THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 5, 1994 TAG: 9408040244
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
Lynnhaven Middle School will be the first of 12 city middle schools to get an after-school recreation program this year for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.
The idea is to occupy children of working parents who want to keep their youngsters off the streets until they get home on weekday afternoons.
The City Council on Tuesday appropriated $19,500 for the city-operated program, with the proviso that public school and parks and recreation officials look into starting similar programs at other Virginia Beach middle schools in the future.
The after-school service was sought by Lynnhaven Middle School principal Victor Gregor, which prompted Councilman John D. Moss to question why an individual administrator, rather than the School Board, made such a request.
``I don't think it's appropriate for a single principal to make the request,'' Moss said.
``What's happened here is, rather than a policy decision from the School Board, we're getting a request from a single principal and we'll be getting more requests from other schools - it could set a precedent.''
Councilwoman Louisa M. Strayhorn, a former School Board member, defended the request. School officials have been aware of Gregor's intentions and the move was in line with a citywide ``site-based management'' policy OK'd by the board several years ago, she said.
Under the policy, administrators, faculty members and parents at individual schools are empowered to make many decisions governing curriculum, budgeting and operations at individual facilities.
The after-school program at Lynnhaven will be operated by the Parks and Recreation Department, said director Susan D. Walston. The department already oversees similar programs at all city elementary schools, she told the council.
At Lynnhaven the program will operate Monday through Friday from 2:35 to 6 p.m. Parents will be charged $20 for one child and $15 for each additional child.
``This is not a child-care program,'' said Walston. ``This is a recreation program. We are not a licensed child-care operation.''
Walston described the Lynnhaven after-school program as a ``pilot project,'' which eventually would be extended to the other 11 middle schools in the city. by CNB