Wake schools have changed 2023-24 calendars. See what days won’t have classes now.

Wake County students will again get Election Day and Juneteenth off next school year.

The Wake County school board unanimously approved Wednesday changes to the 2023-24 calendar to make Election Day on Nov. 7, 2023, a districtwide teacher workday. The board also approved a change to make June 19, 2024, a teacher workday for year-round schools in celebration of Juneteenth.

Wake had opted not to hold classes on Election Day last week due to safety concerns from so many schools serving as polling sites. Voter turnout will be much lower next November, when only some municipal races will be on the ballot.

“This is a very sad day for democracy that we’re even having this conversation,” said board member Jim Martin. “As a child, I remembered voting day at school was a wonderful day because I got to watch the community participate in this thing called democracy.”

Wednesday’s Election Day change officially only applies to traditional-calendar schools, year-round schools and modified-calendar schools. But Wake will make the Election Day changes for the other schools in the district once the colleges they partner with create a calendar for next school year.

Wake had also decided to not hold classes on Juneteenth beginning this school year to recognize the significance of that federal holiday. Juneteenth gets it name from June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas learned they were now free.

Only year-round schools are in session that late in June in Wake.