well, I suppose it's some sort of progress from our entire culture being organized around the needs of 19th century farmers.

Amusement parks have electric lights. Does this mean they're going to get rid of daylight savings time too?

Because here in George Maca Allen's Confederate Paradise, tourism is more important than edumacashen.

/The present Virginia executive administration consists of religious autistics

School should start after Thanksgiving. And end by Christmas.

I'm so confused.

All of the people saying King's Dominion is awesome have never been to Busch Gardens.

cman: To be fair, it is an awesome place to go
I haven't been there since the 70's, it was pretty lame back then. Glad to hear it improved.

Whatever, I loved not going back to school until Labor Day and I turned out perfectly OK.

/Go Cougars!

In related news, the King's Dominion Charter School is all set to open next year. Students can attend regular classes between shifts, and the pre-ride audio feeds will be changed to provide additional instruction. Here are some examples:

"Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times. Thomas Jefferson signed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, giving our new country nearly a million square miles of new territory. Pull down the safety bar and insert the metal buckle into the seat belt slot."

Bleyo: All of the people saying King's Dominion is awesome have never been to Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens blows. It's nothing but kids rides and crappy coasters now. Also, they got rid of the free beer tastings when Anhueser Busch got bought by InBev.

fark Busch Gardens.

/I do like the Loch Ness Monster though.

Slives: Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and pretty much every summer job that is tourist related.

And it is not like Virginia is the only place that does this, I think it is pretty common anywhere there is a major seasonal tourist attraction.

That's probably why I never heard of this. I went to school in Indiana.

Q: Why does the 8th grade kid in a Virginia school have a mustache?

A: He's 22.

Used to go there many times when I still lived in Virginia. Got out of there due to the job market sucks in SEVA, and the traffic is even worse.

Would like to visit those parks again, but the threat of $5 gas this summer may hamper that ability.

For an alternate approach, see "spud vacation" . Some of the schools in SE Idaho start early in order to let students take two weeks off for the potato harvest in October. I understand that this is, or at least was, the case in Aroostook County, ME as well.

damageddude: Most local school districts in Northern Virginia do not open until after Labor Day. When they've sought waivers from the state, they've been rejected.

God bless America where we don't let a silly thing like getting an education interfere with summer vacation.

I'm OK with this. Having government schools open before labor day is retarded.

Walker: The law isn't even true.

My brother's kids in Wise County, VA started school August 17

My sister's kids in Spotsylvania County, VA started school August 24

FTFA: Dozens of school systems already open before Labor Day in the state, but they must seek a waiver each year.

I believe it was Six Flags that got this law passed in Texas. That was just a few years ago. Evidently some school districts were giving kids a fall break, which enabled families to visit Disneyland in October when it's not crowded. Clearly that had to be stopped for the good of the state.
/no, I'm not kidding.

Walker: The law isn't even true.

My brother's kids in Wise County, VA started school August 17

My sister's kids in Spotsylvania County, VA started school August 24

You could try reading the article, it's not that long and contains the following sentences:

"But educators say they need more class time before Labor Day in order to compete with other states. Dozens of school systems already open before Labor Day in the state, but they must seek a waiver each year."
...
Most local school districts in Northern Virginia do not open until after Labor Day. When they've sought waivers from the state, they've been rejected.

ArcadianRefugee: Walker: The law isn't even true.

My brother's kids in Wise County, VA started school August 17

My sister's kids in Spotsylvania County, VA started school August 24

FTFA: Dozens of school systems already open before Labor Day in the state, but they must seek a waiver each year.

Texas used to do this, but they found that the rich districts were the ones that had the bucks to hire someone to cut the red tape, so they got the waivers, and all those tourist dollars kept sneaking off to Florida. Now outlawed altogether, meaning finals occur in January because there's just not time to squeeze them in between Labor Day and Christmas.
/Bad tourists, stay home! I don't care if your kids forgot everything over winter break!

Too many people, too long lines... I'd pay double the price if they'd let half as many people in.

What the hell is a King's Dominion?

Huh...I live in VA and I've never heard of this before. I coulda swore my kid started school in late August this year...I'd have to check the calendar to be sure, but I'm far too lazy right now.

