An alliance of social-justice-oriented student groups authored an open letter to the Friends Select School administration lobbying for the cancellation of all classes on Election Day. This cohort of clubs will meet with administrators this afternoon at 3:10 to discuss the school’s response.

White Antiracism Group, Black Student Union, Jewish Student Union, Asian Student Union, Qlub, Feminism Club, and Quake support the letter, which originated approximately two weeks ago. These groups believe that a day off on Election Day is essential for ensuring that students and teachers can freely participate in democracy through voting, poll working, canvassing, and assisting family members. 

In their eyes, the FSS community should do as much as possible to ensure this year’s election goes as smoothly as possible, as they believe the results of this election may negatively impact the school’s ability to fulfill its mission, especially with regards to marginalized community members. 

With some community members already planning on getting involved on November 3rd, there are also concerns that missing a day of classes in the last week of the quarter would be detrimental to students who choose to prioritize election-related activities.