March 24 SC teacher rally canceled, Chester County schools open
Chester County School District officials have reversed their decision to close March 24.
The district had announced March 10 that schools would be closed due to a planned teacher rally at the South Carolina statehouse aimed at education reform.
The rally has been canceled to coronavirus, or COVID-19, concerns, according to SC for Ed, the group of educators that planned the rally. The group is planning to reschedule.
With the change, spring break remains April 6-13, according to the school district.
Last year, the educator group SC for Ed held a rally that drew more than 10,000 people to the statehouse, reported The State newspaper. Several teachers from York County region schools attended that rally, The Herald previously reported.
The second rally was planned in response to the education bill passed by the Senate on March 5. SC for Ed members have said the bill ignores their requests for small class sizes, an increase in state funding to schools, and fewer standardized tests, reports the Associated Press.
Chester County schools also closed for the May 1, 2019 rally.
“I was proud of our teachers for wanting to be advocates. I didn’t want them to have to choose between their students and taking a day off to go to the rally,” Bain said in an interview with The Herald.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 10:40 AM.
