Investigative report recommends Bladen County close three schools

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) – There’s a recommendation on the table to close three schools in Bladen County.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction presented a 110 page investigative report to the Bladen County Board of Education on Monday.

The investigation focused on the condition of the school facilities at the primary and middle schools and the need for repairs and/or modernizing them enough to meet applicable standards of health, safety and educational support.

NCDPI visited every primary and middle school in Bladen County on May 17 and 19. In their report, NCDPI recommends closing Plain View Primary and transferring those students to Elizabethtown, Bladenboro, Bladen Lakes, and Dublin.

The group also recommends closing B T Washington Elementary and transferring those students to East Arcadia and Bladenboro.

Finally, they propose to close either Clarkton School of Discovery or Tar Heel Middle School and transfer those students to the other district middle schools.

A school spokeswoman says the board will review the findings in consideration of any future decisions regarding consolidation.

We first reported in September that the school superintendent, Robert Taylor,  had recommended closing these schools, but then in October, the Bladen County Board of Education decided to postpone the public hearings that would move forward the process of consolidation.