April 27, 2026
At this evening’s Board of Education meeting, the Board voted to make Friday, May 1, an optional teacher workday. Thousands of educators from across the state have planned to go to Raleigh to request a change from state legislators on education issues.
ABSS has a significant number of staff who plan to attend, and we are facing a shortage of substitute teachers and bus drivers for that day. We have worked to expand our substitute pool and planned to utilize central office staff to support coverage in the schools. However, as of today, there are nearly 500 staff absences and over 250 unfilled substitute positions. We have determined that we will not be able to provide adequate supervision or reliable transportation with the staffing levels available. Moving to a teacher workday allows our district to prioritize student safety.
Because of the number of instructional hours included in the district calendar, students will not have to make up this day.
We recognize that a schedule change can present challenges for families. Thank you for your flexibility as we balance supporting our staff and student safety.