THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995             TAG: 9509140144
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON    PAGE: 04   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: Aleta Payne 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   35 lines

ABSENCES DUE TO TARDINESS OF SCHOOL BUS WON'T COUNT

Great Neck Middle School students who missed some classes last Thursday and Friday because of a late bus will not have absences counted against them, Principal Patricia R. Nash said this week.

Although the absences must be noted for record-keeping purposes, they will be logged with an explanation and will not be counted against students under the district's new attendance policy, she said.

A bus serving students in the Cape Henry Shores area was late both days because a driver quit. Although the school sent out other buses, some students already had left their stops.

David Else, a Great Neck parent, said he understood the reasons for the buses running late but was concerned that parents were not notified of the problem. Else was troubled that no one had contacted parents who were at work that their children might not be in school.

``No one wanted responsibility for at least letting parents know,'' he said.

Nash said she understood Else's concern and said that the school would look into notifying parents in such situations.

Meanwhile, the School Board said last week that it would again discuss the new attendance policy it adopted this summer after several parents spoke out against it at the meeting.

KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH SCHOOLS ATTENDANCE POLICY ABSENCES by CNB