GASTONIA, N.C. — Gaston County education leaders voted Monday to violate North Carolina's law regarding the school calendar for two more years.
The Gaston County Board of Education unanimously voted to start classes in mid-August in 2024 and 2025. Both early start options received overwhelming approval from those who participated in a survey, which included Gaston County employees, parents, students and community members.
State law requires districts to wait until the Monday closest to Aug. 26 to start classes.
Numerous districts across the Charlotte area started school before the set start date in place by state law. Those districts included Cabarrus, Gaston, Stanly, Cleveland, Iredell-Statesville and Lincoln County.
It's something North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore encouraged districts to do earlier this year.
“I favor more flexibility for the local districts and for the parents to have input in that," Moore said. "I think there ought to be greater flexibility.”
The Department of Public Instruction said it does not have a written policy or procedure for taking action against districts that start school early, but the DPI told WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team that individuals or groups can bring lawsuits against school boards to require compliance with the law.
That's exactly what happened in Union County, where a group of parents filed suit when the district initially planned to start school on Aug. 9. The school board eventually relented, approving a new calendar that started in late August, in accordance with the law.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || Google Podcasts || iHeart
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.