Should The Jerusalem Marathon Use Kids?

There is a debate going on in Jerusalem right now, as the city begins preparing for the upcoming Jerusalem marathon in March.

Marathons are very disruptive to a city's regular ebb and flow. they wreak havoc on traffic, as roads need to be closed for about 8 hours, businesses along the route are affected, schools and public transportation, and more. There are benefits as well, such as cultural promotion, sport, bringing money to the city as people come from all over the country and even from places around the world and spend time and money around the city, etc.

The debate is whether to take advantage of the disruption that is going to definitely happen, or to ignore it and let life continue as regularly as possible.

Sometimes a city can plan the marathon route easily enough with as minimal disturbance as possible. The route can sometimes be contained to one side of a city, or to one area, along the outskirts. With Jerusalem, the scheduled route cuts across through major parts of the city. It is sure to be a major disturbance in a city already clogged up.

Due to the disruptions, the question is what to do with some schools that sit along the marathon route. Should lessons continue usual and just deal with the disruptions, and kids who cannot get to school because of blocked roads, or should school be canceled and let the kids get an education experience by participating in various ways such as by manning water stations?

Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat is in favor of canceling school for that day, for the schools affected, and having the kids man the water stations. It can be a great experience for them. The director of the parents association disagrees and says the kids should go to school. It is a time of preparation for the bagruyot, the kids need to be in school, and it is municipal employees that should be used for helping out with the marathon rather than kids.

What do you think? Should the kids be used, since their schooling will be disturbed anyway, or should they try to study as best they can even under difficult conditions?