Pender County Schools allocates funding to hire more nurses and offer COVID tests on campus

PENDER COUNTY (WWAY) — The Pender County Board of Education gathered for a special meeting Tuesday morning, discussing masks in schools, testing, and nurses.

The Board voted to allocate Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money toward hiring more school nurses and looking into offering COVID tests on campus.

According to the Board, parents have had trouble finding appointments off campus to test students. In addition, rising COVID cases have put a real stress on nurses, especially those responsible for multiple campuses.

Though no action was taken on masks within schools, the meeting wasn’t without controversy. Things got heated when one parent objected to the decision to offer tests on campus.

“I hope you all get fired, shortly,” yelled one parent as the board voted on a measure. “Evil people. Very evil. Evil people.”

According to Pender County Health and Human Services, 35 students and staff have tested positive for COVID in school. 264 adults and students are quarantining.

Pender County has an 18.4 percent positivity rate, one of the worst in the state.

The Board of Education will hold a special meeting September 21 to discuss whether masks should be optional to students.