THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 4, 1996 TAG: 9607020141
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 44 lines
SCHOOLS TO GET AIR-CONDITIONING: School administrators confirmed last week that money is available to air-condition four more schools by next spring, nearly completing the School Board's long-standing goal to air-condition the district's schools.
But bids for three of the schools - Northside Middle and Calcott and Crossroads elementary - came in higher than expected: $2.6 million compared to school district estimates of $1.5 million.
And bids on the fourth school - Sherwood Forest - were delayed because the roof will have to be shored up before air-conditioning can be installed.
School officials said only three schools will remain without air-conditioning, and those schools - Granby and Norview high and Blair Middle - will get central air later during planned renovations.
``We've completed our task and we ought to trumpet that,'' Superintendent Roy D. Nichols Jr. said.
The school system had about $4.8 million to air-condition the four schools, a combination of year-end savings and higher-than-anticipated federal payments.
About $1 million will be used to equip renovated portions of Granby High next summer. About $121,000 will be spent on computers, modems and software to provide Internet access to middle schools; on computers at Norview High; and on classroom printers at Lake Taylor and Booker T. Washington high schools.
COUNSELING RULES: The School Board voted unanimously last week to continue current practice for school guidance and counseling sessions with students.
Currently, children receive guidance and counseling services at school unless their parents object in writing - a practice called ``opt-out.''
Three people spoke at a public hearing on the issue - one supported the current practice, while two said schools should be required to get parental permission before any type of counseling is provided.
One parent complained that parents weren't sent letters alerting them that the School Board was voting on the rules.
The state Board of Education in January passed guidance and counseling rules requiring local boards to adopt a plan modeled after the state guidelines. The state guidelines require that school systems seek parental permission for students involved in long-term, individual counseling.
The state gave local boards the option of requiring parental permission for all counseling that didn't involve academics or career choices. by CNB