Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 3 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
By DEL. ALSON H. SMITH JR.
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
When the General Assembly meets in January, I intend to introduce legislation to make permanent Virginia’s temporary law requiring schools to open after Labor Day.
Let me say up front that this is not “special interest” legislation. All of us — including especially our schools and school children — will benefit from a permanent post-Labor Day school opening.
Families will be able to plan vacations earlier and more conveniently knowing the schools will open after the traditional end of summer, not before.
Employers can plan vacation schedules more efficiently, and perhaps most importantly, teenagers, as well as school system employees, will have better summer job opportunities.
As a youth, I always worked after school and during the summer. I believe that instilling a work ethic early, during the mid-teen years, is essential in our society.
The decline of that work ethic has played a large role in our loss of international competitiveness. In Virginia, education and the work ethic go hand in hand, which is one reason the Commonwealth has remained a leader in so many ways.
Interestingly, opponents of this legislation have not presented one iota of evidence that opening schools after Labor Day harms the quality of education.
Common sense tells us that the “dog days” of late summer, with the intense heat and humidity we experience in Virginia, are hot conducive to quality education. Many school buildings are not air-conditioned,
r
93.7%