Henrico parents seek variances for assigned schools

Leaving one school for another is hard, even if it's the natural progression from elementary to middle to high school.

For 811 students in Henrico County schools, the transition may be harder this fall because they know they'll move again next year when a countywide redistricting plan goes into effect to accommodate two new schools.

"It's kind of weird," said Kathryn Henderson, who attended freshman orientation last week at J.R. Tucker High School, knowing she'll be starting her sophomore year at the new Glen Allen High School. "I'll get used to one school, and know everybody, but have to move."

Hoping to avoid the sophomore switch, about 50 parents cited redistricting in asking for variances in their child's assigned school this year.

About 20 of the requests were granted, said Patrick Kinlaw, assistant superintendent for administrative services, but only because of extenuating circumstances beyond redistricting.

About half of the approvals involved medical issues, he said. Some others involved family situations, such as a child who had already switched schools twice because of divorce or separation; if denied a variance, the child would be in four new schools in four years.

The school system received 123 requests for variances this year, an increase of 18 from the previous year's requests, said Mychael Dickerson, Henrico schools spokesman.

Allowing all first-year students to attend the school where they'll be reassigned next year wasn't possible, Kinlaw said.

He and Penny Blumenthal, the system's director of research and planning, looked at the numbers "and saw it was not feasible," he said. "The reason is the new schools have not opened yet. We don't have the flexibility and wiggle room to do that."

Sports participation was not one of the factors considered in granting variances, Kinlaw said, even though some parents worried that their child would be at a disadvantage when starting over in a new program as a sophomore.

Bob Brinkley, football coach at Douglas Freeman High School, agrees that "it's not an ideal situation" for athletes to move, but "it occurs when you open a new school and district lines get redrawn." He reassured parents that freshman players were unlikely to suffer as a result.

"Most coaches I know are in it for the kids," he said. "At the ninth-grade JV level, I don't think people are not going to play a kid because they won't have them the next year. That's the developmental level. You're doing what you can to help kids develop."

Moving to a new school is easier if a child is involved in fall sports, he added, because it gives an early start on making contacts.

"You get to know your teammates," he said. "You've got a group of friends before you walk in the door on the first day of school."

All students moving to a new school because of redistricting will get help next year in preparing for the transition, Kinlaw said.

"We had experience doing this when we opened Deep Run," he said.

"Typically with redistricting, parents worry about children going to a new school. We come up with transition plans before they ever go to a new school to make sure the kids make an easy transition. Then the parents are relaxed about a change in schools."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or .