THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602220130
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Choosing snow make-up days is proving to be a no-win situation for the school district.
With more than half the school year gone and four days still to be made up, someone has complained about practically every date scheduled. And, odds are, someone will take issue with any other dates proposed.
Board members have asked superintendent Timothy R. Jenney to review the schedule of make-up days. Jenney will gather information on the options available to the school system and make an administrative decision as early the first of next week, said Diane Jones, special assistant to the superintendent.
Before leaving the district earlier this month, then-interim superintendent James L. Pughsley proposed the five days lost to harsh winter weather be made up on:
Feb. 19 - Presidents Day
March 23 - a Saturday
March 29 - a teachers' work day
April 8 - a parent-teacher conference day
May 27 - Memorial Day
Students attended class on Presidents Day, but school administrators and board members have gotten complaints about the other days scheduled.
At Tuesday's board meeting, two rabbis spoke against using the Jewish Sabbath, Saturday, for a make-up day.
``If we are going to have to schedule a make-up day on the Sabbath, then another day should be scheduled on a Sunday to cause equal opportunity consternation,'' said Elliott Marmon of Temple Emanuel Synagogue.
``Whether or not we feel religious values belong in our school system, we agree religious values belong in our churches and synagogues,'' he said.
Marmon called it ``ludicrous'' that the district would still be giving a vacation but had scheduled classes for a Saturday.
A weeklong spring break remains in the calendar for April 1 to 5. Shortening it would likely bring an angry response from those with plans to travel during that time.
Board member Robert W. Hall read a letter from Chris Langsdale, a fifth-grade student at Windsor Oaks Elementary School. Langsdale wrote in part, ``I think make-up days should be on another day other than Memorial Day. kids should honor and learn about it, too.''
Langsdale goes on to object to a Saturday make-up day as well because of family activities scheduled for the weekends. He suggests the days be made up during the summer.
Jones said adding days to the end of the year or adding time to the end of the day are both difficult to implement this time in the year because of other scheduling changes that have occurred.
Graduation day has been set and the Pavilion rented for high school seniors. And scheduling difficulties along with time requirements for funding and accreditation purposes make adding time to the days difficult for Virginia Beach although it is viable for some other local districts, Jones said.
Hall said he felt strongly about Memorial Day.
``I just don't feel the younger generation should not have to observe that day,'' he said. ``I think it's very, very important to the development of this country that they observe this day as a holiday.''
Board members Elsie M. Barnes saw no easy solution to the dilemma.
``I got complaints about it every day,'' she said. ``Short of adding some more days to the year, I don't know what we could do to appease everyone.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
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