The Wake County principals who voted for year-round school to be open on Memorial Day should be ashamed of themselves. They decided to lengthen the Thanksgving holiday break, which meant school would be in session on Memorial Day. School officials tell the News & Observer that 59 percent of kids showed up on a day they should have been at home and aware of the significance of the holiday. Thank goodness at least one parent figured out a way to mitigate the situation.
And while some parents let their children skip school for a beach trip or Memorial Day event, Kristen Stocking decided to do something a little different. Stocking, the mother of a Holly Springs kindergartner, organized a school assembly featuring three local veterans. They spoke to third-, fourth- and fifth-graders about military service and why it matters.
Stocking said she thought it was disrespectful to veterans that schools were operating on the national holiday. “I can’t change the schedule, so I might as well turn it into a positive as a volunteer opportunity to let kids learn about it,” said Stocking, whose father, stepfather and uncle served in the military.
