Pender County school board moves ahead with three-tier bell schedule

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The Pender County Board of Education held a meeting Tuesday to further discuss the district’s proposed three-tier bell schedule, and they reached a decision. 

The board approved the three-tier bell schedule for the schools in the East side of the county for the 2025-2026 school year.  

The approved schedule is as follows:

• High School:
  • Bus Arrival/Drop Off – 6:50am
  • AM Bell – 7:10am
  • PM Bell – 2:05pm
  • Early Release – 11:10am
• Elementary School:
  • Bus Arrival/Drop Off – 7:25am
  • AM Bell – 7:55am
  • PM Bell – 2:50pm
  • Early Release – 11:55am
• Middle School:
  • Bus Arrival/Drop Off – 8:10am
  • AM Bell – 8:40am
  • PM Bell – 3:35pm
  • Early Release – 12:40pm

The school district says this change will prioritize instructional time for students, reduce traffic congestion and help with bus-driver recruitment. There will be more hours for bus drivers which could create more full-time jobs with benefits.

In the meeting, it was mentioned across the county, there are currently 25 double bus routes with 19 of them on the east side of the county. 

Brandi Odom and her daughter Gia Odom live on the west side of the county and have been voicing their concerns to the school board. Including that an earlier start time could increase depression and anxiety. As well as cause more car accidents and lower academic performance.

The Odoms are happy that there is no change to the west side for now.

“I am happy and grateful for the local exclusion like that our part of the county was not affected. I’m grateful for our voices to be heard but it doesn’t change that it’s not a great change for the Topsail side either,” Brandi Odom shared. 

 “I’m happy that I’m not going to school at 7:10 in the morning,” Gia Odom, a student athlete, emphasized. 

The impacted schools are:

• North Topsail Elementary
• South Topsail Elementary
• Surf City Elementary
• Topsail Annandale Elementary
• Surf City Middle
• Topsail Middle
• Topsail High

The North Carolina Department of Transportation also required the proposed K-8 campus on the east side of the county to stagger their bell schedule by a minimum of 45 minutes as a requirement of their driveway permit.