IOWA CITY, Iowa – Students in the Iowa City school district are currently scheduled to attend class on Jan. 20, the federal holiday observing the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In addition to getting their daily instruction, students are scheduled to participate in special activities marking the day, including a mock civil rights march to demonstrate what King was all about, school assemblies based on his life, and projects to benefit local social service agencies.

We think Dr. King would approve of that plan. He was all about children – particularly minority kids – having opportunities for a quality education. He wouldn’t want them to waste a single minute of learning to celebrate his birthday.

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Unfortunately some people who claim to represent King’s legacy have complained to the Iowa City school board about having classes that day, and the cowardly board voted Wednesday to instruct staff to devise a plan to cancel classes and reschedule that day of instruction, according to the Des Moines Register.

Why would they do that? So kids can sit at home playing video games or watching movies and learn nothing at all?

Royceann Porter, a member of the Iowa City Coalition of Racial Justice, said the school board’s initial decision to have classes Jan. 20 has hurt race relations in the city.

“We’re going backwards,” she was quoted as saying.

Actually we’re going backward when school boards, like the one in Iowa City, buckle under and declare a community day of laziness on the birthday of a great American achiever.

We can understand the motivation for union workers to demand paid days off for any holiday, simply because they like paid days off and have enough clout to get them.

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But what are so-called civil rights leaders trying to accomplish by cancelling school on King’s birthday? Do they really believe the vast majority – or even a significant portion – of students are going to sit home and study and ponder King’s message and mission? Isn’t it obvious that they would learn a great deal more about the man and the movement in a classroom with teachers guiding them?

Isn’t the need for people to learn about King and the civil rights movement the real reason for recognizing his birthday in the first place?

How will anyone accomplish anything positive on that day if they are free to stay in bed until noon?

King was all about facing an enormous challenge and working hard to meet it. Students would best honor his memory by working hard on something constructive to benefit themselves and their fellow man.