PENDER COUNTY — Pender County Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to continue with its current masking policy — making it optional for students and faculty.
The board of education held a special call-in meeting to vote on the protocol. Board member Ken Smith was not on the call.
A state law enacted in August requires school boards to hold public votes each month on the districts’ mask policies. Pender County Schools’ board began holding a second meeting each month to adhere to the governor’s required vote. Typically officials meet only on the second Tuesday of each month.
The optional masking protocol has been in place since Oct. 4 and will be reassessed again at the Jan. 11 meeting. This will put the board back on track to handle all business in one meeting rather than reassess its masking protocol separately.
Also at the meeting the board approved $136,300 in funding for upgrades to the Cape Fear Middle School and Cape Fear High School fire suppression system. At November’s board meeting, Darren Lafon, chief operations officer, said there was a need for a new line and additional hydrants to bring the system up to code.
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