Wake Says Lawsuit Could Have Students Out in Winter Dark

Raleigh, N.C. — The Wake County school system Thursday held out the prospect of students leaving for school before sun-up and getting home after sunset as the possible result of a lawsuit challenging a move to impose year-round schedules for 22 schools this fall.

A group called Wake CARES has asked the court to stop to the school board’s plans to convert the 22 schools. The school system says overcrowding would result and would wreak havoc on school staff and force schools to adopt split schedules.

The group calls the schools’ statement a scare tactic.

"I would like to think, if people set down face-to-face and have a forum where everything could be aired out, then there should be some compromise, but the solution they've offered is not a fair compromise. That's intimadation. That's another threat," said Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams, a Wake CARES backer.

The lawsuit contends mandatory year-round schooling is against the state's constitution.

The school system says in its response that barring year-round would drastically disrupt its ability to plan for the future. If that extends to implementing split sessions, the district says, school would start at 7 a.m., so children could be leaving their houses as early as 6:15 every morning. Others wouldn't start until 1:30 p.m. and probably would not be back home out until after 7:30.

A judge will hear arguments in the suit April 18.

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Latest Comments

I am by no means against the concept of year round schools. I am against the fact that I will have a child in year round, and one in traditional. If you're gonna make them year round, make them ALL year round... high schools included. This making 22 elementary schools and 2 middle schools year round makes no sense... what happens when the large amounts of children finish elementary school? Where are they gonna go? And then middle school? If it is gonna be done for one, do it for ALL. Then noone should have reason to complain... oh wait... I forget where I'm posting!

why_not_me
April 14, 2007 5:50 p.m.

hondaman If you are retired and don't want to pay taxes, move to Florida. We will not miss you at all.

poohperson2000
April 14, 2007 4:52 p.m.

I dont have kids. About 75% of my wake county taxes go to supporting the schools. I am also retired-- I should be exempt from paying taxes that go to the schools. You rich folks with a house full of kids can pay for yur fun.

superman
April 14, 2007 12:06 p.m.

I'm not against year round schools at all. In fact I kind of like the concept. What I am against is _mandatory_ year round schools for anybody. People should have a choice in the matter. I'm amazed at the folks who say "get over it" or "send them to private school" like that's those should be the only solutions. The problem with folks like that and especially the school board is that they are against choice and want to dictate who will do what. I still would like to know why it is logical to tear down and rebuild perfectly good schools and re-build them instead of building the new schools that we need and which could alleviate the need for mandatory year round schools. I don't really blame the folks posting here because they probably don't have all the facts on what has been going on around here for the last ten or more years. We've had plenty of time to plan for this better and we have failed to hold our leaders accountable. Don't buy their lies and ultimatums.

fl2nc2ca2md2nc
April 13, 2007 7:48 p.m.

I have a simple solution to Wake County's problem--make ALL elementary and middle schools year round! It's a more efficient use of the facilities and children lose less in their shorter breaks. It also eliminates the arguments over who gets a traditional schedule and who is on year round.

Want a different schedule? Enroll your kids in a private school and pay for the privilege.

Rebel
April 13, 2007 6:09 p.m.