Two Union County parents have sued the school board over last month’s vote to defy the state’s calendar law and start classes on Aug. 9.
North Carolina’s school calendar law, which is supported by the state tourism industry, requires most districts to wait until late August to bring students back. Over the past year or so, several Charlotte-area school boards have decided to ignore that law and open earlier, saying they want to sync calendars with community colleges and give first-semester exams before winter break.
So far there have been no consequences for defying the law.
In a special meeting on Dec. 13, the Union County school board unanimously approved an Aug. 9 start date, almost three weeks earlier than the state allows. One of the plaintiffs, Dominique Morrison, owns a stable that offers summer horse riding lessons and camps. The suit says the early start would cut into revenue needed to feed the horses and remain open. The other, Francis Ward, is a parent who opposed the decision, Raleigh lawyer Mitch Armbruster said Tuesday.
The suit asks the court to declare the illegal calendar invalid.
“I don’t understand why these districts are violating the law,” Armbruster said. “Public officials shouldn’t be making decisions under the theory that no one has been sued yet so we can do that. We wouldn’t do that if a county decided the drinking age should be 18. They can’t just choose which laws to follow.”
Union County Public Schools declined to comment on the suit.
Gaston, Cleveland and Rutherford counties opened early this year without state permission, and Cabarrus County has voted to do so in the coming year. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders talked about starting early but ultimately decided to follow the law.