Teacher attendance seems normal, schools say, despite calls for walkout

School districts across the state were concerned about teacher shortages after an anonymous social media post pushing for teachers to call out of work Friday and Monday went viral.

Some schools alerted parents Thursday to warn them of the potential disruption.

“While students may have a different teacher or classroom location for the day, learning will continue as planned,” reads an email from North Garner Middle School sent to parents Thursday night.

But administrators from Durham and Guilford county schools said they had not seen an increase in teacher absences as of Friday morning.

The post calling for the protest cited the lack of a state budget, leaving schools to operate with the same amount of funding as last year. Without money for regular raises, teacher’s wages were left stagnant. 

None of the large teacher unions in North Carolina have claimed credit for the post, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Association of Educators asked its members not to take part in the walkout.

“CMAE does not endorse and will not participate in the anonymously organized social media campaign encouraging educators to call out on Nov. 7 and 10,” reads a statement issued by the union Thursday. “Our power as educators comes from unity, strategy, and collective action—not isolated walkouts.”

Wake North Carolina Association of Educators also criticized the post.