Current:Home > StocksAre schools closed on Election Day? Here's what to know before polls open -Mastery Money Tools
Are schools closed on Election Day? Here's what to know before polls open
View
Date:2025-04-18 02:18:32
Election Day is here, and while voters head to the polls, their children may be enjoying their day off as many schools nationwide plan on closing Tuesday.
Several school districts will not hold classes due to safety concerns or because they recognize Election Day as a public holiday. Fourteen states have deemed Election Day a public holiday, according to the Monument Advancement Movement.
Here is an overview of how states will handle school on Election Day.
What time do polls open on Election Day?Here's what to know for all 50 states
Election Day:Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open? Here's what we know
What are states doing about schooling on Election Day?
School on Tuesday differs among other states that don't recognize Election Day as a holiday.
In Texas, for one, many schools in the Houston area have scheduled either a professional development day or a school holiday for staff and students on Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported, while the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh largest in the U.S., will still hold classes on Election Day.
"Instruction is a top priority and will continue on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024," HISD spokesperson Richard Guerra previously said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle. "Our teams are prepared to hold classes and accommodate polling locations safely and securely in our buildings."
Numerous school districts in Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania have decided to cancel classes. The School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school district in the nation by enrollment, canceled its classes on Tuesday, according to its academic calendar.
It will be important for parents and guardians to be aware of what their children's school districts plan to do on Election Day.
In what other states is Election Day a public holiday?
Of the 14 states that recognize Election Day as a public holiday, five of them require employers to provide paid time off for voting. Here is the complete list:
- Hawaii (Paid time off)
- Illinois (Paid time off)
- Maryland (Paid time off)
- New York (Paid time off)
- West Virginia (Paid time off)
- Delaware
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
Is Election Day a federal holiday?
Election Day is not a federal holiday as there is no federal law requiring voters to be provided time off to cast their ballot, according to the Monument Advancement Movement.
Despite Election Day not being a federal holiday, most state offices will be closed on Tuesday with 24 state offices, plus the District of Columbia, offering paid time off to vote.
Should schools be used as Election Day polling places?
Schools have historically served as Election Day polling places for many years because they are central and easily accessible places for voters who are assigned their location.
"Schools are a part of the community and most communities have maintained school sites as election day polling places even with the many new challenges facing the safety of our schools," the National School Safety and Security Services said.
According to the Cleveland, Ohio-based national school safety consulting firm, "school and community officials must take reasonable safety and security measures into account." This includes possibly removing polling places from schools, which the firm supports.
"Unfortunately, far too many elected and administrative officials are hesitant, often for political reasons, to propose and strongly support removing polling places for schools," the firm said. "While doing so will obviously require additional administrative work of finding new election sites and providing notice to voters, the additional work is unquestionably worth the added benefits toward creating safer schools."
veryGood! (4819)
Related
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Detroit suburbs sue to try to stop the shipment of radioactive soil from New York
- Kansas cult leaders forced children to work 16 hours a day: 'Heinous atrocities'
- ‘Agatha All Along’ sets Kathryn Hahn’s beguiling witch on a new quest — with a catchy new song
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Memories of the earliest Tupperware parties, from one who was there
- Lady Gaga Explains Why She Never Addressed Rumors She's a Man
- Hackers demand $6 million for files stolen from Seattle airport operator in cyberattack
- Sam Taylor
- Tulane’s public health school secures major gift to expand
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- California’s cap on health care costs is the nation’s strongest. But will patients notice?
- New Orleans Regional Transit Authority board stalled from doing business for second time this year
- Lawsuits buffet US offshore wind projects, seeking to end or delay them
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Jordan Love injury update: Is Packers QB playing Week 3 vs. Titans?
- Residents of Springfield, Ohio, hunker down and pray for a political firestorm to blow over
- North Carolina’s highest court hears challenge to law allowing more time for child sex abuse suits
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Family of man found dead with a rope around neck demands answers; sheriff says no foul play detected
Woman suffers leg burns after hiking off trail near Yellowstone Park’s Old Faithful
Leave your finesse at the door: USC, Lincoln Riley can change soft image at Michigan
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Ohio officials approve language saying anti-gerrymandering measure calls for the opposite
Shop Hollister's Extra 20% Off Clearance Sale: Up to 75% Off on $4 Tops, $12 Pants & More Deals Under $25
'STOP!' Meet the humble heroes keeping kids safe every school day