SC school district cancels class for March 24 teacher rally planned at State House
At least one S.C. school district has canceled classes the day later this month that a grassroots teacher group is organizing a rally on the State House.
The Chester County School District has canceled classes for March 24, when SC for Ed is organizing a march on the State House.
Chester schools will make up the day on April 13, according to a post on the district’s Facebook page.
The March 24 rally follows a similar demonstration last May, when 10,000 educators and their allies gathered at the State House to push for reforms aimed at improving the teaching profession and public schools.
Organizers of this month’s rally say the proposals lawmakers are advancing, including an education bill the Senate recently adopted, aren’t good enough.
“Because many of our teachers have asked for this day as a personal day of leave, we are allowing them to take this day to advocate for public education and for their students,” Chester Superintendent Angela Bain wrote on the district’s Facebook page.
SC for Ed, which is organizing the rally, was grateful for the school district’s decision.
“Thank You, Chester County Schools for believing in education and supporting your teachers’ right to advocate!” the group tweeted.
Whether other school districts will follow suit remains to be seen.
Last year, when 10,000 people came to the State House for SC for Ed’s rally, several school districts around the state called the day off including Chester County, Richland 1 School District and Lexington-Richland 5.
In Richland 1, 108 of the district’s more than 2,000 teachers have requested March 24 off. However, the district as of Tuesday does not have plans to cancel classes, said spokeswoman Karen York
Lexington-Richland 5 currently does not plan to cancel classes, the day of the march.
“To date, we have not seen an abnormal amount of requests for staff personal leave on that date,” said Lexington-Richland 5 spokeswoman Katrina Goggins.
The Lexington 2 School District said it plans to have a normal day on March 24.
Richland 2 did not immediately return requests for comment.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "SC school district cancels class for March 24 teacher rally planned at State House."
