North Carolina lawmakers want to shut down future teacher rallies on school days

RALEIGH -- Some state lawmakers want to prevent North Carolina school districts from being able to cancel classes in the future to allow teachers to take off work to protest the legislature.

The state House Education budget released on Friday would change state law to say that schools can’t give permission for teachers to use personal leave on a school day unless they can confirm that a substitute teacher is available. School districts have cited the lack of substitutes to cancel classes, both for last year’s mass teacher rally and the one scheduled for May 1 in Raleigh.

“A local board of education shall not alter a school calendar once adopted unless necessary to address a severe weather condition, energy shortage, utility failure, public health crisis, school safety crisis, emergency related to a school building or school transportation, or act of God,” according to the budget documents.

At least 30 school districts and four charter schools representing a majority of the state’s 1.53 million public school students have canceled classes ahead of Wednesday’s protest in Raleigh.

Read more: https://www.heraldsun.com/news/politics-government/article229714994.html
(Durham Herald Sun)