Photo used under a Creative Commons license with AshBash!

Summer comes to a sudden close today for many today, as schools—public, private, charter, and universities—throughout the region throw open their doors for another academic year. Well, everywhere but Virginia, that is.

While students in D.C. and Maryland will be grousing over having to be back in school today, their counterparts throughout most of the commonwealth get another week to kick back and enjoy the summer climes and times. As we’ve reported before, Virginia remains one of the few places in the U.S. that starts school after Labor Day, product of the infamous “King’s Dominion Law” that prioritizes promoting Virginia tourism—and yes, amusement parks like that after which the law is named—and the revenues its brings to state coffers.

As with many years passed, some Virginia legislators—not to mention Gov. Bob McDonnell—tried to undo the law this year, but once again failed. The allure of the taxes on those amusement park tickets ($60 at the door!) and the concessions sold at the park are still too much for many Virginians to risk losing, education for the kids be damned.

Not all of Virginia is held hostage by the amusement lobby, though. Certain school districts have been granted waivers due to concerns over weather-related closures; Loudoun County’s 68,170 public school students will be heading back to classes today, for one.