Virginia school won't pay for students' transport

Weems Elementary School in Manassas, Virginia, has apparently never heard of the concept that public schools are supposed to be open to all.

Recently - amid much oohing and aahing by The Media - the school introduced mandatory uniforms. Their rulebook says repeated violations of the uniform policy will result in "reassignment" to a Manassas public school that doesn't have uniforms. That sounds like just a euphemism for "expulsion", but they don't want to use the dreaded e-word because it makes the school sound too much like the bloated police state that it is.

If someone doesn't want to wear a uniform in a public school, why would they object if they were sent a different school instead? I'd be thrilled to pieces. Except for one little thing: The school system refuses to pay for transportation.

Isn't there a law that says schools have to cover transportation if you live more than a certain distance from school? In my day, that was the rule. I can't imagine Virginia or any other state in 2013 doesn't require public schools to provide transport. I do know Virginia has a law that lets public schools provide transport for students at private schools, even when the school can pay for it themselves, so why wouldn't public school students be covered too?

If a public school insists on requiring uniforms, they better damn well be prepared to pay for kids who believe in freedom to attend another school.