THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 17, 1995 TAG: 9506170333
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Board of Education members are still talking about Valentine's Day at Northeastern High School.
They don't paint a rosy picture.
In a growing trend of students and parents purchasing lavish floral arrangements for a special someone on Cupid's day, school officials say more than 1,000 deliveries were made to Northeastern Feb. 14.
That's up from about 800 last year, and Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Schools officials say the situation is out of hand.
``It's just really gotten beyond being controllable,'' said Becky Phelps, who served as Northeastern principal this year and will return as an assistant principal next year.
``We have to house over 1,000 floral arrangements,'' Phelps said. ``Then you have to call that many children to come to the office to get them, and basically it takes a whole day to do it.''
To nip the problem in the bud, the school board's policy committee this week proposed banning all commercial deliveries to students and staff members throughout the school system.
Superintendent Joseph Peel was directed to draft a policy for the board to discuss in July. Subject to review by employees, the policy would not be formally approved before August or September.
If the policy is put into effect, it could end a practice that has become a tradition at the high school and could put a stop even to non-disruptive, occasional deliveries at the central office. The policy does not aim to interfere with fund-raising activities by school support groups.
Officials say the dramatic move is the only way to get at the root of the problem, which School-Community Relations Director Charles White called ``a major headache.''
Deliveries now are prohibited at Northeastern High School except on Valentine's Day, officials said. That policy was established when day-to-day deliveries grew too cumbersome.
Board members agreed Monday that the high school needs the support of a districtwide policy to enforce a rule banning deliveries 365 days a year.
``We need to be the bad guys on this one,'' said board member Nita Coleman.
The policy may sow seeds of discontent among more than one group.
Peel predicted that schools employees probably won't appreciate being included with students in the ban. But board members' initial response was that a comprehensive policy was the only way to be fair.
Also likely to be riled are florists, who Peel estimated could lose $50,000 in revenue on Valentine's Day alone.
Peel met with florists a couple of months ago to try to work out the problem but said the group couldn't find a solution.
``I think that's very unfortunate,'' Jimmy Anderson, owner of Anderson's Florist, said of the proposed policy. ``I understand the reasoning behind it, but I had hoped that we could work together a little better.''
Anderson, who said he appreciated the opportunity to meet with Peel, also challenged the school's estimate of deliveries this year. He said the total was probably less than 500.
School officials said their concern for florists' business has prompted them to tiptoe through the delivery problem.
``There has been a great deal of discussion on this issue,'' White said. ``The florist folks in Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County do an awful lot for education . . . and they do have a real concern over this.''
``It's a sensitive issue,'' Peel agreed, adding that a wish to support the business community was ``one reason why it probably hasn't been addressed sooner.'' by CNB