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

DATE: TUESDAY, August 9, 1994                   TAG: 9408090077
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-7   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Short

YOUNGER STUDENTS COULD GET HOMEWORK HOT LINE

Pulaski County school officials are looking into the possibility of an elementary- and middle-school homework hot line being set up in partnership with a newspaper.

The Pulaski-based Southwest Times has made a proposal to the school system for such a hot line to be housed at its offices in Pulaski. The county School Board will consider the proposal at its meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the board office.

The proposed system would allow elementary- and middle-school teachers to leave messages of up to 90 seconds each day on voice mail about homework assignments or general class announcements. Parents would be able to call a designated number to get this information from their children's teachers.

Pulaski County High School established a similar system, known as the Cougar Information Network, several years ago and parents have been making much use of it.

The cost to the school system of establishing the elementary- and middle-school hot line would be $7,500.

The School Board will also look at a school calendar for the 1994-95 school year.

The calendar recommended by the administrative staff would see students return to classes Aug. 29 and finish May 31, unless the closing date was extended by days lost to weather.

Holidays would include Labor Day Sept. 5; division-wide staff workdays Oct. 7, Jan. 16 and March 24; Thanksgiving Nov. 24-25; winter break Dec. 21 through Jan. 1; and spring break April 10-14.

by CNB