Wake County sets 2021-22 calendars. Most students will get Indigenous Peoples’ Day off
Most of Wake County’s students will not have class next year on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the day more commonly known as Columbus Day.
The Wake County school board unanimously approved calendars on Tuesday for the 2021-22 school year for traditional and modified year-round schools that include a teacher workday on Oct. 11, 2021. It’s officially the federal holiday of Columbus Day, but school leaders say they specifically gave students that day off to honor Native American peoples and their history and cultures.
The board also approved the 2021-22 calendar for multi-track year-round schools, which are, for now, expected to return to their normal early July opening date.
Also on Tuesday, Keith Sutton was re-elected as board chairman. Lindsay Mahaffey was elected as the new vice chairwoman, replacing Roxie Cash.
The second Monday in October is a federal holiday in honor of Christoper Columbus’ arrival in America. But in 1977, the International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations in the Americas said it should be celebrated instead as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has declared the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day since he took office in 2017. But in October, President Donald Trump charged that “radical activists” are trying to undermine Columbus’s legacy, McClatchy News previously reported.
Locally, the Wake County school board passed a resolution in October recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The school board’s resolution noted that North Carolina is home to more than 122,000 American Indians, and nearly 400 Wake students identify themselves as American Indian.
“The Board recognizes that American Indians, who have inhabited this continent since long before their first contact with English settlers, shared their knowledge of the land and its resources, and have continued to play a vital role in the development of the local communities, the state of North Carolina, and the nation,” the board said in the resolution.
School on Election Day
The approved calendars have a teacher workday for all schools next year on Nov. 2, when many of Wake’s towns will hold municipal elections. School board member Chris Heagarty said election officials wanted to also have a teacher workday next school year on Oct. 5, when Raleigh and Cary hold municipal elections.
Forty Wake schools will serve as polling sites on Oct. 5, compared to 27 schools on Nov. 2.
Assistant Superintendent Wade Martin said there are a limited number of workdays available due to the state’s school calendar law. As a result, he said, the committee of staff, parents and community members that developed the calendar decided to prioritize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
“It was something that the committee felt very strongly about,” Martin told the board. “We were not able to accommodate that October date.”
Martin also said it was easier to schedule the districtwide workday on Nov. 2 instead of Oct. 5.
Wake picks longer winter break
The board on Tuesday revised the draft 2021-22 calendar for traditional schools to provide families with a two-week winter break.
Last month, the calendar committee recommended a winter break of eight weekdays. But the board asked the committee to take another look because some parents want a longer winter break.
Martin said they revised the calendar by starting the school year a day earlier, which eliminated one of the workdays held before classes begin. He said they were able to add another day by eliminating the teacher workday on Easter Monday, which follows a weeklong spring break.
Martin said the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council supported the change.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 8:52 PM.
