Jackson: Don’t use MLK Day to make up snow days

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson wants school districts around the Southeast to scrap plans to use the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to make up for snow days.

Jackson told The Associated Press on Friday the plans by schools in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia trivialize the significance of King’s work. The Rev. Al Sharpton also told AP that parents should consider keeping their children out of school Monday so they can discuss King’s legacy at home.

Students in Rock Hill, S.C., missed three days of school this week because of snow. Spokeswoman Elaine Baker says district leaders were forced to use Monday as a school day because teacher furloughs limited the number of available days for makeup.

NAACP leaders in North Carolina and Georgia want districts there to reconsider holding classes on the holiday.