Osage School District in School on MLK Holiday

[pstokely]

"OSAGE BEACH - Students at the School of the Osage went to school today -- despite the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The school district officials say that's to make up for last Thursday's snow-day.

The holiday is first on the list of potential make-up dates for snow days.

Assistant Superintendent Tony Hermann said having students attend school today is important for the lake's economy. "Because of our economic population, most of our parents make a living from tourism and they need our youth to work in the summers as well, so we try very hard to get out before memorial day," Hermann said. In other words, it's better for snow days to be made up outside of tourist season, and not at the end of the school year as tourist season gets underway.

At the schools in the district, 4th grade teacher Merrie Williams said the holiday is a good way to spend a whole day teaching the students about Dr. King's legacy. "We talk about who MLK was and we're implementing his life into our entire lessons throughout this week so being in class today gave us just another opportunity to study his life and his impact on our society," Williams said.

Hermann said had there not been a snow day last week, the school district would not be in session today."

http://www.komu.com/news/osage-school-district-in-school-on-mlk-holiday/

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. Actually sounds fairly reasonable to me

Apparently it was the first holiday after the snow day...

[pstokely]

3. Why not just use Presidents Day or some teacher inservice day?

nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Normally they use the first available holiday

regardless of what it is. Per the article, the snow day was the prior week, this was the first holiday.

[lunatica]

2. One shoe size does not fit all feet

In this case there's an excellent reason for the community to do this. It's the tourism trade that they mostly depend on that is the basis for the decision. Not racism.

MLK Jr would approve.

[pstokely]

4. But they've only had one snow day and plenty over other days they could use before the summer

nt

[lunatica]

5. What other days? It would have to be a holiday or weekend day

And they have no idea how many more snow days they'll have. Your argument has holes.

[pstokely]

12. Doesn't look like they'll being any more snow days based on the current weather pattern?

nt

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. There could be other snow days required...

The take the next holiday...whatever it is.

[Brickbat]

8. Why is this LBN?

I've always had school on MLK day, and my kids do, too.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. OP is trying to gin up controversy for some reason

and nobody's biting.

[groundloop]

10. True, kids learned more about Dr. King in school than if they'd played video games at home....

If they had to be in school on his holiday it's fitting that students learned about Dr. King. Most of my kids' friends either went to a movie or played video games all day.

One thing that sticks out to me though, is that this particular community seems to be more concerned about making money from tourism than educating their youth.

[pstokely]

13. The lake resorts need their cheap labor for the summer

nt

[windowpilot]

11. It was racial decision.

There was only an inch of snow on the ground, we were all surprised, that schools were canceled. This area had seen a lot worst, and still, schools remained open. Would love to see a MLK march, right down the middle of their little business strip 54, during one of their little money making holiday weekends!

[Snake Alchemist]

14. So they started planning this last week? nt

[pstokely]

15. No one goes the lake in January, can't keep their cheap labor in school past memorial day

[pstokely]

16. Last year, the Odessa MO district used MLK Day as a snow make up day

But they had already used a lot of snow days at the point