
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 16, 1991                   TAG: 9103160107
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER/ NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

FULL DUBLIN ELEMENTARY FORCES TOUGHER ADMISSIONS

A problem with overcrowding at Dublin Elementary School is forcing the Pulaski County School Board to consider tougher guidelines for allowing students to enroll in schools outside their home attendance zones.

"Dublin Elementary is the one that we're most concerned about. They're just as crowded as they can be," Assistant Superintendent Phyllis Bishop said Friday.

So far, Dublin Elementary is the only school in the county with a severe overcrowding problem. The School Board may also have to change some attendance boundary lines and move some students to other schools to ease the overcrowing.

The board got the proposed new attendance guidelines at its Thursday night meeting. A public hearing on the proposed attendance rules has been scheduled for April 9, at a time and place to be announced.

Superintendent William Asbury told the board that parents generally have been allowed to enroll their children in schools of their choice, which was fine until overcrowding occurred.

"I'm talking about students having to be placed in closets and store rooms and locker rooms for instruction," he said.

Under the new rules, parents would have to fill out new application forms asking that their children be allowed to enter schools outside their attendance areas, but there is no certainty the requests will be granted. A panel will make recommendations on each application to the superintendent.

Decisions will be based on enrollment at the school in question and the space available for extra students.

Youngsters now in schools outside their attendance areas would be allowed to continue going there until the 1996-97 school year. Their brothers or sisters also could go to those schools until that time.

Parents still would have to provide transportation for their children attending schools outside their attendance areas, as they do now.

Applications for attendance by out-of-county students would be reviewed by a panel that would make recommendations to the superintendent. The county currently charges no tuition for students from outside the county, and the board has not considered imposing a charge.

by CNB