ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, May 10, 1996 TAG: 9605100091
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
MIDDLE SCHOOLS should offer interschool athletic competition to keep Roanoke students from dropping out, Vice Mayor William White says.
Roanoke Vice Mayor William White wants to see more students on the playing fields instead of the streets. He believes sports could lower the city's dropout rate and help keep some students interested in schools.
White has asked school officials to consider reinstating competitive athletics in the city's middle schools and organizing teams to play against schools in nearby localities.
"I see a lot of young students between 12 and 15 who should be in school, but they are out doing other things. They don't have athletics to help them stay in school," he said.
Some students would be less likely to drop out of middle school if they could play on a team and improve their athletic skills so they could compete on high school teams, said White, a former School Board member.
Roanoke eliminated competitive athletics for grades six through eight several years ago.
The city's dropout rate for grades seven through 12 is 6 percent, compared with 1 percent in Roanoke County and 2 percent in Salem, where middle schools have sports teams. The state average is 4 percent.
Councilman Mac McCadden, a former teacher, agreed with White.
"I think you would save some students and keep them in school if you had athletics," McCadden told Superintendent Wayne Harris.
The issue arose this week when the School Board met with City Council to review the school budget for next year.
Harris said the middle schools offer all sports for students except football, a sport in which surveys have shown a lack of interest, he said. Football equipment also would be expensive, he said.
"I can't endorse putting football back at that level. It is not cost-effective," he said.
Football was dropped when Roanoke switched from the junior high alignment (grades seven through nine) to the middle school (grades six through eight) concept, partly because of concern about younger students being injured.
Howard Light, director of physical education and athletics for city schools, said eighth-graders can play on freshmen football teams at Patrick Henry and William Fleming high schools.
"I don't see the need for football at the middle schools," Light said. Sixth-and seventh-graders can play on sandlot teams if they desire, he said.
Roanoke's middle schools compete against each other in basketball, track, soccer and tennis, but they do not play schools in other localities. The schools also adhere to the philosophy that everyone on the team gets to play.
Light said Roanoke's junior highs never competed against schools in other localities and the policy was retained when the switch was made to middle schools.
McCadden said the middle schools' games are not played by traditional rules.
"Until you play Roanoke County schools and schools in other localities and keep records, all you have is intramural. ... There is no incentive for the kids," he said.
McCadden said the lack of competitive athletics in middle schools has caused a drop in talent among high school athletes because they do not get experience in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. "The high schools are lagging behind other schools."
Roanoke County school officials believe athletics in middle schools have a positive impact on academics and help keep some students out of trouble.
"I think it is beneficial. You would rather have kids participating in athletics than being at the mall or doing other things," said James Gallion, assistant superintendent.
Middle schools in Roanoke County and Salem field teams in football and other sports, competing against each other as well as teams from nearby localities.
Roanoke school officials say they are giving high priority to reducing the dropout rate but don't see a need to change middle school athletics.
Harris wants to lower the dropout rate by 1 percentage point in each of the next three years.
White said he also is disturbed by the number of elementary children who are out of school and on the streets on school days.
"I see kids 6 and 7 years old going to the store or doing other things at 11 o'clock in the morning," he said. "We have to do something to reduce that number."
In the past school year, 26 percent of the city's elementary pupils, 34 percent of middle school students and 49 percent of high school students missed more than 10 days of school.
"Student absenteeism in excess of 10 days is a critical problem in city schools," said Nelson Harris, School Board Chairman.
Harris said the schools have established an office to deal with the problem.
Next year, a student support team consisting of visiting teachers and psychologists will be formed to assist schools with chronically absent children, he said.
One of the School Board's objectives for the next three years is to improve student attendance by 10 percent annually, Harris said.
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