'A Day Without A Woman' Controversy? Schools Closing Map: States Where Students Won't Have Class

An increasing number of school districts have announced the cancellation of classes in order to accommodate employees who have planned to participate in the "A Day Without a Woman" national protest on Wednesday. Event organizers have encouraged women to take the day off from work and not to patronize any businesses to recognize "the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system -- while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity."

Prince George's (P.G.) County Public Schools, located in the suburban Washington, D.C. area, was among the latest districts to say it would close Wednesday. However, the brief statement released by P.G. Public Schools seemed to indicate the closures were not happening out of solidarity with the staff who requested to take the day off.

"We cannot transport students and provide safe, productive learning environments without adequate staff," the statement said in part. "We apologize for the inconvenience this will surely cause to many families.

The school district's apparent reaction seemed to be a standard response. One exception was the Maple Street school in Brooklyn, New York, where parents were sent a letter supporting the school staff's decision to take the day off. "At Maple Street we have taught our kids, your kids, to have a voice, to use their words kindly but firmly, to always have a plan and think about the how and the why."

Below is a look at other schools and school districts planning to close up shop Wednesday:

Alexandria City Public Schools in Virginia also announced it would close for similar reasons to P.G. Public Schools. "This was not a political decision," school spokesperson Helen Lloyd told local news outlet WJLA. "This is about the safety of our students and our ability to deliver instruction to them."

Six charter schools in nearby Washington, D.C., were also set to close , according to the Associated Press. It was not immediately clear if that decision was made because its staff was planning to skip work or out of solidarity with the protest's cause.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina was also set to close, local news outlet WNCN reported. "Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools values and supports its female employees," officials said in a statement. "However, the decision to close schools is not an endorsement of the planned demonstration. The decision is made solely to avoid operating school on a day when there are insufficient staff to provide instruction and basic school services."

A Day Without A Woman will fall on International Women's Day. Participants in the A Day Without A Woman protests were expected to wear red, "take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor" and "Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses)." It was being organized by the same people behind The Women’s March on Washington, which took place the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration and saw participants wearing pink that day.