art skipping

Let me take a moment to bring your attention to a proposition that just passed in the Virginia General Assembly yesterday.

HB 1442 will require high school students to take 2 years of vocational training in order to graduate. I don't have a problem with the idea that high school students should be exposed to different fields prior to making their career or college choices. Under the new bill students will be required to take two years of a vocation that will

"(i) prepares students for entry into the workplace; (ii) leads to an industry certification or occupational competency assessment approved by the Board of Education; [ and or ] (iii) provides a foundation for further education or training or preparation for employment and shall be developed by the school division, consistent with Board of Education guidelines and as approved by the local school board."

This may seem benign enough, but in fact it hurls another rock at the arts which are NOT included in vocational training. The arts are not seen as a vocation. The only way to be exempt from this requirement is by being an ESL student or in an arts magnet school or acadamy (which are not an option to most of the state). The problem arises because when we require these students to take two years of vocational training it fills up their already booked school schedule. As it is, the elective classes (which currently encompass vocational and fine and performing arts classes) are already competing for students. This will add to the slow decline of the arts in our public schools. No matter how many studies show that students who take classes in the arts tend to be better and more creative students the progression to eliminating the arts in school continues. With this bill it is not done maliciously, but by omission. I don't want the bill eliminated, I want it to include the fine and performing arts, I want it to acknowledge that training in the arts could lead to a job.