Wake schools cancel classes for NC’s March 5 primary election
Wake County students no longer will have classes on March 5 because of concerns about dozens of schools serving as polling sites for the primary election.
The Wake County school board voted 7-1 on Tuesday to approve staff’s recommendation to cancel school March 5 for the district’s 159,000 students. Administrators cited the security and traffic concerns of having students in class at the same time tens of thousands of voters will be on campus.
Administrators had proposed voting on the change at the Feb. 6 board meeting. But the board added the vote to Tuesday’s agenda to give parents more time to arrange for childcare on March 5.
“The short notice is going to be a challenge for many families and educators,” said school board vice chair Monika Johnson-Hostler.
School board member Wing Ng was the lone dissenting vote, citing the short notice. Board member Cheryl Caulfield was not present due to health issues.
Schools popular choice for polling sites
More than 80 Wake schools — including many elementary schools — serve as polling sites in some years.
Under state law, local elections boards can demand that any state, county or municipal building — such as a public school — be used as a polling site. Elections officials need permission to use churches and privately owned facilities.
“The decisions to have our schools as polling places is a county decision,” said school board chair Chris Heagarty.
The district has historically delayed the start of school or not held classes in November on Election Day. School will not be held on Nov. 5 due to the high voter turnout expected with contests such as president on the ballot.
But some parents and school board members asked district staff to look at not having classes as well during the primary election.
Extra security at school polling sites?
Schools try to cordon off polling areas from the rest of the school. But Johnson-Hostler said that’s not possible in some schools.
“Voters don’t always listen to what you’re saying,” Johnson-Hostler said.
Heagarty suggested reaching out to towns about having extra law enforcement officers around schools on election days. But Johnson-Hostler said a large police presence could be viewed as voter suppression now that voters will be required to show photo identification.
Assistant Superintendent Glenn Carrozza told the school board they haven’t had any concerns yet with safety at any school polling site. But school board member Tyler Swanson said that shouldn’t be an excuse for the district not to be proactive.
Students won’t have to make up the day
Wake will use “banked” instructional time so students won’t have to make up classes missed on March 5.
All Wake schools have more than the minimum of 1,025 instructional hours required each school year under state law. Schools can use the banked time so they don’t need to make up four days when schools are closed for bad weather or other unique circumstances.
Wake used one of the banked days when schools were closed Aug. 31 due to Tropical Storm Idalia.
Using a banked day on March 5 will leave most schools with two banked days left for the year.
School administrators are not recommending moving an existing teacher workday to March 5 because it could disrupt planning for school staff and parents.
