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Some area districts closed on election day to allow teachers to vote

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TULSA, Okla. -- Election day is serious business for some area school districts, who said on Nov. 6 school will not be in session as teachers take the day to head to the polls.

Teachers said it's not a day off, it's a day to continue the fight for education. However, there are plans in place for parents to drop off their kids.

 The momentum was set back in April as teachers across Oklahoma stormed the state capital demanding more funds for education. That momentum continues into the November election as school districts in green country shut down giving teachers the day to vote.

“The way that schools have been in Oklahoma has been a disaster,” Merrie Wolf, a teacher at Memorial High School said.

Tulsa and Berryhill public schools are two of the area districts closing campuses.

On the Tulsa Public Schools website, the district suggests parents take advantage of four locations that offer resources for out-of-school-time learning: Tulsa City-County Library, the YMCA, The Gathering Place and Tulsa Dream Center.

"I think it was a fantastic idea,” Wolf said. “So many of us teachers work from 7 am to 7 at night that we can't get to the polls."

Teachers said this isn't a day off work, it's a day to get more work done and the teacher walkout was just the beginning.

"That was a tactic to get to the goal,” Shawna Mott-Wright with Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association said. “It's about the movement and us all pulling together.”

Other school districts will remain open.

Some said they feel early and absentee voting as well as polling place hours have a bigger impact celebrating teachers who wear “I voted stickers”.

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