Chatham Charter ends 2019-2020 school year early

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SILER CITY – Chatham Charter School officials announced Thursday morning that it would be ending academic instruction 12 days earlier than scheduled.

The Siler City public charter's academic year was set to end on May 13, but due to a number of factors, instruction will end on Friday, May 1. 

According to a press release, the school will reach its state-mandated number of instructional hours on May 1, and with state testing requirements likely to be eliminated by the N.C. General Assembly and "regulatory propriety of the decision" confirmed by the school's attorney and the state Office of Charter Schools, the decision was made.

“We want to express our deep appreciation for the level of dedication our students, staff, and families have displayed in the midst of trying circumstances," Head of School John Eldridge said in the release. "Over and over we have been heartened to see them rise to the challenges. Ingenuity, creativity, resiliency and humor have been some of the hallmarks of this experience. Seeing our Chatham Charter family come together and do everything they could to end the year strong will be a good building block for the future of our school."

The release said the school began its 2019-2020 academic year on August 8 — a full 18 days before Chatham's public school district began classes — and that students taking Central Carolina Community College classes would continue on that schedule.

Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.