BURGAW, N.C. — Pender County Schools is providing updates following air quality testing at C.F. Pope Elementary School and South Topsail Elementary School. Both schools will begin the school year Monday, August 24, on their normal schedules while additional cleaning and testing continues in three classrooms.
At C.F. Pope Elementary, the latest round of testing showed improvement throughout the hallway. Two second-grade classrooms require additional cleaning and testing.
Both classrooms will remain closed and sealed off while the work is completed. Students and staff will not use the rooms during that time, and the two classes will temporarily meet in other classroom spaces.
The classrooms have independent air handlers and do not share air with neighboring classrooms. This allows the rooms to be isolated while the rest of the school operates normally.
At South Topsail Elementary, air quality testing identified one classroom that requires additional cleaning and testing.
The classroom will remain closed while the work is completed. Students and staff assigned to that classroom will temporarily use another space in the school. Like the affected classrooms at C.F. Pope, the one at South Topsail has its own air system and does not share air with neighboring classrooms.
At both schools, the affected classrooms will undergo additional cleaning followed by another round of testing before students and staff return to those rooms.
PCS will continue to keep families informed and provide additional updates as the cleaning and testing process continues.