ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 7, 1996 TAG: 9602070061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Roanoke students might still get a week off in April despite missing 10 days of school so far this winter because of bad weather.
Superintendent Wayne Harris has recommended using three days of the spring break as makeup days, but the School Board has put his proposal on hold.
On a 4-2 vote Tuesday night, the board told Harris to evaluate alternatives for making up missed days and report back in two weeks.
One option would be to extend the school day by 30 to 60 minutes to make up part of the lost time.
Canceling part of the spring break could disrupt travel plans for some families and increase the city's absentee rate, said School Board member John Saunders.
"I think this could create problems and undermine our efforts to improve attendance," Saunders said. He also wants school officials to get the views of more parents on the issue before the board makes a decision.
Board member Melinda Payne wants to see statistics on attendance from prior years when spring break was canceled.
The spring break is scheduled April 8-12. April 8 and 9 are paid holidays for school employees. Schools will be closed those days regardless of the decision on the rest of the week.
Harris has recommended that April 10-12 be used as makeup days. Attendance might drop on those days, but it would be better than having school on Saturdays, he said.
Harris said he also is reluctant to recommend Saturday classes because it would conflict with the Jewish Sabbath.
From an instructional and educational standpoint, Harris said, it makes better sense to make up the lost time with full school days instead of stringing together an extra 30 minutes a day.
If the school day were lengthened by one hour, some school buses might not finish their routes before the 5 o'clock traffic, school officials said.
School Board Chairman Nelson Harris said he supported the superintendent's recommendation and also said other options, such as a longer school day, could create problems.
State law requires schools to be in session 180 days, or offer 990 hours of instructional time, each year. The state can waive five of the first 15 missed days as long as the instruction time does not drop below 990 hours.
Nelson Harris said he prefers to make up the days rather than ask for a waiver.
"Somebody is going to be upset whatever days we use to make up the missed time," he said. "I think we would get just as many complaints if we extended the school day."
Board member Marsha Ellison also backed the superintendent's recommendation. She said it would be difficult to adjust the block schedule at the city's two high schools to coincide with a longer day.
The board approved three other makeup days: Students will go to school on Memorial Day and two teacher workdays.
Three makeup days also were included in the regular school calendar. The superintendent said he would wait to see if the schools miss more days before making a recommendation on the remaining makeup day.
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