New Hanover County Schools to Close for Students on May 1st

New Hanover County Schools announced that schools will be closed for students on May 1, 2019, due to the number of teachers who plan to be out that day to participate in the teacher rally in Raleigh. May 1st will become an optional teacher workday for teachers and staff. As of April 23rd, 440 NHCS teachers are planning to be out on May 1st.
“Closing schools on May 1st is a difficult decision. Our students lost nearly three weeks of school after Hurricane Florence, and we do not want them to have to miss any more time; however, with over 400 teachers and staff, who have already put in leave requests and more are expected, we cannot safely operate the schools on May 1st,” said Superintendent Dr. Tim Markley.
Further he stated that the Board has expressed their strong support for teachers and their issues, but were disappointed with the fact that students will have to miss another day of school. Student and school safety are top priorities in NHCS and are the driving factors in the decision to close schools; the district does not employ enough substitute teachers to keep the district open on May 1st.
The Superintendent will collaborate with the Board to decide whether the day will have to be made up. That decision will be announced at a later date.