Union County school board votes, 6-3, to rescind school calendar change

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — The Union County Board of Education voted, 6-3, Friday to rescind its calendar change that would have started school earlier each year.

The board adopted a school calendar change in a special remote meeting on Dec. 13, 2022, that would have started school earlier each year on Aug. 9. With Friday’s vote, that decision has now been rescinded.

Union County School Board members expressed frustration having to change the school calendar it unanimously approved last month.

“This board has nothing to apologize for,” said Rev. Jimmy Bention, a UCPS board member. “This board knew what we were voting on. We voted 9-0.”

The school board also approved a new 2023-2024 traditional academic calendar. Classes will now start on Monday, Aug. 28. The last day of school will be Friday, June 7. Winter Break for students is now Dec. 18, 2023 – Jan. 1, 2024.

The meeting about the decision came after parents were unhappy with the original vote. The school board canceled a meeting originally scheduled for earlier this week and did not say why.

On Jan. 10, parents filed a lawsuit against the Union County Board of Education and its board members saying the district violated the law when adopting the district’s new school calendar.

State law states that North Carolina schools shouldn’t start earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and no later than June 11, weather permitting.

The complainants in the lawsuit said the board intentionally violated the law and could constitute a criminal misdemeanor, which could mean removal from office. The suit asked for an injunction to prevent the school board from enforcing the calendar.

At the time of the decision, school board members who supported the idea looked to Gaston and Cleveland counties which started school early this year.

Mitch Armbruster represented one of the parents who sued the district over the change.

He said parents were already calling his client to get refunds for summer camps at her horse farm.

“The change to the summer would severely affect her business,” the attorney said. “It affected her ability to feed her horses.”

Other parents complained they paid for vacations.

That lawsuit forced board members to reverse their vote.

“This law they are deciding to violate and admitting they are doing it, so it’s really unusual,” Armbruster said. “It’s unprecedented. I think our state government is still reacting to that. As of now, there haven’t been repercussions for those counties but that doesn’t mean there’s not going to be.”

Armbruster said his clients are pleased with Friday’s decision.

During the meeting Friday morning, several board members called on the state legislature to amend the law and give districts more flexibility with the district’s calendar.

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