Howard?s school transfer policy leaves families behind, parents say

It began as a way to control overcrowding, school officials say, but a Howard County limit on student transfers has spiraled into a debate over students’ right to choose.

Michelle and Timothy Wood tried in January to transfer their 5-year-old son, Alex, from Bryant Woods Elementary, which is about three miles from their Columbia home, to Clemens Crossing, which is about half that far. Neither school is overcrowded, but the school system denied the transfer because, officials said, there was no justification for an exception to the transfer moratorium in which students must attend the school in their district.