Members of WakeCARES are still discussing their legal options after a three-judge panel ruled that Wake County schools may assign children to a year-round calendar without parental consent.

Cary resident Kathleen Brennan, a co-founder of WakeCARES, said the group has not made any decisions about whether to petition the North Carolina Supreme Court, but that they have about a month to decide.

“We’re still discussing it,” Brennan said. “We are still going to continue to advocate for parents and getting the Wake County Public School System to be more responsive to them.”

Last week the N.C. Court of Appeals reversed the May 2007 decision of Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr., who ruled parental consent was required for year-round calendar assignments.

WakeCARES had brought on the suit in March 2007, arguing that the Wake County school system did not have the authority to require students to attend year-round schools.

Brennan said she has heard from many parents this week offering words of encouragement.

“A lot of people are really concerned about it and would like to see us continuing to bring some change,” Brennan said.

As for her own family, Brennan said the year-round calendar won’t be an issue for another year or so.

“Right now my daughter will be entering high school, and I have a son who won’t be going to school until fall of 2009, so I have a little bit of time to think about it,” Brennan said.

The court ruling means that Wake County schools no longer have to ask parental consent for children to be assigned to year-round schools, though consent forms sent out for the 2008-2009 school year will be honored. This concerns Apex parent Kim Hanson, who said she was disappointed in the ruling.

“If I can’t opt out now, that’s really frustrating,” said Hanson, who has twins entering middle school next year, as well as a rising fourth-grader and kindergartner.

“My biggest thing is I want them to be on the same schedule,” Hanson said. “I really wish I could have a choice.”

Hanson said she has seen the year-round conversion split up her neighborhood and even her own family.

“There’s no commonality anymore,” said Hanson.

Her sister and family live in the same neighborhood and their children attend the same school, but the two families can’t get on the same calendar track.

“My sister and I can’t ever go to the pool with the kids together,” Hanson said. “My big question to our principal was what’s a good enough reason to switch tracks?”

Hanson said she is eager to see how all of this plays out.

“There’s a lot of people who like year-round and that’s great,” she said. “If we could just go back to where everyone could pick [their calendar].”

The Wake County Board of Education converted 22 schools to the year-round calendar last year and now opens all new elementary and middle schools on the year-round calendar. Laurel Park Elementary in Apex and Mills Park Elementary in Cary will open in July for the 2008-2009 school year.