LAUREL, Del. - ONE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON DELMARVA IS CLOSING ITS SCHOOLS ONE DAY NEXT WEEK. THE LAUREL SCHOOL DISTRICT ANNOUNCED ON its WEBSITE THAT it is CLOSING SCHOOLS ON Nov. 12 DUE TO OPERATIONAL CAPACITY CONCERNS.
MANY PARENTS SAY THEY ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS LAST MINUTE DECISION.
NICOLE HICKMAN is A MOTHER OF FOUR CHILDREN WHO HAVE AUTISM. TWO OF HICKMAN'S KIDS ARE ENROLLED IN THE LAUREL SCHOOL DISTRICT. SHE SAYS IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT HER KIDS STAY IN SCHOOL.
"It's kind of an inconvenience honestly because it's not just affecting me, it's affecting my children. They have autism so it's harder for them to learn than an average child. They need extra time to learn. knowing that they're not getting that time that they need, it kind of hurts them," says Hickman.
LAUREL SCHOOL DISTRICTS SUPERINTENDENT SHAWN LARRIMORE said THAT SCHOOLS HAD TO CLOSE BECAUSE OF MANY EMPLOYEES REQUESTING TIME OFF, which means SCHOOLS WILL BE EMPTY next friday. This is due to "operation capacity concerns."
ONE MOTHER OF TWO SAYS SHE FOUND OUT A FEW DAYS AGO AND IS NOW FORCED TO ADJUST HER SCHEDULE LAST MINUTE. "I'm a single mother. I try very hard to work with my schedule for the kids and a last minute closing when my schedules are done THREE weeks out is a little bit more difficult for me," SAYS kARRA bLAIRE. WITH STUDENTS HAVING TWO WEEKS IN A ROW OF MISSING A SCHOOL DAY, THESE PARENTS SAY THEY DON'T WANT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MAKING THIS A HABIT. THE LAUREL SCHOOL DISTRICT IS HOLDING A BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING Nov. 17. PARENTS WE SPOKE WITH SAY THEY HOPE THEY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AT THAT MEETING.