Plan for Year-Round School Is Delayed

Bowing to pressure from angry parents, the Newhall School Board voted this week to delay for at least two years the start of year-round schooling at one elementary school in the fast-growing district.

The trustees originally voted May 8 to start year-round schooling at Meadows Elementary School in Valencia in June, 1990. At the time, district officials said other schools would be switched to a year-round schedule as necessary to accommodate growing enrollment.

But this week the trustees voted 3 to 2 to delay the change at least until July, 1992, to study other ways to cope with added enrollment.

About 100 parents attended this week’s meeting. Several speakers said year-round schedules would disrupt children’s friendships and make family vacations impossible.

Under year-round scheduling, traditional summer vacations are eliminated and vacation periods occur throughout the year. Students often are divided into three or four “tracks” that attend class on a rotating basis, with one group on vacation while the others are in school.