Chatham County Schools will be closed Wednesday, May 1, coinciding with a large teacher rally in Raleigh.

The Chatham County Board of Education unanimously voted in a special meeting on Thursday night to close the school district for students on May 1.

“We would prefer to have a normal day of school, but we simply would not have enough personnel on hand to ensure that our classrooms are adequately staffed. The number of employees who have already requested leave for May 1st and the potential for last-minute emergency/sick leave requests created a compelling need to close for students,” board chair Gary L. Leonard said in a message on the district website. “That being said, we remain committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and continue to support our system of public education and the work of our dedicated employees.”

The message said that the number of requests for vacation days was “initially manageable,” but “the number of absences that were not covered by a substitute has steadily increased over the past two days.”

May 1 will not be made up for students.

Chatham County Schools is now joining other districts across the state – including Chapel Hill – Carrboro and Orange County school districts – to cancel classes on the day of the teacher rally.

This is the second year that the teacher rally has been organized. Last year’s event drew an estimated crowd of 20,000 to lobby the General Assembly for increased education funds.

File photo of 2018 teacher rally

Related Stories
‹
Max Harmon of Jordan Matthews High School on NCAE Rally, Teachers' Needs — On Air Today (Apr. 29, 2026)
Max Harmon of Jordan Matthews High School and the Chatham County Association of Educators joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell.
CHCCS, Orange and Chatham Public Schools Among NC Districts Canceling Classes Ahead of Teachers Rally
With a teachers rally expecting to draw thousands of educators from North Carolina, local school districts are cancelling classes for May 1.
Teachers March on Raleigh Demanding Better Pay, Better Support
Thousands of North Carolina public school teachers and staff gathered on the Halifax Mall next to the Legislative Building in the state capitol to push elected officials for better pay, retirement and more funding per student. Mark Jewell, President of the North Carolina Association of Educators, told the gathered crowd that last year’s teachers’ rally […]
North Carolina Teachers Plan New Rally to Press Demands
North Carolina teachers didn’t win the pay hikes and other changes they sought last year, despite a rally that brought 20,000 people to the capital, but they believe their activism helped elect a more sympathetic legislature and will take to the streets again Wednesday. Schools across the state have announced they will have to close […]
CHCCS Cancels Classes on Scheduled North Carolina Teacher Rally
Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools will be closed for an optional teacher workday on May 1, as state education advocates have organized another Day of Action in Raleigh lobbying for education initiatives. Last year’s rally drew nearly 20,000 attendees, according to estimates at the time. CHCCS was one of the first districts to cancel […]
North Carolina Schools Chief: Change Date for Teacher Rally
North Carolina’s elected public schools chief says organizers of a May 1 teacher march and rally should reschedule so students won’t miss class because instructors will take off. Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson said Thursday that he can’t support protests that force schools to close and urged they be held on a non-school […]
North Carolina Teachers' Group Plan Another May Rally
North Carolina’s largest teacher-lobbying group will organize another march and rally this spring to seek higher school salaries and funding from the General Assembly. North Carolina Association of Educators President Mark Jewell confirmed on Monday the group will hold a public education “Day of Action” for May 1 in Raleigh. An estimated 19,000 people marched […]
Corporate Tax Cuts, Prediction Market Leeway, and Underfunding Education: Why Orange County's Legislators Voted Against NC's Budget
All three of Orange County’s state representatives voted against North Carolina's updated budget, citing issues with its contents and construction.
On the Porch: Dr. James Wood - Sports Around the World
This Week: James Wood is currently Professor of Latin American and modern world history at North Carolina A&T State University. He is the author of The Society of Equality: Popular Republicanism and Democracy in Santiago de Chile, 1818-1851 and the co-editor of "Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations", now in its fifth edition with Rowman and Littlefield. As a Fulbright scholar for Chile in 2016 he was a visiting professor at the Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago (where he observed Chilean student activism up close).
2 Chatham County Schools Administrators Begin New Roles in District
A pair of Chatham County Schools administrators will be taking on new roles for the upcoming school year, the district announced Tuesday. Michelle Burton, currently the Executive Director of Secondary Education & Career and Technical Education, has been named the Deputy Chief of Student Support & Innovative Programs. Meanwhile, Carla Murray, currently the district’s Executive […]
›