Court Opinion

ID: 9581815
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:19:03.879163+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:16.356757
License: Public Domain

Justice EDMUNDS
concurring.
I concur with the majority holding affirming the Court of Appeals reversal of the trial court’s order. However, while I acknowledge the grave difficulties faced by defendant Wake County Board of Education and detailed in the majority opinion, I write separately to emphasize that this Court’s decision is compelled by the applicable constitutional provisions and statutes.
Nevertheless, plaintiffs are not without recourse. The record includes affidavits from individual plaintiffs establishing that mandatory year-round schools will be inordinately disruptive in their family lives. Under section 115C-369, parents or guardians of any student *174assigned to a year-round school may seek reassignment and apply for a mandatory hearing if the request is denied. N.C.G.S. § 115C-369(a) (2007). At such a hearing, one of the factors that “shall” be considered is “the best interest of the child.” Id. § 115C-369(c) (2007). I cannot believe that “best interest” does not include at least some of the factors raised by plaintiffs, such as sibling placement, family schedules, and the like.
Moreover, plaintiffs have the ultimate remedy of the ballot box. Id. § 115C-37 (2007) (mandating election of county boards of education). While boards of education must make difficult choices as to how to allocate scarce resources, those boards are responsible to the voters, who have the power both to elect candidates of their choice and to unseat incumbents.
For the reasons given above, I concur in the majority opinion.