Charlotte Observer | April 16, 2026
“Some North Carolina school districts are canceling classes on May 1 because they say so many teachers are planning to take May Day off to participate in a mass protest in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Association of Educators is encouraging teachers to call out of work on May 1 to march on the Legislative Building in Raleigh to lobby for more state funding for public education. In response, some districts such as Chatham County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools are closing on May 1, with several other districts considering a schedule change as well.
‘The North Carolina Association of Educators is in fact planning a day of action for teachers to advocate and to find voice and use their voice to advocate professionally across the state,’ Chatham County Superintendent Anthony Jackson told the school board.
‘At a time when teachers should be preparing their students for critical exams, they’re instead keeping kids out of their classrooms,’ Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger, said in a statement.”