About 200 students at Reedy Creek Elementary currently attend because they opted out of year-round.

Parents there said Friday's court decision could definitely impact their families.

"I would go wherever they sent me, unfortunately," said parent Victoria Vanamburgh. "I'm not wealthy enough to go to private school so I kind of have to do what they direct you to do."

"We would have to readjust our work schedules," said Jack Daniel, another parent. "Because currently our work schedules are adapted to the more conventional schedule at school."

Several parents who declined an interview said they are hopeful that the decision could help even things out a little: some year round schools have empty desks and traditional ones are overcrowded.

The parents who got the lawsuit going say they don't agree with the decision, but are not giving it too much thought.

"I can't say that my overall feeling of the day is disappointment," said Wake CARES Director Patrice Lee. "I think we've accomplished a tremendous amount in the last two years that have all been positive for the citizens of Wake County. I think we've brought a lot of things to light."

Wake CARES members say they see this as an opportunity to enact change, especially with several school board seats up for grabs later this year.

"There's more involvement now than there has ever been," said Wake CARES Co-Founder Dawn Graff. "And I think we'll see a positive impact in the upcoming elections."

It's that attention that Wake CARES has brought to the issue that they say is most important, not the court's decision.

The Wake Schools Community Alliance released the following statement Friday regarding the ruling:


"Wake Schools Community Alliance (WSCA) is extremely disappointed in today's North Carolina Supreme Court ruling that Wake County Public Schools System (WCPSS) has the right to assign students to Year Round calendars on a mandatory basis. In their ruling, the Supreme Court stated "We recognize the emotional nature of this case, but we must emphasize that our duty goes no further than to determine the legal authority for implementing mandatory year-round schools, not the wisdom of such a decision."

"Today's ruling has severe ramifications for Wake County families. The previous stay granted by the Supreme Court extended parents rights to opt out of Year Round assignments and continue to enroll their children in traditional calendar schools. This school year, 2,597 Wake County students exercised that opt-out right. The Supreme Court's ruling removes the stay, and grants WCPSS authority to reassign all of these students to their base Mandatory Year Round (MYR) schools.

"For too long, the Wake County School Board has set policies without regard to their impact on family life or quality of education. The detrimental effects of MYR on families are known, as are the damages caused by the School Board's overall assignment policy. Now, more than ever, it is important that the citizens of Wake County work together and hold our School Board members accountable for their policy decisions. As Judge Edmunds stated in his opinion, "Plaintiffs have the ultimate remedy of the ballot box." In fact, WSCA believes that the only remedy Wake County citizens have is at the ballot box based on the School Board's longstanding record of ignoring citizen input.

"Four seats on the Wake County Board of Education are up for election on October 6th. WSCA is committed to endorsing and electing candidates for those seats who will support Voluntary Year Round assignments. Success in those four elections will result in a School Board majority which will quickly end Mandatory Year Round assignments.

"WSCA has an open invitation to all Wake County citizens to join our group and help achieve our immediate goal of electing four new School Board members who will remember that citizens are at the top, not bottom, of the government organization chart. Our next meeting is Saturday, May 9th, in Morrisville; All are welcome. Please visit our web site at www.wakesca.org to learn more about WSCA."

Related Links

1. Read the Main Story about The Ruling