Election Day Now A Day OFF For Students In Washington Twp Public Schools
WASHINGTON TWP, NJ (CBS) -- Parents in one South Jersey school district have been handed an Election Day surprise. Schools will be closed because hundreds of teachers want the day off.
It was a school day on the Washington Township calendar that was published months ago. But there was a change this week.
"The Superintendent was presented with over 300 personally signed letters from members of our Washington Township Education Association on Tuesday Afternoon at one o'clock saying that they were going to exercise their right to be absent on Election Day," spokeswoman Jan Giel told KYW Newsradio.
The district sent a note to the parents of 7300 students in the district announcing the sudden change and apologizing for it because "the District will be unable to secure adequate supervision through our substitute service."
Gerry Taraschi, head of the Washington Township Education Association, says there are several reasons why his members opted to do this. Among them, safety concerns for students and staff and a desire to take part in the Presidential Election.
"We apologize for it being such short notice but no one, I don't believe, anticipated a year ago this election would be as contentious or potentially volatile as it's become," Taraschi said.
He added that the move has nothing to do with the fact his members are now working under the terms of a contract that expired in June. Taraschi went to great lengths to stress this was not a "job action" which is barred by that contract.
The schedule change means parents will have to find child care not just on Tuesday, but whenever the district schedules the makeup day.
The rest of next week's school schedule is unchanged, with classes on Monday and Wednesday. Schools are closed Thursday and Friday of next week to coincide with the annual NJEA convention in Atlantic City.
