Nash County Public Schools announced it will join a growing list of schools starting earlier than the state law allows. With new legislation on the table, schools may not have to break state to have that flexibility.
State law currently forbids public school districts from starting class instruction before the Monday closest to Aug. 26, but nearly a quarter of the state's districts broke the law last year.
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Senate Bill 754 would allow schools to start as early as the Monday closest to Aug. 19, though they would have to end no later than the Friday before Memorial Day. Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, filed the bill in an attempt to strike a compromise between school leaders who want scheduling flexibility and businesses in the tourism industry that prefer longer summer breaks.
Audreanna Allen is the parent of a third grader in Wake County. She doesn't like the sound of an earlier start date.
"If they start earlier, then there's no time for them to have time for parents who work constantly," she said. "I work 40-plus hours a week. So, it's like, when do you have time with your kids?"
In Wake County, students will start on the date required by state law, but if Senate Bill 754 gets traction, the school can legally change that.
Nash County School Board Member Chris Bissette told WRAL News it was worth bending state law to have a date that works for everyone.
"I've had people call me and say, 'Are you aware you're in violation?' Yeah, [I am] but I was elected to do what I thought was best for the students and staff, so that's why I did it," he said.
Bissette said the decision was made with feedback from all parties involved.
"It was not an easy decision, but we weighed everything out, and you look at the pros and the cons, we did a survey of our parents, parents, students and staff, and overwhelmingly, they all wanted an early start," he said.
If the Senate bill is passed, it would also impose punishments for school boards that defy the law – something that Berger has previously floated. If a school board set a calendar violating the law and did not remedy it, the board would lose its state funding for central office staff and supplies.
The bill is a major shift for Berger, who has long resisted bipartisan calls for more calendar flexibility.
WRAL News asked Berger about the switch.
"The reality is, you've got a huge number of school systems, school boards [that] elected to uphold the law, taking oaths to uphold the law, who are blatantly violating the law, and every time they've been hauled into court, judges have said, You can't do that. Yet, many of them continue to do the same thing," he said.
Nash County Public School parent Jet Hatu said she would like to see state law fall in line with an earlier start date.
"I personally liked the change," he said. "If I'm being honest, starting earlier in a year helps them, like steady a pace, more academically, to allow more progress."
School systems, boards and families support an earlier start date largely for the sake of high school students and students who, because of late start dates, are forced to take end-of-semester exams after two-week-long winter breaks. Community colleges also typically start the school year earlier, and a growing number of high school students are dually enrolled in community college courses.
However, many businesses that benefit from tourism have preferred a later start date to capitalize on late summer beach travel.