By CHARLES OWENS
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
March 21, 2008 10:30 pm
—
POCAHONTAS, Va. —Students hoping to learn the fate of Pocahontas High School won’t be getting a school bus ride to Tazewell next week.
A request by the Pocahontas Athletic/Academic Boosters to use two school buses to transport students to the Thursday, March 25, meeting of the Tazewell County School Board has been denied. The school board is expected to make a decision Thursday on whether to close or keep the historic high school open. The meeting will be held at Tazewell High School.
“We would really like for them to provide a bus for our students,” Debbie Boone, a member of the finance committee of the academic/athletics boosters. “One bus would be fine. We feel like the students need to be there. If they are going to vote to close our school, the students need to be there. They (the board members) need to be able to look at those students if they are going to vote to close their school in front of them.”
Boone said the school system’s central office in Tazewell didn’t give a reason why the community’s request for a school bus was denied. A message left Friday with School Superintendent Dr. Brenda Lawson wasn’t immediately returned.
However, David Woodard, the school board’s Northern District member, confirmed Friday that the community’s request for a school bus was denied.
Woodard said the boosters were going to pay for the fuel to transport the Pocahontas students to the meeting at Tazewell High School.
“These children have been tormented from Feb. 12th about their future years of education,” Woodard said. “Despite the best efforts of our teachers, this issue has been front and center in our students’ minds. They deserve the right to be at the school board meeting that determines the future of their school. We say we are doing this for the children, but it appears to a rational person we are pushing our children aside for personal agendas. Some of these kids cannot get to Tazewell, their parents work or can’t afford the gas money.”
Boone said the boosters were prepared to pay for the expense of taking a school bus to Tazewell.
“We had stated we would provide the gas for the bus, and provide the salary for the bus drivers,” Boone said.
Boone said the community will hold a candlelight vigil and rally at Pocahontas High School on Tuesday, March 25, at 8 p.m. to show support for the children and their school in Pocahontas. The vigil will be held at the high school’s football field.
In a related development Friday, Woodard said he has been asked to clarify media reports about this spring’s 100th graduating class at Pocahontas. Woodard said after researching the issue he has learned that the spring graduating class will in fact by the 99th graduating class — and not the 100th. However, Woodard said the school will turn a 100 years old this fall.
— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com
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