Carteret County Public Schools board votes to adjust calendar after lawsuit

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) — The Carteret County Public Schools Board of Education held a special-called meeting on Friday where it voted to start the school year on Aug. 26 instead of the Aug. 13 date it had voted on earlier.

The board voted 4-0 on the new calendar, which includes Jan. 17 as the end of the first semester and June 5 as the end of the school year. There will be 88 days in each semester.

The board voted in an earlier meeting to start the school year on Aug. 13. Parents joined and sued the school board. Three of those parents were business owners.

The board released a statement in response, saying the main reasons for the change were to help students dual enroll in both the high school and Carteret Community College as well as to give students a chance to take exams before winter break.

A judge ruled on June 5 that the calendar violated state law. The board initially hinted at appealing the decision before Friday’s meeting and vote.

“The calendar statute gives us no other choice,” board member Dennis Goodwin said in the meeting. “The calendar statute is not fair to our students.”

The board also voted 4-0 to dismiss an appeal of the June 5 judgment.

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