By Erin Smith
A rally for teachers planned for Wednesday, May 16, in Raleigh is forcing 19 school districts to announce closings. Bladen County Schools, however, is planning to operate on a normal schedule on May 16th.
Bladen County Schools Public Information Officer Valerie Newton said that, as of today, 10 teachers in Bladen County have requested leave for that day, “which may or may not be related to the rally.”
Organizers of the March for Students and Rally for Respect are anticipating thousands of teachers from throughout North Carolina to be in Raleigh on Wednesday. The rally is an effort to encourage the General Assembly to increase teacher pay and improve working conditions.
The rally, which is being promoted by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), will begin with a march at 10 a.m. from the NCAE headquarters in Raleigh to the Capitol building. The rally will end at 3:30 p.m. Organizers say teachers plan to meet with legislators to discuss their concerns during the rally.
The 19 school districts who have announced they will be closing for the rally are:
Asheboro City Schools, Asheville City Schools, Brunswick County Schools (except ECHS), Cabarrus County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Durham Public Schools, Guilford County Schools, Iredell-Statesville Schools, Johnston County Schools, Kannapolis City Schools, Lexington City Schools, Mooresville Graded School District, Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, New Hanover County Schools, Orange County Schools, Pitt County Schools, Thomasville City Schools, Wake County Public School System, Wayne County Public Schools, and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
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