputed Johnson’s assessment of the situation at South Lakes High School, but some members cautioned against assuming that reviving the use of police crossing guards would be the only or best solution and questioned whether weighing in on the issue is within RA’s purview as a homeowners’ association.
Noting that the association has taken a public stand in the past on issues like new crosswalks and the push for a Fairfax County casino, Apartment Owners’ Representative Margaret Perry said she was “comfortable” that RA members “would appreciate our louder voice speaking on their behalf” in this case.
At the same time, she acknowledged that not all high school students in Reston attend South Lakes, with others going to Chantilly, Oakton and Herndon — all of which have also been affected by recent reductions in the county’s crossing guard program. Some current South Lakes students will be redistricted next year to the new Skyview High School, which welcomed its first class of students when the new school year began on Aug. 24.
“I think we should be clear that we speak for all of our Reston Association members, regardless of what school they go to,” Perry said.
Matthew Mullenix, an at-large director who also serves as the board’s treasurer, said that he found the news that Fairfax County was cutting its high school crossing guards “troubling” as a parent with a child who attends and sometimes walks to South Lakes.
He expressed support for “a return to the status quo at the very least,” but fellow at-large director John Farrell suggested RA should not “get stuck on the restoration of [Fairfax County Police Department] personnel,” noting that the county has turned to contractors to fill vacancies at elementary and middle school crossings.
“To me, it’s not important if they’re an employee of FCPD or a contractor,” Farrell said. “… What’s important is that there be somebody there.”
As Farrell noted, the decision to pull back on the use of crossing guards came initially from the FCPD, which told the Board of Supervisors in 2024 that the program had become a strain on its staff.
Though the department had 52 dedicated crossing guards at the time, they could only cover about 240 of the county’s 328 established school crossings. With 10 crossing guard positions funded but vacant, the remaining crossings were covered by patrol officers, leaving them unable to address other calls during school arrival and dismissal times.
After ending its coverage of crossings in the Town of Herndon and Fort Belvoir earlier that year, the FCPD proposed enlisting private contractors to serve as crossing guards, a less costly approach in part because, unlike uniformed police officers, they don’t need to be paid overtime.
The Board of Supervisors ultimately approved a fiscal year 2027 budget in May that cut $1.89 million and 13 full-time crossing guard positions from the FCPD budget, eliminating the high school crossings and directing the department to use contractors to fill vacancies at the elementary and middle school level instead of uniformed officers.
Just two days into the new school year, however, some county leaders were already reconsidering that decision.
In response to reports of traffic issues at several high schools now without crossing guards, the Board of Supervisors directed county staff at its Aug. 25 meeting to work with the FCPD and Fairfax County Public Schools to identify options for addressing those concerns and provide more information about how the contractor program is working.
At Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity’s request, the board is slated to consider allocating $400,000 to fund potential changes as part of the county’s annual fiscal year 2026 carryover review at its Sept. 15 meeting. The review allows funds that were budgeted but not spent in the previous fiscal year — which ended June 30 — to be redistributed.
Johnson, who represents Reston’s Hunters Woods and Dogwood District, proposed that he draft a letter sharing RA’s concerns about the removal of the high school crossing guards for the full board of directors’ approval prior to the county board’s Sept. 15 meeting.
Director Jennifer Jushchuk, who represents the South Lakes District, was skeptical that the issue is within the bounds of RA’s advocacy responsibilities.
“If the letter does go forward, I want to make sure that there’s consideration given to that there are multiple solutions to this problem, and is it really our role to figure out on the fly what those solutions are?” she asked.
She also observed that, even though she represents the South Lakes area, she hasn’t heard from any members asking RA to get involved.
“I haven’t received any member emails. I haven’t seen any members at our podium, and it’s not because they don’t care about this issue, but I do think that is a sign they don’t see RA as having that role,” Jushchuk said. “Maybe because this is the first week of school, we’ll have 50 members up here next time. But right now, I’m not hearing from members as a board member saying, ‘Jennifer, you really should do something like this.'”
Though Johnson clarified that no letter has been written yet and that the RA board will meet again before Sept. 15 to review and vote on a draft, Jushchuk opposed his motion. The proposal to draft a letter to the Board of Supervisors passed 5-1 as a result, with Farrell and North Point District Director Michael Lanza abstaining.
Perry then proposed that RA staff add an “FAQ” page to the association’s website to let community members know where they can turn to share their concerns and opinions. The page would include contact information for Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn and School Board Representative Melanie Meren, whose district includes Reston, along with the FCPD’s non-emergency number for reporting any safety incidents.
Jushchuk objected, contending that the request isn’t “germane to the job our staff have.”
“I’m not asking staff to jump through hoops,” Perry responded. “It’s just an FAQ page with an email for the Board of Supervisors, emails for the school board and a phone number for the non-emergency police if they see things in real time.”
Noting that Alcorn and Meren have already expressed their own concerns about the issue, Johnson agreed with Perry that “it’s not a heavy lift.” The proposal passed 5-0 with Jushchuk, Farrell and Lanza abstaining.
RA issued a press release on Friday (Aug. 28) providing some background on the crossing guard situation and emails for McKay, Alcorn and Meren.
From the release:
“As an Association, RA’s goal is to provide a safe community for all. Reston Association’s Board of Directors encourages both the County Board of Supervisors and the School Board to work together to ensure the safety of students traveling to and from school in light of the recent elimination of crossing guards at several local high schools. These issues have been echoed throughout the community and reinforced by reports of congestion, confusion, and difficult pedestrian conditions around South Lakes High School since the school year began.”
The association said it was sharing the contact information “for those who wish to reach out to elected officials in Fairfax County to express your thoughts related to this change for the 2026-2027 school year.”