/must be a northern VA thing
//central VA, just outside Charlottesville

If we really cared about education, we'd have year-round schools. That's really just the tip of the iceburg.

/and keep schools on the cutting edge of technology (or at least in most recent decade)
//and allow teachers some say in what they teach
///and put kids that don't want to do learn in the classroom in trade schools
///and allow the students more choice in what they take after elementary

etc, etc, etc.

But all that stuff results in long-term prosperity, not short-term financial gain. And that's not how we roll.

Attila the Bun: Too many people, too long lines... I'd pay double the price if they'd let half as many people in.

That option is available at Six Flags (other than the too many people part). You can buy a special device for about the cost of your entrance fee that lets you cut in line. I'd be shocked if that's not available in Virginia. Disney's been doing it for years.

Walker: K. I live in Northern VA, and although I've been out of school a while, we did start school in August some years.

Get with the times. I have two in FCPS and they have never started before Labor Day in my kids academic careers. Back in the olden days, when I was in FCPS, we would start in August but that changed 20 years ago.

Bleyo: All of the people saying King's Dominion is awesome have never been to Busch Gardens.

Exactly. King's Dominion has a lot of fun rides and stuff, but the last time I went there, like half the people were wearing confederate flag t-shirts. Also, the pavement at KD covers everything: for example, instead of the blacktop sidewalk stopping at a border around a tree, the blacktop stops at the tree and covers the roots and everything. BGW, however, has been voted the most beautiful theme park for years and years, and is genuinely a pleasant place to be on a nice day... Hasn't been the same since they got rid of the brewery tour though.

King's Dominion? Oh, you mean Gangsta's Paradise. Last time I went it was all attractive and successful urban youths shiatting up the place with fights and line cutting. I prefer Busch Gardens.

Matthew Keene: School should start after Thanksgiving Christmas. And end by two days before NEXT Christmas.

FTFY.
Little bastards should be in school year round instead of roaming the neighbor hood and standing on my lawn.

Roanoke here. My son starts on or around 8/23 (which is his birthday and it sucks for him) which gives them not quite two weeks before Labor Day when they are off yet again. NOTHING gets done in that first two weeks anyway. I just don't get why this is an issue. They should focus more on why they have Christmas break for two weeks and then go back and finish the semester with exams. Kids can forget a lot in two weeks. Mine forgot what time his bus came! Ridiculous. They should get the exams and semester done before Christmas break so they start fresh in the new year. Eliminate some of these "teacher in-service" days and get these kids in class.

/HATES the public education system.
//WTF is a "rubric" anyway?

Regarding year-round school, which was mentioned up thread, I have yet to meet anyone who has experienced it who dislikes it. Most folks who fight against it haven't done it and probably have overly romantic and outdated ideas of long summer vacations.

Virginia is for lovers.

Magorn: Blink: If we really cared about education, we'd have year-round schools. That's really just the tip of the iceburg.

/and keep schools on the cutting edge of technology (or at least in most recent decade)
//and allow teachers some say in what they teach
///and put kids that don't want to do learn in the classroom in trade schools
///and allow the students more choice in what they take after elementary

etc, etc, etc.

But all that stuff results in long-term prosperity, not short-term financial gain. And that's not how we roll.

Year-round schools would be a tragedy of unimaginable magnitude for this country. Not everything you need to know to be a functional adult is available in text book form and testable at the end of the semester. the 180 school year strikes just about the right balance between getting the basic facts everyone needs to know in a kid's brain and giving them time to learn individually based on their own aptitudes and talents

Having been a child, and having watched them - "giving them time to learn individually based on their own aptitudes and talents" = have them go away from adult supervision and then perform a series of increasingly dangerous "Hold my juice-box and watch this!" activities until they need medical attention. There is nothing that says we can't have play hours or play days in a year-long school curriculum - and at least that way the morgue only has to go to one centralized collection bin. Not to mention, with a year-long system, we could probably shave off a year of school attendance to get the required info taught. Then we could give kids a full year off before adulthood/college. They would be of a prime age to both drive themselves, and their "personalized learning activities" would be much more deadly, thus making the 'non-retard population" much more non-retarded*


* It would also deplete the South of breeding stock - but that's just a happy coincidence.