ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 18, 1997 TAG: 9701200026
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Roanoke may seek a waiver from the state so it can begin the next school year before Labor Day.
City school officials said Friday that a pre-Labor Day opening would provide more flexibility in the school calendar if schools have to be closed often next winter because of bad weather.
Salem and Roanoke County obtained a waiver to begin this school year before Labor Day, but Roanoke did not.
"We'll probably ask for a waiver, although we haven't made a definite decision," said Richard Kelley, Roanoke's assistant superintendent for operations.
Because Labor Day falls on the first day of September this year, there is less pressure than usual to begin the school year early, he said. Still, school officials will likely seek permission to do so, he said.
Roanoke could ask for a waiver because it operates a regional special education program with Roanoke County, although it would not qualify alone.
To be eligible, a school division must have missed an average of eight days for bad weather during five of the past 10 years.
Roanoke doesn't meet that requirement, but it could qualify because it has the joint operation with the county, which is eligible.
The county School Board voted last week to apply for a waiver again this year.
The county has already missed four days this school year because of bad weather, but the city has missed only two.
County schools will be open Monday to make up one of the missed days. The county's schedule had called for schools to be closed, but elementary schools will be on their normal schedule Monday. The county's middle, junior high and high schools will be on exam schedule Monday.
Salem schools will also be open Monday, but Roanoke schools will be closed for the Martin Luther King holiday.
Meanwhile, several Roanoke parents were upset Friday that the city did not delay the opening of schools for one or two hours because of the bitterly cold weather with winds that made it feel like 20 to 25 degrees below zero.
"Children shouldn't have to stand outside waiting for the bus when it's that cold," said Lydia Barlow, mother of a boy who attends Ruffner Middle School and a grandson who goes to Forest Park Elementary.
Barlow said the battery in her car was dead Friday morning because of the subfreezing temperatures.
"If it's too cold for a car to start, it's too cold for children to be at a bus stop," she said. "They should have delayed school until it warmed up a little."
Several nearby school divisions opened one or two hours late.
But Kelley said Roanoke schools have started on time on many days in past years that were just as cold as Friday.
"We've gone to school before when it was below 10 degrees," he said. "It was cold today, but we've had days like this in previous winters."
Kelley said schools open on time unless snow and ice make it unsafe for buses to travel. When the opening of schools is delayed, it's because of road conditions, he said.
Opening late disrupts the school day and causes problems for some parents in making arrangements for temporary day care for their children, he said.
"When you open two hours late, it affects the educational schedule and the operations of school cafeterias," he said.
Kelley said the schools made a special effort to try to prevent children from suffering frostbite or hypothermia.
Bus mechanics came to work three hours early Friday morning to crank up and warm the diesel buses so they could start on time and children wouldn't have to wait for a late bus, he said. There were no problems in starting the buses on time, he said.
The schools also sent notices home with elementary children Thursday afternoon reminding parents to dress children properly for the cold temperatures Friday, Kelley said.
But Barlow said children could suffer frostbite within minutes in Friday's temperatures. "It's just as dangerous for children to be out in this weather as it is when there is snow and ice."
Kelley said the schools didn't have any significant heating problems or other disruptions because of the weather. There were a few frozen pipes in a couple of schools and cold classrooms in some older buildings, but the pipes were thawed and the rooms were heated, he said.
James Gallion, assistant superintendent, said Roanoke County didn't have any major problems because of the cold weather.
LENGTH: Medium: 83 linesby CNB