Strollerderby

I believe many schools are also polling places, so the reason many are closed on election day is more for safety than history.  I remember when I was in school, if there was an historical event going on, it became the lesson for the day.  Classes would gather in front of the TV, and then discuss it.  I recall seeing the first space shuttle launch in school, then drawing a picture of it.  I don't really see why they should close the schools that day.  If a parent feels that strongly about it, they should find out if it's going to be a part of the curriculum.  If not, they can keep their kids home on their own.  I have to wonder if the DC parents that are petitioning for the schools to close are planning to take off from work that day?

I think election day should be a holiday.

No, schools should not be closed that day.  Leave it up to the parents.  If you want to keep your kid home that day, by all means, it should be an excused absence.  But many of us don't want to.  And what about parents in jobs who may not have liberal leave policies and have to work that day?  Particularly lower income parents, who may not have the resources to take the day off and/or pay for child care if the school is closed?  

I am a DC area parent and our county (Prince William County) will be closing school on January 20th but for reasons much more mundane than Hope, Change or History.  They will be closed because we are anticipating horrendous traffic caused by the inauguration.  It is a safety issue pure and simple.

I know that there are a lot of people who are excited that about President-Elect Obama.  Whoo-hoo for you!  I don't mean that sarcastically, but honestly.  Be excited and happy that your guy won.  I can even give you the fact that it is exciting that he is the first black president.  However, it would seem extraordinarily biased for schools to close for one inauguration and not another.  If they haven't done it in the past and don't plan to do it in the future, then the kids should go to school unless the parents choose to pull them out.  Every presidential inauguration is a momentous moment in our country's history.

Furthermore, I can't help feeling like giving the kids the day off on January 20th will hurt the very people that Barack Obama says that he wants to help the most, the working moms and dads of America.  The day is not a national holiday, so if the kids are off, parents who have to go to work, either have to take a day without pay, use a vacation day on rather short notice or pay for daycare.  That's not really fair to them.  Just because some folks have a parent at home or can afford to take a day off, does not mean that it effects everyone equally.  Parents who have to work plan for scheduled holidays and to dump an extra one on them smacks of the elite being inconsiderate of those with fewer options.

This is why I have decided (as a teacher) not to attend work on that day. This is historic and I KNOW absolutely no time will be devoted to watching history unfold.