Today the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Wake County Public School System, saying the system has the right to assign students to year-round calendar schools.

A group of parents called Wake Cares has been fighting mandatory year-round school assignments for more than two years.  In 2007, the group won a favorable ruling from Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning, forcing the school system to offer parents the chance to opt-out of year-round assignments.

After an appellate court ruling overturning Manning's order, the group was granted the Supreme Court hearing. 

Parents associated with Wake Cares say year-round assignment should be voluntary, while the school has argued that it needs year-round schools to help deal with growth and overcrowding.

"We're very pleased and appreciate the careful consideration by the Supreme Court," Ann Majestic, attorney for the school system, said. "We're glad it's finally decided."

Wake School Board Chairwoman Rosa Gill agreed.

"I'm just relieved that we have a decision and that it was in our favor," she said.

School board members have been crossing their fingers for months, awaiting the ruling. They even decided to delay mailing year-round consent forms to parents, hoping a decision would allow them to fill under-enrolled year round schools.

"Utilizing our capacity certainly helps in addressing some of the layoffs that we might have to deal wtih later," Gill said.

Assignments have already been decided for next year. But parents haven't been formally notified, giving the school board the option of uprooting families once again -- the very thing the three year plan was intended to avoid.

Gill said if the decision had come earlier in the year, the course of action for the 2009-2010 school year would have been more clear.  As it stands now, the board will consider options for responding to the Court's decision when it meets on Tuesday.

"We would have been in a different position, but now that we are at this junction, we're going to have to move swiftly, in whatever decision is made," Gill said.

Read More reaction from parents and Wake Cares.

 Click here to read entire ruling.

Click on the video link above to hear from School Board Chair Rosa Gill what happens next.

Related Links

1. Read Reaction from Wake Cares and Parents