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Superintendent recommends closing schools May 1 amid expected Day of Action; board and public debate safety, makeup day
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Summary
Superintendent Phipps recommended closing schools to students on May 1 because of expected large staff absences tied to a statewide Day of Action, proposing May 27 as a makeup day; board members and public commenters debated safety, transportation and extracurricular impacts.
Superintendent Kelvin Phipps recommended that Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools close to students on May 1 in response to a statewide educator Day of Action and current leave submissions, and proposed May 27 as a student makeup day.
"My recommendation would be ... that we would close on May 1 for students with a makeup day on May 27," Phipps told the board, adding that May 1 would be an "RS teacher work day" for 205‑ and 215‑day staff so employees could report or take leave.
Phipps said district staff had recorded 1,253 leave requests as of the afternoon before the meeting and that critical operations — notably transportation and child nutrition — reported inability in several schools to operate safely. He said many field trips (35 at the time of his presentation) and scheduled end‑of‑year activities make the choice complicated and that liability and supervision concerns rule out relying solely on untrained volunteers.
Board members asked about contingency options: reassigning central‑office staff, double‑tripping bus routes, asking families to transport students and whether after‑hours events (performances, athletics) could still occur with proper supervision. Phipps said after‑hours events would be left to athletic directors and coaches and would require adequate supervision to proceed.
Public comment during the meeting was strongly in favor of closure. Michelle Jordan, a speaker representing school staff and the advocacy group FCAE, said the Day of Action "is happening on May 1 because that's the day of action" and urged the board to close and to join the demonstration. Other commenters — teachers, parents and community leaders — warned that unpredictable absenteeism could leave buildings understaffed and imperil safe operations.
Board members stressed safety and the need for updated counts before a final decision; several members asked staff to continue building contingency plans and to clarify how closing would affect pay and work status for classified staff and child‑nutrition employees. The district clarified that classified staff would either report or take leave on a teacher workday and that because the day would be made up on May 27, employees would not lose pay for the make‑up arrangement.
What happens next: the board discussed the recommendation but the meeting record shows the board did not take a separate recorded vote on May 1 closure during this session. Staff said they would continue to refine contingency plans, coordinate with athletic directors about after‑hours events, and communicate final decisions to families once absentee counts and logistics were clearer.
