Wake County students could get day off for elections, Juneteenth

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County parents who pushed for a teacher workday instead of an in-person learning day for November's midterm election could see the changes they asked for.

Wake County Public School leaders presented the school board with three options on Tuesday that would keep students out of class on Election Day. Here is the list of options:

• Option 1: Change an existing Teacher Work Day from another date on the calendar.

• Option 2: Move Vacation/Track Out Days.

• Option 3: Create a calendar out/ track out the day on Election Day.

Board members favored Option Three. It was described as less intrusive. Option Three would include no school on Election Day and Juneteenth.

Parents Kirstin Morrison and Jennifer McMullin, who advocated for the calendar changes said the initial plan posed a safety risk. Morrison said she noticed the security concerns back in May during the primary election when her son's school served as a polling location.

"I just felt very uneasy. And then a week later, Uvalde unfolded. I realized I couldn't let it be. I couldn't say something and not try to do something to protect the safety of my son and all students in Wake County," they said.

The two moms started a petition that has garnered hundreds of signatures, sparked discussions with the Wake County School Board, and now recommendations for changes.

"Wake County heard our concerns, heard the concerns of the community, and has prioritized student safety over the time it takes to make hard choices and to make changes like this," said McMullin, who has a rising ninth-grader in Wake County Schools.

To learn more about Morrison and McMullin's Safe School Polling Initiative, click here.