Students in several school districts in the Rio Grande Valley were given a free day Tuesday due to their campuses being used as an Election Day polling location.

Districts such as the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District and the Mercedes Independent School District made the decision to close on Election Day at the start of the school year.

For Weslaco ISD, the extra people on campus due to school campuses being used as polling locations led to the closure.

"…We just felt that it would be safer for students not to be in buildings during a very busy time, and also it adds as a learning distraction for our kids as well,” Weslaco ISD Superintendent Dino Coronado said.

People are allowed to go onto school grounds to cast their ballots if a campus is being used as a polling location. 

“We also felt it was necessary to have heightened security to make sure that our schools are safe, our staff is safe, we have enough instructional minutes during our calendar year,” Weslaco ISD deputy Superintendent Abel Aguilar said. 

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