Nash County Public Schools announce early start date

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 law to have that flexibility.
Posted 3/27/2025, 8:17:56 PM Updated 3/28/2025, 12:58:04 AM

BEFORE OUR NEXT CHANCE FOR RAIN

AND SEVERE STORMS.

>> AND RIGHT NOW AT 4 O'CLOCK,

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

HAVE LESS THAN A WEEK NOW TO

SUBMIT THEIR START DATES FOR

THE 2025. 2026 SCHOOL YEAR.

NASH COUNTY SCHOOLS IS JOINING

A GROWING LIST OF DISTRICTS

STARTING EARLIER THAN STATE

LAW ALLOWS. THANKS FOR JOINING

US. I'M LENA TILLETT AND I'M

DAN HAGGERTY. NEW LEGISLATION

AIMS TO CHANGE THAT LAW AND

ALLOW MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THOSE

SCHOOL START DATES. WRAL'S

HEIDI KIRK IS LIVE AT OLE'S

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN WAKE

COUNTY, HEIDI. SOME SCHOOL

STARTING UP TO 2 WEEKS EARLY.

WELL, DAN STUDENTS WHO GO TO

WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS LIKE

THIS ONE ARE GOING TO RETURN

FOR THE 2025 2026 SCHOOL YEAR.

>> ON MONDAY, AUGUST 25TH.

BUT IN NASH COUNTY, JUST UP THE

ROAD, THEY'RE STARTING 2 WEEKS

EARLY NOW. CURRENTLY THAT

DISTRICT IS BREAKING THE LAW TO

DO THAT. BUT THAT COULD CHANGE.

>> AND RIHANNA, ALLEN IS THE

PARENT OF A 3RD GRADER IN WAKE

COUNTY. SHE DOESN'T LIKE THE

SOUND OF AN EARLIER START DATE.

THEY START EARLY AND THEN.

>> FOR THEM TO HAVE TIME TO

PARENTS THAT WERE CONSTANT WORK

40 PLUS HOURS A WEEK MONDAY TO

ACTUALLY DO SO THROUGH SUNDAY.

SO IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE TIME

TO KIDS IN WAKE COUNTY STUDENTS

WILL START IN LINE WITH THE

DATE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW.

>> BUT IF SENATE BILL 754 GETS

TRACTION, THEY COULD CHANGE

THAT. NASH COUNTY SCHOOLS MADE

THE CALL TO GO AGAINST THE

CURRENT STATE LAW. IT START

EARLY IN THE FALL BOARD MEMBER

CHRISTMAS SAID TELLS US THE

AUGUST 11 STARGATE BENEFITS

EVERYONE. AND I'VE HAD PEOPLE

CALL ME AND SAY, ARE YOU WHERE

YOU THAT YOU'RE YOU'RE IN

VIOLATION? YEAH.

>> BUT I WAS ELECTED TO DO WHAT

I THOUGHT WAS BEST FOR THE

STUDENTS, THE STAFF. SO THAT'S

WHY DID HE SAYS A SURVEY OF

PARENTS SHOWED THEY WANT THE

EARLIER START DATE. NASH COUNTY

PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENT TO IS ALL

FOR IT. I PERSONALLY LIKED THE

CHANGE.

>> IF I'M BEING HONEST

I THINK THAT'S STARTING EARLIER

AND A YEAR KIND OF HELPS THEM

LIKE STEADY PACE, MORE

ACADEMICALLY TO ALLOW MORE

PROGRESS. BISSETTE SAYS THE

BOARD WILL BE WATCHING THE

LEGISLATION CLOSELY.

>> NOW, IF THAT SENATE BILL WAS

ADOPTED, IT WOULD ALSO PUT IN

PUNISHMENTS IF SCHOOL DISTRICTS

WORK TO BREAK THE LAW. WE

ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH THE BILL

SPONSOR WILL HAVE MORE ON THAT

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