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

DATE: SUNDAY, November 13, 1994                   TAG: 9411180033
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

SCHOOL RULES

THE STATE Board of Education has approved a policy change that somewhat eases the legislature's dictate that local schools must not open before Labor Day.

Under the new policy, schools may open before Labor Day if they had to close for bad weather an average of eight days in five of the last 10 years. This may be helpful to school systems in Western Virginia where snow, sleet and ice usually force schools to shut their doors for several days during the winter. Many schools have a devil of a time squeezing in makeup days.

The new rule does not deal, however, with the real problem of the General Assembly's pre-Labor Day prohibition on school openings. That law was put on the books and remains there to serve the interests of theme parks and other tourism-related businesses that don't want to lose a cheap labor source - school kids - for the big holiday weekend.

It's a state mandate on schools that has absolutely nothing to do with ensuring that Virginia schoolchildren receive the best possible education. It's a disgrace.

Legislators, who talk a good game about returning more control of schools to local governments, local school officials and parents, should repeal the law at the '95 General Assembly - as, year after year, educators and others have urged them to do.

With Old Man Winter just around the corner, it's not too early for them to start drafting the repeal bill.

by CNB