For D.C. Schools, A Pretty Good Day 1

Students walk along M St. SW to Amidon elementary school this morning. (James M. Thresher - The Washington Post)

School officials called the police, but no arrests were made. Rhee spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said officials had heard of some parental protest but could offer no details.

The school has been in some turmoil since the departure of its popular principal, Lucia Vega, whose contract was not renewed by Rhee. Her replacement, Mikki Crenshaw, who was appointed this summer, resigned last week. School officials would not comment on the reasons for Crenshaw's departure.

There were significant teacher shortages at two high schools, Anacostia and Dunbar, and school administrators and teachers union officials offered conflicting explanations. Officials said Anacostia had 14 absent teachers and Dunbar had seven.

Rhee and other officials said the teachers called in sick, but Nathan Saunders, general vice president of the Washington Teachers' Union, said teachers had not been placed by the central office in time for the opening of classes. "This was poor HR [human resources] work," Saunders said.

About 50 students spent at least part of the day in Anacostia's auditorium. They attributed it to poor scheduling.

"I'm supposed to have a math class. I went there, and it's an English class," a freshman boy said. A girl sitting behind him said there were problems with her schedule, too.

An Anacostia teacher, who asked not to be identified for fear of getting into trouble with superiors, said the scheduling issues were compounded by changes in the building's room numbers.

"It is utter chaos here," the teacher said. "I think the ninth-grade students are suffering the most."

Hobson said that there were no scheduling problems and that the students in the auditorium were either new to the D.C. system and had not registered or had showed up at the wrong school. Rather than turn them away -- many came without a parent or guardian -- the school decided to keep them in a safe place. The parents will need to accompany the students to verify residency and complete the necessary paperwork.

At mid-morning, a false fire alarm sent hundreds of Coolidge High School students streaming onto the athletic fields.

D.C. State Board of Education member Mary Lord, who was visiting the school at the time, said the evacuation was orderly. Through a loudspeaker, Principal L. Nelson Burton told students that he would review security tapes and punish whoever was responsible. Within five to 10 minutes, students were back in class, Lord said.

Staff writer V. Dion Haynes contributed to this report.