Primary Election Day Information
For When School Are In Session During Primary Elections...
Guidelines for schools that are voting sites when school is in session during primary elections
Voting takes place in the gyms of Petersburg High, Cool Spring Elementary and Pleasants Lane Elementary and in the cafeteria of Blandford Academy. This information should be shared with the principals who will share it with their schools before each election.
Election Day in November is traditionally a student holiday and staff workday. Primary elections are traditionally regular school days. June primaries often take place during standardized testing for students. To secure the testing environment, election officials have agreed to position greeters at Cool Spring and Pleasants Lane who will keep voters from going past the voting area.
On primary election days, Cool Spring and Pleasants Lane should have additional staff members monitor students arriving and departing by bus because the bus loops are located near the school gyms where voting occurs. Staff members should make sure students and voters do not mingle. Central office staff members can help monitor bus arrivals and departures if needed.
During primary elections, students should not have classes or any activity in the spaces used for voting. At Petersburg High, there should be no after-school activities or athletic practices or activities in the gym. Pleasants Lane should also move music lessons and computer lessons away from the music classroom and computer lab adjacent to the school gym and will need to use a different door when exiting for recess. Blandford will need to work with cafeteria staff to figure out breakfast and lunch plans.
Parking is difficult during elections and primaries. During primary elections and on November Election Days:
Cool Spring employees are asked to park on the hill and leave the back parking lot available for voters.
Pleasants Lane employees are asked to park in the side lot until it is full in order to leave as much space as possible available for voters in the parking lot by the gym.
Employees and students at Petersburg High and Blandford Academy are asked to leave parking spaces near the voting area open for voters.
Helpful website: https://www.schoolsecurity.org/resource/election-day-school-security-and-school-safety/